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Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,779 posts, read 15,793,171 times
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Just came back from a camping trip with my daughter's scout troop and we're heading up there in 30 minutes. Should get to Long Island sometime in the afternoon. Thanks for all of the insight so far. We'll try to see as much as we can and I'll let you know what caught our eyes, and I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions when we get back on Sunday night. Thanks so much!
Just came back from a camping trip with my daughter's scout troop and we're heading up there in 30 minutes. Should get to Long Island sometime in the afternoon. Thanks for all of the insight so far. We'll try to see as much as we can and I'll let you know what caught our eyes, and I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions when we get back on Sunday night. Thanks so much!
I hope you take a look at Sea Cliff on the north shore of Nassau County, as I think you will like it.
I am sorry that this thread got off track ... people on the LI C-D board can be very opinionated and sometimes let their emotions get out of control (myself included sometimes).
I thought you were referring to this thread, but fine, I'll own it--and you're not going to like what I say, but so be it.
I think the bulk of people on this subforum who incessantly complain about teachers--and you know who you are--have your heads up your arses with this. All you do is whine and complain and whine and complain and whine and complain like people have been doing here for 30 years. They were whining and complaining about it before I left in 1984, and they're whining and complaining about it now.
What are you actually doing about it?
Why, nothing. You're complaining on a message board.
To put it in Long Island vernacular: Whoop-de-frickin'-doo!
And dang straight I think teachers should be paid well. I think cops should be paid well, too.
If you can't afford the property taxes here, and you can't change things to the way you want them to be, then guess what? You can't afford to own a house here! Well, oh my word, it just sucks to be you now, doesn't it?
So please, feel free to dig up all of my threads. You'll see how that has been my sentiment all along, only I've phrased it much more politely.
I really have no sympathy for the whiners on this board. It's the same stuff, every day, and has been since I joined C-D in December. In fact, it has become so trite and useless, and the complainers here have demonstrated so very often how nasty they can be when people disagree with them, that here, have a bit of another post of mine, from another subforum:
And that, as we say, is the end of that.
P.S. Steve Levy is a cop-hating, caterpillar-lipped scalawag!
I am not asking for sympathy from anyone.
I am not asking for anyone to agree with me on all things! I cannot find anyone IRL (in real life) who agrees with me on every single thing I think, so how could I expect that on C-D?
30 years ago I was too young to complain about the "same old thing" and honestly I cannot remember if my parents were complaining about civil service entitlements, salaries or not and its effect on property taxes. Somehow, I don't think so. I will ask them though.
My complaint is that leaving things the way they are is unsustainable when it comes to property taxes on LI, not that I cannot "afford" it the way it is now. However, if they keep going up crazily ... eventually nobody will want or be able to pay $20K a year taxes on a small middle-class home. That's just common sense. Without reigning things in, that day will come and then what?
Once again, I do not advocate cutting pay for teachers, police or any other civil servant out there. I do not agree with furloughs, etc.
I would, however, like to quantify and qualify the "guaranteed 2 raises a year" that teachers have become accustomed to.
I would also like to end the lifetime entitlements of civil servants, such as pensions paid for by the taxpayers and private health insurance for them and their dependents for LIFE. NYS can simply no longer afford it.
Something has to give is all I am saying. What happens when in years to come NYS goes bankrupt and no longer is able to or legally has to provide all these promised pensions and benefits to retirees? Isn't it better to face it NOW and make the changes then leave people who thought they wouldn't have to save for retirement twisting in the wind when they are retired or about to do so?
Thank you for the idea of bonds in your mention of how VA supports its school system without killing the homeowners in property taxes. Now that's a good idea that perhaps the school boards, local politicians, new governor of NY, etc., should look into!
Sorry for the confusion BigMike... although, I do think you could provide some good insight regardless.
Very nice. Tell me how you think NOVA's property taxpayers would be faring if the local school districts had powerful big business entities (UNIONS) hooked into them controlling the major portion of their budgets (employee benefits and compensation)? Be honest.
Apparently the people of Long Island don't have a problem with school budgets, or they wouldn't have passed more than 90% of them in the last election. If anything, that is where I reconsider my own comments that you dug up. My comments on C-D are based on what I read on C-D. Going by the rants on here, one would indeed think that Long Islanders don't value education in general. But the polls gave the lie to that.
As I said, I live in an apartment. The most Sachem's new budget might do is raise my rent a little bit if I renew my lease in summer of 2011. That's not going to make or break me, and other people's property taxes are not my problem, so I really don't care.
For what it's worth--and to bring this back to the OP's inquiry--I think there are much better places to raise a family than Long Island, anyway. For the money and similar salaries, other places have better housing, better infrastructure, better weather, more things to do, less crime, and a better environment for teenagers. They're just better value for the dollar. Plus, I wouldn't want my kids growing up with or exposed to the ridiculous and completely unjustified attitude that the universe revolves around New York.
Apparently the people of Long Island don't have a problem with school budgets, or they wouldn't have passed more than 90% of them in the last election. If anything, that is where I reconsider my own comments that you dug up. My comments on C-D are based on what I read on C-D. Going by the rants on here, one would indeed think that Long Islanders don't value education in general. But the polls gave the lie to that.
As I said, I live in an apartment. The most Sachem's new budget might do is raise my rent a little bit if I renew my lease in summer of 2011. That's not going to make or break me, and other people's property taxes are not my problem, so I really don't care.
For what it's worth--and to bring this back to the OP's inquiry--I think there are much better places to raise a family than Long Island, anyway. For the money and similar salaries, other places have better housing, better infrastructure, better weather, more things to do, less crime, and a better environment for teenagers. They're just better value for the dollar. Plus, I wouldn't want my kids growing up with or exposed to the ridiculous and completely unjustified attitude that the universe revolves around New York.
I didn't expect my school's budget to fail the vote and it didn't. The difference is the school district did a great job of containing the costs they could control and keeping the increase in spending down to under 1%. My school district and others need to continue to be cognizant of the impact property taxes are having on the average citizen here.
As for the OP's situation, she said:
Quote:
we might not have much of a choice. My husband's office is probably closing in the next 1-2 years and they are offering him a promotion up to this office in Jericho. So our other choice is to stick it out in Vienna (which we love, by the way), till the office closes and then find a new job or see if there's elsewhere to go w/in the company. (The only other option that might be a possibility within the company is a job in their North Carolina office but it would be either a lateral move or a step-down - not sure b/c discussions haven't gone there yet.) We're checking out this opportunity first b/c this is what his boss presented him with.
Is it better to stay in Vienna, VA without a job in 1-2 years? Or to downgrade in NC (provided he gets the chance)? No. I think they could enjoy LI and should give it a chance if it looks like they will have to leave VA. I don't agree that LI is some terrible pit of hell. Sure, a better value for the dollar can be had other places, but you first have to be able to earn some dollars. It sounds like they are pretty tied to her husband's company. The vast majority of LI also does not have a high rate of crime, so I don't know where you are getting that from, certainly not significantly higher than and maybe lower than VA and probably lower than NC, nor are most of LI's people lacking in higher education. I am sorry that you don't seem to find people to hang out with that are educated enough, but perhaps you'd be singing a different tune if your BF was a college professor and you were invited to all the faculty parties and could make friends there. Would you consider LI to be full of uneducated dummies if you were exposed to those kinds of people? There are a lot of those kinds of people on LI, don't kid yourself. Just because you personally are not finding enough people in your immediate environment you consider well-educated enough to hang out with, does not mean they do not exist on LI. Get out there and look for them! There are tons of clubs and activities all over LI for just about any interest, hobby, or educational level.
Again, this is the OP's wish list:
Quote:
--Family Friendly. We have 3 young children ages 3 through 8. So parks, sports leagues, libraries, etc. are important.
--NON-SNOBBY. I cannot deal with areas where the majority of people judge others on where they shop, what they do for a living, how many cars they own, etc. We want a DOWN-TO-EARTH kind of place. I like to shop at thrift stores and sell on eBay. Our cars are 10-years old. We don't want to be judged.
--Great schools. This is very important to us. They don't have to be the best, best schools - just decent schools where the majority of kids are there to learn and the parents are involved and consider education a priority (but are not over the top).
--Walkable downtown. If the place has a walkable downtown, I would consider this a HUGE bonus. Does not have to be big, fancy, or even quaint looking. But I'd love not to have to get in my car for every time I want to take my kids to the library or pick up a loaf of bread.
--45-minute commute to Jericho.
I think this is very findable on LI. For example, I suggested Sea Cliff. It has all she wants, plus a beach for the Village of Sea Cliff residents. There are plenty of other options as well for this family.
As for your assertion that the universe DOES NOT revolve around NY ... what that's where I must draw the line to the heresy! Don't you recall that when Galileo supported Copernicanism and claimed the Sun revolved around the Earth instead of vice versa, the Pope banned his writings and subjected him to an Inquisition? Reason being, is that the Pope had found that heliocentrism was as much a false assumption as the geocentric universe was because, the universe indeed, does revolve around NEW YORK. We are living in a newyorkcentric universe! Next thing you will be posting is that the earth is flat! Or that you are a Red Sox fan.
Last edited by I_Love_LI_but; 06-12-2010 at 07:47 PM..
Apparently the people of Long Island don't have a problem with school budgets, or they wouldn't have passed more than 90% of them in the last election. If anything, that is where I reconsider my own comments that you dug up. My comments on C-D are based on what I read on C-D. Going by the rants on here, one would indeed think that Long Islanders don't value education in general. But the polls gave the lie to that.
As I said, I live in an apartment. The most Sachem's new budget might do is raise my rent a little bit if I renew my lease in summer of 2011. That's not going to make or break me, and other people's property taxes are not my problem, so I really don't care.
For what it's worth--and to bring this back to the OP's inquiry--I think there are much better places to raise a family than Long Island, anyway. For the money and similar salaries, other places have better housing, better infrastructure, better weather, more things to do, less crime, and a better environment for teenagers. They're just better value for the dollar. Plus, I wouldn't want my kids growing up with or exposed to the ridiculous and completely unjustified attitude that the universe revolves around New York.
Hmmm, interesting comments (to which you are indeed entitled!)
Brings me to the question: why are you staying on Long Island?
Very nice. Tell me how you think NOVA's property taxpayers would be faring if the local school districts had powerful big business entities (UNIONS) hooked into them controlling the major portion of their budgets (employee benefits and compensation)? Be honest.
I was mostly kidding... scroll back and check my previous post in this thread. I stand by that statement as the OP could do very well on LI with their list at that price point.
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