Saving Westbury... (Farmingville, New Cassel: for sale, school district, living in)

[VillageOfWestbury]

Originally Posted by LIOC

I think you hit the nail on the head. A lot of this fear is just about "race". If any school ups their black or hispanic percentage by too much they are "ghetto" no matter the performance of the school.

Westbury schools have been improving year after year, and now have scores on par with many other Long Island schools, but are not recognized for this because of their color and economic status.

It's also important to note that you can't base the VoW's economic status off of the s.d. because the it's made up of predominantly New Cassel residents.

[LIOC]

Originally Posted by VillageOfWestbury

It's also important to note that you can't base the VoW's economic status off of the s.d. because the it's made up of predominantly New Cassel residents.

I was just talking about the schools in this case.

[Andysocks]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

LIers aren't scared of density; please understand that not everyone wants to live a clustered, urban lifestyle. My property out here is 3/4 of an acre and I would love to have more room to separate me from my nearest neighbors. Not that I don't like my neighbors, I do, but I enjoy planting and gardening and I am running out of room for paths, ponds and plants.

I'm not denying that many people prefer living on large properties, but--I had the more "urban" parts of LI in mind when I made that statement, like most of the southern half of Nassau, where I had lived. My thoughts weren't about lot size either, it was about the taxes that penalize homeowners for converting their houses into two-families. Now we can argue all day about the benefits vs. the drawbacks of growth, but I don't wanna get into that.

[Smash255]

Originally Posted by Johninwestbury

It does happen. If it looks like a goose there is a good chance of a goose. I tried. But I cant continue this argument anymore. It is causing my great grief...so if you wonder why you wont see my posts about Westbury anymore...that's why.
All I can say is that I tried to make people aware of problems in my town, and not to degrade my town. But I guess everyone has suceeded in killing the messenger and I will stop. I just cant deal with it anymore. It seems few people have the courage to stand up...I did...and have nothing to show for it except getting people mad...which is not what I wanted to do.

You didn't "stand up" what you did was make some accusations, mostly exaggerated ones, and then went off on a tangent about people being illegal because the color of their skin happens to be different than yours. Do some problems exist? Yes, but you do yourself no favors when you overexagerate the situation and make racially motivated rants.

[Andysocks]

Originally Posted by LIOC

I think you hit the nail on the head. A lot of this fear is just about "race". If any school ups their black or hispanic percentage by too much they are "ghetto" no matter the performance of the school.

Agreed. I lived in East Meadow by the Uniondale border and spent a lot of time in Uniondale. It had a horrible rep from the people who had never been there, nevermind the facts that Uniondale's median income and high school performance at the time (could still be, I don't know, haven't paid much attention to LI since I moved out) were marginally worse than EM's. Yet EM High was hailed by the locals as "great!" (at least, the locals who were not keen enough to realize that honors classes were filled with the kids of professionals and regular and remedial classes with the kids from working class backgrounds) and would "never let their kid go to Uniondale High."

[VillageOfWestbury]

Originally Posted by Smash255

You didn't "stand up" what you did was make some accusations, mostly exaggerated ones, and then went off on a tangent about people being illegal because the color of their skin happens to be different than yours. Do some problems exist? Yes, but you do yourself no favors when you overexagerate the situation and make racially motivated rants.

Agreed.

I'm more interested in conversing with people who have a vested tax paying interest in the village. Now folks are condemning the quality of the facelift performed by the village. These are the same people who would tear it down if they did nothing as well....

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by Andysocks

I'm not denying that many people prefer living on large properties, but--I had the more "urban" parts of LI in mind when I made that statement, like most of the southern half of Nassau, where I had lived. My thoughts weren't about lot size either, it was about the taxes that penalize homeowners for converting their houses into two-families. Now we can argue all day about the benefits vs. the drawbacks of growth, but I don't wanna get into that.

Not arguing pros and cons either -- no Tylenol tonight LOL.

I grew up close to the area you've written about. My neighbors were psychotic when it came to parking -- who is in front of who's house, don't park near the driveway, etc., etc. These were people who did NOT want multiple family dwellings in the area.

This is an issue which needs to be taken up with the particular towns. There is a need for affordable housing, but we also have to respect the rights of the homeowners as well. A balance needs to be made somehow.

The homeowners aren't being penalized for converting their homes into two family units, they are being taxed at a level which is appropriate for multi family housing. Why should house A -- single home, family of 4 pay as much as the neighbor in house B - illegal conversion, 8 occupants?

Chances are house B is an illegal conversion and the landlord/owner isn't claiming the rent as income. Yet house B is using more resources -- water, sewer, sanitation, and if there are school age children -- they are using the schools as well without proper reimbursement to the school district. In other words, the law abiding taxpayers are subsidizing the tenants in the illegal apartments.

Another perspective is that people who live in the suburbs moved away from the density of the city looking for a place for their children to play, a yard to keep, space to move about. All of a sudden house B becomes a (for this scenario) home with a legal apartment. There's more cars on the street, more traffic and transient tenants who may/may not be of questionable morals. Suddenly that which they wanted to get away from has followed them.

[AlexisT]

There are plenty of owners who are of questionable morals, too.

The fact is that LI has run out of room. Are we going to concrete everything out to Orient Point? We need smarter growth, and NIMBYism is just too entrenched. It's not just taxes that keep people from converting houses legally--it's zoning laws which are prejudiced against it.

It does make me angry when people who bought 30 years ago, when you could buy on a normal salary, have no compassion or understanding for how it is for people my age. LI is at the point where you can be a professional making a good salary and not be able to afford a house. I'm not saying this to turn this into yet another LI bashing thread. I love LI, I moved back after 4 years away (from one of the few places that are more expensive!), and I have a negative desire to move away from New York. But people really have to get beyond saying "no" to every development and figure out better, smarter ways of keeping LI going.

[Johninwestbury]

Originally Posted by Smash255

You didn't "stand up" what you did was make some accusations, mostly exaggerated ones, and then went off on a tangent about people being illegal because the color of their skin happens to be different than yours. Do some problems exist? Yes, but you do yourself no favors when you overexagerate the situation and make racially motivated rants.

Once again I didn't mean to come across that way. But these "day laborers" are mostly here illegally...which is what I was showing. If they aren't here illegally...why are they day laborers?
I have a right to point out something that is bothering me in my community. I'm not thrilled with seeing a bunch of men in dirty clothes loitering around speaking a foreign language, driving cars with out of state plates. It has nothing to do with what they look like and everything to do with their behavior. But no matter how many times I say it...no one will realize it.
Forget it...I tried to make some points but it seems for the most part they have fallen on deaf ears. I only wanted to make Westbury a better place to live. Maybe my ideas weren't the best, maybe my reporting was a bit rough, and I certainly dont judge someone by their race. I'm sorry if it came off like that.
I really just saw some problems that needed addressing. That's all. I'm sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings...that certainly was not my intent.

[Smash255]

Originally Posted by Johninwestbury

Once again I didn't mean to come across that way. But these "day laborers" are mostly here illegally...which is what I was showing. If they aren't here illegally...why are they day laborers?
I have a right to point out something that is bothering me in my community. I'm not thrilled with seeing a bunch of men in dirty clothes loitering around speaking a foreign language, driving cars with out of state plates. It has nothing to do with what they look like and everything to do with their behavior. But no matter how many times I say it...no one will realize it.
Forget it...I tried to make some points but it seems for the most part they have fallen on deaf ears. I only wanted to make Westbury a better place to live. Maybe my ideas weren't the best, maybe my reporting was a bit rough, and I certainly dont judge someone by their race. I'm sorry if it came off like that.
I really just saw some problems that needed addressing. That's all. I'm sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings...that certainly was not my intent.

A chopped up edited you tube video doesn't exactly help your cause..

As far as the day laborer issue, some are illegal others aren't, you do have people who are here legally who are day laborer's because they can't find another job.

As far as speaking another language, that doesn't exactly make someine illegal either. English might not be their first language, and they might be more comfortable speaking Spanish, but that doesn't mean they are here illegally or don't speak Englsih at all. I work with a few people that speak Italian to each other at work, would you have the same problem with that?? As far as dirty clothes, well you are mainly talking about people who do construction work. No matter what their background is, white, black, hispanic or whatever, if you see someone going to work, coming back from work, etc and they work in construction chances are they aren't going to be wearing the cleanest clothes...

anyway I'm not sure what your intent really was, I took exception to it because it came across as Hispanic = must be illegal, which is something that is seen too much on here and elsewhere