What's the deal with Staten Island? (New York, Ridge: transplants, credit, house)

[Jrock247]

Smoker: Would you like to hear some of my poetry?
Thurgood Jenkins: Not really, no.
Smoker: You really should. "I have killed. I have helped kill. I have killed part of myself. I cannot change this. I... I must seek Buddha. I must seek Christ."
Thurgood Jenkins: You must seek therapy. But that's just where I would go with that.

[MattSiggs]

Again, you fail to show sources for your statistics. You say Staten Island has an enhanced drug problem, but fail to show any source for that claim. I'm not arguing with that debacle because I don't even know if the debacle is true yet. You only said Staten Island has an enhanced drug rate, but showed me no statistic to back it up. You also claim a lot of things about CUNY, when you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

And if you actually took a minute and thought of the whole college experience, you'd realize that you need a Master's degree for many well-paying jobs today. What my fellow MHC peers do is get a BA or BS with a high gpa, then go to a great med school or law school. I know a lot of people who now attend SUNY Downstate, Harvard Med School, UCLA, Yale, and many other colleges and they went to a CUNY. I don't think anyone is quick to write off CUNY, only you are.

I did not attend CSI because it was any way cheaper. I could have afforded college(I also got quite a few scholarships), but the Macaulay Honors College offered me a great deal while providing a great education to boot. If you think an employer will only hire you based on the name of your university; I pity you.

Also, you claim a CUNY can't compete with the "best," yet US News ranked CUNY Baruch only ten behind your beloved Rutgers for "Top Northern Master's Universities". Hunter and Queens came in at 51. I'm not saying it can compete with the Ivy League, but the CUNY system isn't to be written off so quickly. I could just as easily say that state-based school systems, like Rutgers, can't compete with the best either.

But, you're "the farthest thing from bias," so I guess you're always right.

Know what the bad thing about examples are? Here it is: I had a friend who went to Tottenville High School and never had a problem with it. He graduated, is going to a great college, and loved the school overall. See? You can skew examples anyway you want. Again, cursing out teachers is common in a lot of other schools, and isn't just a Staten Island problem. Kids never cursed out teachers in Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx?

As for voting, why do you care? So, a blue-collar workers votes Republican. Big woop. You're not the governing authority over who votes for who. Sure, it might not make sense, but you can't see that as a fault in a person's character. A lot of Republican candidates in New York were fairly liberal anyway(Rudy, Bloomberg).

As for the neighborhoods, I prefer some places more than others. That doesn't mean that someone isn't looking for the suburban qualities of the south shore. I've got a couple of friends below the KWVP that enjoy their neighborhoods. Different strokes for different folks. I personally wouldn't want to be below that line, but someone looking for yard space and a bigger house might choose it. Staten Island is just like the litmus test in chemistry. Starting from the bottom, the neighborhoods are mostly suburban. As you get to Mid-island, they have qualities of both. Then St. George is the full-blown urban neighborhood of the island.

By your grammar errors and educational history that you have revealed on this site, I am led to believe that you are only slightly above-average in terms of intelligence. You were smart among the average kids, but you weren't smart enough for Honors courses or a specialized high school. You became king of the normies. Teachers encouraged you, not because you were capable, but because you were the only one that cared enough to learn something, and they saw that as refreshing. You see what I just did here? That's what you've been doing to everyone else on these boards. Generalizing and making up information about them. Don't you feel a little insulted? That's exactly how I felt when you informed me that I couldn't pay for a good college.

However, I will agree with you that there does need to be another school built. Staten Island is only growing, and we need to be prepared for the build up.

Lastly, you claim that pockets of Staten Island are better than others. You even go as far as saying that there's some good neighborhoods on the island, yet then you turn around and say it's a horrible place to raise a family. Not all of us can live in quaint suburbs in Jersey. Not all of us want to. If given the choice, I'd stay. I've been to Jersey suburbs, and it was somehow more boring than Staten Island every time I went. At least I don't need a car to get to the city and have a slew of stores in walking distance for entertainment.

[MattSiggs]

Wait, wait.

You went on this whole tirade about civil service but your Daddy worked as a police officer?

JRock is right. Seek therapy, and realize your hypocrisy.

You are the people you keep saying are bad to live around. Civil service parent, Tottenville high school, and your family "cowardly" left the place they're from to live in a "better" place.

You're a looney toon.

[TXTwizter]

Originally Posted by nyc0127

Hello proroc. Ironically, we share the same mix (although the Irish descent in my family is also mixed with Spanish and English). Please don't take me to be ''anti-civil service.'' I'd rather you take me to be ''anti-abusing the civil service system.''

Most people would agree that no one is cut out to only do civil service as a generalization. This is not a socialist country. My father was in the NYPD for 20 years. If your dad did it for 35 years, it really must have been for him than. I wouldn't expect you to consider him a leach or someone who just went through the motions.

There are less cops in your neighborhood. More cops represent more of the amount of years my father did than yours. Think about it this way. If there were 10 cops who had it in their hearts to be cops out of x amount of people. In your neighborhood, 15 became cops. On the south shore, 30 became cops. Those 10 still exist in both places. For every extra cop though, it was just get a salary by going through the motions. If I'm wrong that Staten Island doesn't have excessive amounts of NYPD cops, why was it so easy to come across the child of one in this forum?

I agree that Staten Island has gotten worse over the last ten years. I will respect your opinion in believing Staten Island is the ''best borough'' (even though most would say Manhattan). I expect you to be bias since you live there. My problem is more with that you're comparing it to the other boroughs.

You should understand it is a suburb (or for your area a semi-urban enclave) and does not share the same city element (expense, crime, immigration, population density) as the other 4 boroughs. I know you aren't doing it on purpose. It's how people on Staten Island teach themselves they aren't so bad. If they actually compared themselves to affluent suburbs, they'd realize Staten Island is really below average.

The horrible conditions to the road go back to my point about the unfair distribution of city tax money. Staten Island is neglected. In reality though, the abuse of the civil-service system's jobs overshadows the lack of tax money Staten Island receives (considering civil-service salaries are paid by tax dollars).

As far as when non-whites attacks whites on Staten Island goes, that would be the responsibility of New York's media and culture. New York City's media eggs on the racism as long as it fits their criteria. This is how Al Sharpton has made a career. The New York media wants you to believe that blacks can't control what they do.

They want you to believe that whites who are criminals are ten times worse than they actually are. The reason why they like doing this is because it creates a bigger social division between the educated wealthy whites (i.e. Manhattan liberals) and working-class whites (i.e. white south shore residents).

Just the fact that you'd use the word ''minority'' proves my point. As difficult as it is for New Yorkers to believe, that isn't a normal word that is said in America. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but it's not common.
New York uses this as a power tool.

If Philadelphia chose to egg it on, why would they need to use the word ''minorities'' when blacks are almost all the people who fit that criteria in that city? New York City is a more diverse city. The reasons for why blacks are poor is irrelevant to why immigrants are poor. Immigrants are poor because they often come with less money, less education, higher fertility rates and one spouse who doesn't work.

That generation dies after one though. This is why West Indians often relate more to immigrants than African-Americans (a big reason why blacks in Queens have higher family incomes than whites). By tag-teaming the term ''Hispanic'' or by broadening the term ''minority'' allows you to take your eyes off of blacks. It creates a bigger influence. No one ever societally questions this pathetic structure because they either aren't interested or can't handle this.

If any of you use the term ''Hispanic'' or ''minority'', you are toys of the pathetic system of the U.S. The government and media will have you exactly where they want. They are politically incorrect and ignorant terms. If you're an intelligent person, you should be able to see through these lines.

OMG are you trying to make a point in all of your rambling or are you trying to write "War and Peace"??? I have never seen such an example of "saying so little, but speaking too much".
JMO

[nyc0127]

I'm glad you're trying to understand poetry Jrock. It resembles ''creativity.'' As I said to others before, you optionally chose to speak to me. You've told me why you think it isn't. If you didn't want to hear me, why would you express to me your emotions about you believe I indirectly insulted your father. Are you just speaking for the sake of speaking? If that is how you live your life, go talk to the trees in the woods.

The topic as originally posted was why Staten Island was a horrible place to raise a family. Describing the class and awkward paradoxes of it was necessary in this process. That was why I posted my message. If any of you are interesting in either adding or disagreeing with that, than go ahead and do so. Otherwise, stay away from irrelevance. I really doubt anyone would have posted on this board if it wasn't for myself. I doubt people on hear would continue too if I stopped responding as well.

[nyc0127]

You have failed to show you me any merit to your base either. Are all of us supposed to believe that the CUNY program is a good one, just because you go to it? If I was wrong about the drug-usage on Staten Island, why have other readers who claim to reside on Staten Island acknowledge their high drug usage? Read their posts.

Wasn't a Tottenville High School teacher arrested a few years ago for selling a load of drugs? You seem to be one of the few on here who doesn't acknowledge the drug-usage problem. Would you rather naively ignore a problem that is occuring in your own backyard? This drug usage is one that you'd have to relate to with first-hand experience with. This is what this forum is for. We explain our experiences in a place (along with facts) to give people a taste of the place they're inquiring about.

Where are you peers statistics? Are you posting their names and comparing them proportionally (population) to the world's entire college-educated population's success? You're basing on hearsay like myself. If you believe my argument lacks merit, wouldn't yours? Yours would be bias. You're in the most advanced program within the school. You don't think believe a similar success rate comes from many honors programs throughout two year community colleges in America?

Like many of us on here, you've got off track by making this discussion about CUNY. You think I'm trying to insult you. I'm not. I don't see any resource (i.e. link) tied in with your reference to the CUNY branch. That only way I could find out if that statement was true if is I researched it. The same would apply to you if you wanted to find out if the high drug usage or foreclosure rates on Staten Island existed. You are too hypocritical.

I'm happy that Tottenville worked out for your friend. Both good and bad comes out of all schools. Cursing out teachers may be common, but it was ridiculous in I.S. 75 and Tottenville. I went to three public schools after that. Even if they would have put up with such behavior the same way as those schools, the kid's just didn't want to go to that level. Even if normal kids in America have rage, they don't express it that way. They were raised better. In Staten Island, many of them weren't.

They didn't monitor the kid's attendance or success well. In my high-school in NJ, if you were more than ten minutes late for school, you were marked absent for the day. You had to be in by the end of homeroom. In Florida, if you had ten unexcused absences in a class, you failed. I had a friend who went to Tottenville one time who would cut by at least fifth or sixth period every day for the first two marking periods out of three. It was his senior year. Luckily, he passed all the regents. He needed every class to pass.

He begged every teacher to give him a 65 if he went to every class and did his best on his school. I doubt he had the numerical grade necessary to pass in at least a few of them. They simply just felt bad for him though. There was no integrity in the system. As unfair as the system sounded in NJ, it worked. I know problems exist through out all of America, but at least they put there foot down in ''good'' education systems. The Board of Ed isn't good. Even though Staten Island is a suburb, they're stuck with the Board of Ed as their predominate educator. It's like you have to fight to not be neglected in NYC public education.

Truthfully, ''true'' Republicans have barely any existence in New York City. Everyone seems to be culturally liberal (i.e. pro-choice ; adapting to change). Bloomberg was actually a Democrat. He couldn't run as a Democrat because Mark Green had the nomination. What separates Republicans and Democrats in New York is economics. I'm not saying it's against the law for them to not vote Democrat or even vote at all.

I'm saying they're not being smart. They aren't looking out for there own interests though. Why would you want to live around people who can't take good care of themselves? If there own interests were really in threat (such as if Sanitation were to be sold like the NJ Turnpike), they might realize they weren't so bright. Why would you want me to not care? When I was living there, I shouldn't have been concerned about my family's interests?

If you ask them why they voted Republican, they'd tell you it was for a horrible reason. For the outward racist, they'd probably say because they're white and live in the suburbs. For the plastic person trying to make sense, they may say because they have ''conservative values'' (even though barely anyone in NYC does). The wealthy and poor in their surrounding suburban neighbors are on a completely different page than them. Staten Island just doesn't fit in to the ''normal world'' that most of us live in.

I agree that Staten Island has a mix of urban and suburban influences. Everyone is different. You try pitching off that Staten Island is a good place because of it's ''growth'' though. Yet, others on here disagree. Look at the poster before myself. He lives there now. He says the quality of Staten Island is decreasing.

As I noted before about it's growth, it's not acquiring interest from the middle-class American-born (the populous of most readers on this forum). Sadly, there is space on this island to still squish in people. Immigrants are the man supplier to that. You say it's ''growing.'' Yet, the affluent is reluctant to entering Staten Island because there are better options.

You call me ''King of the Normies'' as if you aren't apart of the same class. I know you weren't doing it to insult me, but still. What made you so special? What kind of ''family'' did you come from that I didn't? It is a fact that it is cheap compared to most universities. It is a fact that the business world knows theses facts. When most people hear about your campus, they think about a TV show. If I wanted to insult you I'd call you the ''God of mediocrity.'' I think it'd be better if we avoided ''insulting eachother.''

I'm sorry if I you believe I insulted you. I didn't mean you couldn't afford a good college. I meant that it would be a financial burden if you attended a different university. Why take the burden of paying a student loan that could accumulate to over one hundred thousand? In reality, most of us aren't that different than each other. Most of us come from middle class families. Most of us have potential to be successful.

I say Staten Island has different standards than the rest of the metro area. What seems to be good on Staten Island is mediocre to most suburbs. What seems to be average on Staten Island is below-average to other suburbs. I believe there are places on Staten Island that can seem mediocre to the rest of the area. That isn't all of Staten Island though. The reasons why Staten Island is such a below average place to live isn't even all about it's poor infrastructure. It's more about it being below par to the rest of the competitive metro area.

You don't seem to understand that I have an intended crowd I'm speaking to. It took myself time to figure this out. The reason for this forum exists is because people want to know of a place that is recommendable in the area. The topic has largely revolved around Staten Island. My goal was to acquaint people with what Staten Island is really all about. More people on this forum seem to feel in favor of the negative scent, rather than a positive one.

Look at the post before my first. Look at Jrock's first post. Look at syman's conclusion that Staten Island is a place for ''working-class whites.'' Many speak of Staten Island as if it has a dropping reputation. People speak of it as if doesn't represent the interest of the populous that reads these messages. Is that a place that is recommendable to raise a family? Some may feel neutral about Staten Island, but almost no one has praised it.

It's good that you're happy with Staten Island. It would suck for you to be miserable. I'm not saying Jersey is always the answer for ''good'' Staten Islanders. I'm saying that you need to understand the reality of it though. Staten Island (especially the south shore) is a low-middle class suburb.

To consider it middle class under city terms would be an irrelevant scapegoat. It does not have a city element or sociology. It does not have the elite or poverty a city has. It has to be compared to the suburban world. The south shore is an isolated place that is squished in and surrounded by a landfill. A large portion of their population is non-affluent, has high drug-usage, high foreclosure rates and a culture of outward racism. That is factual. Under those circumstances, outsiders should want nothing to do with it. For who is already there, either eat it or get out.

Listen, I'm not expecting you to like me. If it makes you feel better, you can think of me like the Jose Canseco to Staten Island (as if I ''turned on it'' and enjoy letting others know the ''dirty details'').

[nyc0127]

Hypocrisy? Therapy? Looney toon? I thought this game of insults was over.

Just because I make sense out of the world I lived in doesn't mean I require therapy. You twist my words. I spoke poorly of those who abused the civil service system. Not enough of you were able to comprehend the word abuse in their. Do I have to make it in bold and underlined red letters?

My dad wasn't the best or worst in the force. He did join at a young age like many of his friends growing up did. He did retire early. However, he didn't necessarily go through the motions like the typical dopey-faced cop all of us see when we walk through Manhattan. He worked under cover in some of the worst areas during the peak of the city's crime. He became a detective. I criticize the society for allowing and permitting the abuse of the system. There are too many cops in New York. Tax money is being wasted on jobs that could be run by private corporations. Thankfully, society is working more in the favor of my ''feelings'' rather than those who abuse the system on the south shore.

I know I am the descendant of the people I have spoken in opposition to. It took you this long to realize it? I explained the background I came from before that post. I'm like Bill Cosby criticizing unsuccessful African-Americans. Who else would know such a society better? That is why I have the potential to be a powerful voice against the island. That is why people are willing to listen to me. Do you know how many have read my posts and will continue to?

My posts are some of the most popular references you'll receive on many search engines talking negatively about Staten Island (or even Staten Island at all). This is why I say I'm not bias. If I knew all this, why would I want anyone to endure it? I can and did give you guys a real taste of what Staten Island is all about.

I really don't understand why you'd think I'm a ''looney toon'' though. It's not uncommon to see people to see people dislike where they grew up. I want people to know the truth about this place.

[nyc0127]

Hey JVTX72. I'll try to stay away from ''rambling'' on. I'd like to stay on topic. This topic is about why Staten Island is a horrible place to raise a family. It's not about Philadelphia, Italian heritage or the term ''Hispanic.'' If you guys want to peacefully disagree, I respect that. Many of you have taken swings at me and twisted my words though.

Ironically, the people who should be insulted the most by this, haven't spoken. Some who have defended Staten Island have never lived there. Too many of you have attempted to refute my arguments by attacking my ''ego'' (which if anyone hasn't realized by now, I'd be my own worst enemy).

One referred to me through anti-semitism (even though I'm not Jewish). One called me a ''looney''. This is about the class of Staten Island. Not me. If we continue this discussion, it'd be best for us to all be on the same page.

[MattSiggs]

You know what, after this post, I'm done. There's only so many ways I can say something to you before the effort becomes fruitless. You are the most frustrating person to argue with because you don't acknowledge your faults or even realize the validity of someone else's claim.

I did quote a source for the CUNY based system. You ignored it. I mentioned US News. I'll provide a link for you.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandre...as_n_brief.php

There you go. There's your source. CUNYs aren't bad schools, no matter what you want to think. They can still compete with an average university.

As for you referencing CSI as a two-year community college, I'll provide a quote and link from their website.

The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a senior college of The City University of New York (CUNY). CSI offers a broad range of academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, and the professions that lead to associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees. Select doctoral programs are also available on campus in collaboration with The CUNY Graduate Center. From undergraduate research to working on doctoral theses, students at the College of Staten Island are provided with the tools and opportunities they need to make positive contributions to society.

http://www.csi.cuny.edu/academicsresearch/index.html

If that doesn't settle the argument for you, I don't know what will. It is not a community college. It says right on the site that it's a senior level college. I don't know how much more clear I can make it. In fact, it doesn't even mention a two-year community college program. It has a doctoral program for crying out loud.

What made me so special was that I actually challenged myself, went to Tech, and now I'm currently in a demanding Honors program. You were king of the normies because you never rose above the normal track at all these places, hence your bad experience with education.

I did acknowledge the drug problem in my very first post. I know a lot of people that smoke, but I also know a lot of people that don't.

However, since I want to prove you wrong so badly, I took the effort of looking up some of the statistics. While SI has a higher rate than all the other boroughs, using your logic, we can't compare them.

SI's alcohol use is at 46%. The national average is 43%. 3% is not a huge difference at all. Although drug use is higher when compared to the other boroughs(They conveniently didn't list the other boroughs' statistics, leading me to believe that the other boroughs were only 3-4% below SI, and not statistically significant), if you compare it to the US, you'll notice that SI is statistically below average. 23% smoke, 20% use marijuana, and 4% use cocaine on Staten Island. This is compared to 38% that smoke marijuana throughout the country, and 8% that do cocaine. So you have nearly half the national average in both areas. http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/download...7subsAbuse.pdf

It's going to be fun to see you spin these around, but I'm not going to hear anymore of it. I'll admit Staten Island has higher drug use than the other boroughs, but I'm still not convinced that it's a below average place to live, when it's cleaner than the rest of the US. The high drug usage isn't as high as you make it seem.

I don't know what schools you went to in Jersey and Florida, but I'm sure I could find other high schools in both places where kids cut class and curse out their teachers. Again, don't use anecdotes to back up your claims. They don't work.

I'm saying they'll vote for who they want to vote for. It may not be smart, but you can't tell them who to vote for. They feel safe with the Republicans, so who gives a hoot? It's not on any Republican agenda to privatize the city workers, so what's their concern?

I'm not saying it's a good place because of its growth. I said that something has to be alluring about it because it is growing. That's two very different statements, and the latter you twisted into the former to justify your claim.

I know you have an intended audience, and you want to convince them that Staten Island is sub-par. We all get it. My intention is to show people that there is another side to Staten Island, one that you conveniently neglect to push your agenda. To you, it's below-average. To me, it's an average place to raise a family.

It's clear from your posts that you have too much self-worth. You act like you're exposing "dirty details" of Staten Island that everyone was aware of for the most part, and you exaggerated these claims to make the island seem much worse than it is. You call yourself the Bill Cosby of the island, sending a message of warning. You even go as far as saying you're a powerful voice against the island and that many people read your posts. You're neglecting that the posts of others calling you out on your claims follow right after yours, so whatever agenda you have is nulled by their testimonies.

So, farewell. As someone said before, you're just a verbose windbag. You're the guy in the college class that raises his hand and talks for ten minutes, thinking he's enlightening the whole room with his raised intelligence, when everyone else is groaning at the nonsense he's sputtering.

I do hope you go to Rutgers, and realize that you don't know as much as you think you do. I hope a professor really hands you a rude awakening one day. Good luck.

[nyc0127]

What makes you believe you even had an argument to start? Because you ''like'' yourself? You don't need to continue writing on here. If you felt it was meaningless, why did you post this message? This argument is fruitless as it is. The topic of subject I brought up wasn't about CUNY. It wasn't about what college you college you can or can't afford.
This topic is about why or why Staten Island is a bad place to raise a family. I don't belittle individuals. I have class. I go deeper than that. I go into the societal structure.

It's too late to provide a link for it. That argument is over (and irrelevant). My resources for demographics are from the U.S. Census. That isn't common knowledge? The drug usage and foreclosure statistics came from articles in reputable newspapers. Just like yourself, I didn't post the link on here. People would have to do the ''dirty work'' themselves as if they got it in them. Others on here actually posted maps and articles in reference to the foreclosure statistics.

Let's go right back to the irrelevance you seem to be interested in continuing though. I didn't refer to CSI as a two-year community college. I understand the technicality of CUNY being a university. You twisted my words by saying I said it was a two year school. Where did I say it was a ''two year'' school? Why did you assume that two years meant a community college? That would be more of a junior college. Community college can be as much of a saying as it is a technicality. It's typically a cheap option that allows you to stay close to home.

That is why I said it was the elite of ''community colleges.'' If it makes you feel better, I could be more blunt. It's one of the best options availible for someone who is reluctant to paying a lot of money to go to a ''real'' university. Or, it's a not so hot school compared to real universities. The school you go to is more of a bargain than it is ''luxurious.'' If I was wrong, why isn't it common for kids from California to rent out a dorm and attend CSI? When you integrate into the real world, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If I don't accelerate passed the ''community college'' I attend now, I will too.

The world is big enough for people from below average or mediocre schools to make decent money. They always have to work harder and prove themselves better. They aren't on the pedestal that students from NYU or Rutgers are.

How did you challenge yourself? Sure, you went to the Tech. I give you much respect for that because few can handle that. But why aren't you at an NYU, Rutgers or Villanova? It's because it's cheap and local. What pressure do you have if you don't succeed? It's like you got nothing to close. If you screwed up for one or two years at NYU or Drexel, you may be paying them back for a decade.

The real world will know that you settled. I'm not saying you go to an embarrassing school. I'm saying the school you attend isn't that reputable. It's a city-based program ''for crying out loud.'' If you disagree, that's fine. The argument is over on that impenitent subject. I never considered CSI a ''traditional'' community college though. Don't twist my words or take everything so literally.

You sound like you're so confident because you're in the honors program. What is CSI though? You still are a student of the school. Wouldn't you being apart of the ''elite'' of a below average university, indicating you're the ''king of the normies?'' If you were so apart of the ''educationally elite'' too, I'm sure you could have came up with a more professional insult attempt than that. You rank incredibly at that school. Where would you rank at NYU? Wouldn't there be more pressure on you?

Believe me, you have a load of potential. Both of us are likely to turn out successful. It's likely that both of us will get overshadowed by the elite though. If we make it, we'll have to work harder.

You are trying to invalidate my conclusion by emphasizing alcohol. Isn't it very obvious how that was so minimal in my argument? The drug-usage is what I focused on most.

How reputable is the resource you are providing to us if it lacks comparison to he rest of the city's boroughs? Why haven't you comprehended that Staten Island is a suburb yet? I've posted several times to compare it to other affluent suburbs. If you did, you'd know how below par Staten Island is. Why don't you provide us statistics of drug usage in Staten Island versus the rest of the metropolitan area?

Why do you believe they didn't list it is because it's statistically insignificant? That isn't factual. That is you playing favoritism with Staten Island because you live there. Where are the statistics for the south shore? If you noticed, I've mainly emphasized the linking of the south shore to it's high drug-usage. That problem isn't as elevated throughout the rest of the island. Neither are foreclosures or people milking out the city's civil-service jobs.

Where are your resources for the national average of marijuana usage? Are you going to post your resources late again? Why would you even trust these statistics? Do you believe ''drug users'' are so open and warm? The Census and the government's resources of acquiring statistics throughout the nation is inadequate. Many people on here acknowledge the culture of high drug-usage on Staten Island. The intended crowd on here is middle-class people in the New York area who want to live in a decent place. The rest of America is not involved in this discussion.

I say Staten Island has lower standards than the New York City area. I never said New York City doesn't have higher standards than the rest of the country. They do. They just have a corrupted system that supports a system of mediated bigotry. New York City is educated, wealthy and safe. What seems average to NYC, is below average to Staten Island. What seems good to much of the U.S. is only average to New York.

Your facts lack merit and resource. The resources you provide lack key facts. If you believe it's ''cleaner'' than the rest of the United States, you are too naive. Hypothetically speaking, even if you were right about the ''drug-usage'', is non-drug usage the only reason you need to believe a place is a reputable place to live?

I had friends who had similar problems at their public schools. How much control can a teacher have over such a populated class with terrible resources? I witnessed this at Tottenville High School. How many suburban areas in New Jersey or Florida splurge a population of near 100 thousand's public school students into one schools. The south shore does it and they're public-school students suffer tremendously.

That is a big reason why they lack self-discipline and part of the reason why they rely on drugs to compensate for being neglected. This is why so much of the south shore's youth lacks individualism, independence or real goals. This takes down their society. Why would any uninvolved family want to bring their family's to such a mess?

I'm not telling them to vote for anyone. It would be nice to know that the people I live around people can protect themselves though. Why would anyone want to live in a society where people can't take care of themselves or interests? They make themselves vulnerable. How does it represent class if some of the population feels committed to voting Republican because they're a white suburbanite? Why would you want to live around people who lack class? Even worse, they're willing to commonly express this view without anyone telling them that isn't right. Why would you want to live in a place that permits outward racism?

I know it's not on the Republicans agenda to privatize the sanitation department. It's more likely they'd be interested in doing it in the future than Democrats though. It's more likely that they won't fight for their rights. On a national prospective, they'd seem more likely to lose social security if they supported Republicans.

If so many can't take out a mortgage that is affordable, how could they properly manage a 401K? Republicans also don't represent the liberal views most of them and their region of the country share. It's like a lose-lose situation for them. I'd hate to not encourage people to vote, but for these people, it might just be in their best interest to stay home next November.

The alluring aspect of it is it's space. Any piece of land in the New York metro area is desirable. I'm surprised more people don't camp out in the swamps of the meadowlands. Look in between Tottenville and Bloomingdale in Staten Island. This means more townhouses/condo's will be built.

Immigrants and lower-middle class Americans typically have lower standards than middle-class Americans. It's not because they're ''bad people.'' It's because they have less money and less options. If the working-class considers Staten Island to be more desirable than middle-class people, wouldn't it indicate that it's a lower-middle class place?

I respect that you believe it's an average place to raise a family. You don't provide as convincing or as many reasons as I do though. Most of your reasons you've described about Staten Island being an average place to raise a family is a unambiguous disagreement to why I believe it's below average. You don't explain because your base is bias and less factual.

Self-worth? These posts aren't about my ego. The reason why I'm exposing the dirty details of this island is because others don't understand it. Are the ''problems'' you've claimed they're already aware of are the same ''problems'' you've denied existed? They may know it, but it doesn't mean they were able to put the puzzle together. People may know that there is high drug-usage and high foreclosure rates, but they don't completely understand why people believe the reputation is below average.

The Bill Cosby comparison was a joke. I'm saying that I am able to provide a reality for what Staten Island is all about. I didn't say I was powerful. I said I had the ''potential'' to be. I doubt I would become that. If what I've said was more unknown, than maybe I could. I wouldn't want to be that though.

I simply want people to acknowledge why Staten Island is a below average place to live. I don't want Staten Island to be a bad place to live. It would suck to look down on the place I grew up for the rest of my life. Staten Island needs to acknowledge it's faults in order to improve. Some others who have posted on here and I don't believe that it's headed in that direction though.

With the facts I've provided though, many people on here have come to the conclusion that Staten Island is lower-middle class. One went as far to say the it's the place for the working-class whites in the NY area. Another actually prided the fact that Staten Island represented all of what I described.

He believed it was good because it had flavor. He believed that the culture of outward racism, non-affluence and non-assimilation was the reason why this culture still exists. If this was true, he should be happy I've encouraged people to not want anything to do with Staten Island. If they believed me, there society wouldn't diminish so quickly.

Surely for him, Staten Island may fit his awkward criteria. However, it doesn't fit most educated middle-class residents of the New York City metro area who plan on raising a family.

Why exactly would that diminish my agenda? What convinces you that who ever has opposed me is right? They've stated their disagreement. They haven't influenced the feeling of this board though. More people on this board still believe Staten Island is a place with a declining reputation and several problems. Many have had little regard for the south shore. The goal was to come to a common understanding. If you read my previous posts more carefully, you'd notice that is true.

The common understanding we have come to is obvious. People have more negative to say about Staten Island than positive. For the people who do respect the infrastructure are completely satisfied with a neutral average scent. Most places advocators don't enjoy settling for mediocrity People have come to a common understanding the Staten Island is a lower-middle class place to live with high drug-usage, economic problems and outward racism. That doesn't sound like a below average place to live? If that is what you consider average, I recommend you get higher standards (or less bias ones).

You seem to feel belittled. You feel the psychological need to try to empower me. All because I said you couldn't afford a better college? I actually don't speak out in classes like that. I observe more than I act. I know when it's time to speak and when it isn't. I respect other peoples views. No professor will ever give me a ''rude awakening.''

I'd love it if a professor gave me one though. Believe it or not, most professors don't have enough fire in them to care for a student. They may consider a student like me a rude awakening. If I chose to speak out, I might just stand in the way of their daily routine. It would be nice to know I'm not the only one who cares. Most go through the motions just like the students. Finding someone like me within students is twice as hard with professors considering so many are old and miserable.

In college, you are a statistic. You are a dollar sign. They should call me by my ID number, not Tom. You think they care enough? If a Rutgers professor wanted rude awakening, they could go outside of their New Jersey residency and view their destroyed environment. It looks like the end of days in this state.