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Old 01-23-2011, 12:13 AM
 
8,679 posts, read 15,232,838 times
Reputation: 15342

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Quote:
Originally Posted by ABACAB View Post
Of course it's much easier, politically and pragmatically to increase everyone's taxes a little instead of cutting the pay of a few. That's what has been going for all this time and has lead to the situation we are in. More of the same isn't the answer. What you fail to acknowledge is that Long Island home owners pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation. And LI police make some of the highest salaries and have some of the most generous benefits packages in the nation. More of the same closes the budget gap this year and that's it. Additionally, saying "you've gotta give to get" is nothing more than extortion when it comes to LI police departments. They have it all. It's time for the counties to tighten their fiscal belts and take some back. You still haven't answered my question - is $105K salary (median) and the exact same benefits as they have now fair compensation for LI police?

I have said from Day One that I have no issue with the current salary structure. I happen to think that in general, cops--and teachers--on Long Island are worth every penny they get. There are always going to be bad apples or incompetent people, like in any other profession. But in general, I think they do a great job and deserve what they get.

As for taxes, what you fail to acknowledge is that Nassau is also one of the wealthiest counties in the nation. If you're trying to plead poverty for someone living in a million-dollar home, I have to tell you that it's going to fall on deaf ears.

And by the way, cops pay property taxes, too.

 
Old 01-23-2011, 12:17 AM
 
8,679 posts, read 15,232,838 times
Reputation: 15342
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomonlineli View Post
I think 105k is more then fair, as long as we have them contribute to their own 403b and pay 50% of their health care. It's a start.
50% of health care? Who pays that? What kind of cheapo workplace offers such garbage insurance to their employees? None I've ever worked for, and I certainly would not expect a civil servant to accept that, either. Ye gods.
 
Old 01-23-2011, 05:20 AM
 
157 posts, read 152,788 times
Reputation: 26
The county is rotting away because the politicians won't raise taxes with inflation for fear they will be voted out of office. The school taxes go up hundreds of dollars every year and they barely make it. The salaries that you believe are to high if dropped to what you want it to be would still do nothing to cure the problems of Nassau County. So even if your jealously was cured you would still have raw sewage untreated, a rotting infrastucture , etc. So my question to you is if the civil service salaries were dropped to your salary so you wouldn't go to sleep jealous every night would you pay the extra taxes needed evey year to make this county what it should be???
 
Old 01-23-2011, 06:42 AM
 
929 posts, read 2,062,344 times
Reputation: 566
Quote:
Originally Posted by truthone View Post
The county is rotting away because the politicians won't raise taxes with inflation for fear they will be voted out of office. The school taxes go up hundreds of dollars every year and they barely make it. The salaries that you believe are to high if dropped to what you want it to be would still do nothing to cure the problems of Nassau County. So even if your jealously was cured you would still have raw sewage untreated, a rotting infrastucture , etc. So my question to you is if the civil service salaries were dropped to your salary so you wouldn't go to sleep jealous every night would you pay the extra taxes needed evey year to make this county what it should be???
Most of our taxes are scaled, for example sales tax or income tax. So, we pay a percentage of what we buy or earn. Those taxes increase automatically with inflation. The only tax that doesn't automatically scale is the property taxes. I don't know about you, but every year my property tax increases have far outstripped the inflationary rates.

And the fact that "taxes go up hundreds of dollars every year and they (the schools) barely make it" is because the administrators are running a bureaucracy and, unlike a business, they know that if they don't use all of their budget they will most likely have it cut the next year.

As to your last point, I agree with you. School and Police tax increases have made it so other taxes couldn't be increased to provide adequate services. I would love more money put into our roads and infrastructure.

The other problem that we have on Long Island, along with the uniquely high police, teacher, and school administrator pensions, is the amount of waste and corruption. I don't think Long Island has an unusually high level of this, but it is something we have to monitor and always be vigilant of. A good cleanup of all the waste wouldn't be a bad thing.
 
Old 01-23-2011, 06:51 AM
 
Location: Long Island
56,934 posts, read 25,873,676 times
Reputation: 15462
Quote:
Originally Posted by truthone View Post
The county is rotting away because the politicians won't raise taxes with inflation for fear they will be voted out of office. The school taxes go up hundreds of dollars every year and they barely make it. The salaries that you believe are to high if dropped to what you want it to be would still do nothing to cure the problems of Nassau County. So even if your jealously was cured you would still have raw sewage untreated, a rotting infrastucture , etc. So my question to you is if the civil service salaries were dropped to your salary so you wouldn't go to sleep jealous every night would you pay the extra taxes needed evey year to make this county what it should be???

Once again its not about jealousy its about common sense and yes I would be more than happy to spend tax dollars on something that directly benefits all residents and makes the county a better place to live. The salary and benefit levels of civil servants and is unsustainable and is solwly but surely deteriorating our ability to compete with other counties and areas.

Raising taxes $60 per resident to cover the current budget and near future is the best solution as opposed to borrowing as was done in the past. I see that same mentality of why a few dollars more in taxes doesn't matter at every level, village, town, county and state. I even heard arguments relative to the $200K sanitation manager from oceanside that it only came out to around $2 per resident as if that justified the salary level, even the argument that a $25,000 reduction in police salaries would be meaningless because it's only a few million.

Something needs to change, the county and state are in terrible shape and if you think this year was bad wait until 2012 and 2013.
 
Old 01-23-2011, 07:34 AM
 
Location: Wallens Ridge
3,122 posts, read 4,937,730 times
Reputation: 17269
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodnight View Post
Once again its not about jealousy its about common sense and yes I would be more than happy to spend tax dollars on something that directly benefits all residents and makes the county a better place to live. The salary and benefit levels of civil servants and is unsustainable and is solwly but surely deteriorating our ability to compete with other counties and areas.

Raising taxes $60 per resident to cover the current budget and near future is the best solution as opposed to borrowing as was done in the past. I see that same mentality of why a few dollars more in taxes doesn't matter at every level, village, town, county and state. I even heard arguments relative to the $200K sanitation manager from oceanside that it only came out to around $2 per resident as if that justified the salary level, even the argument that a $25,000 reduction in police salaries would be meaningless because it's only a few million.

Something needs to change, the county and state are in terrible shape and if you think this year was bad wait until 2012 and 2013.

I'll take it further, I think the whole country and even the whole planet is in bad shape
 
Old 01-23-2011, 08:13 AM
 
157 posts, read 152,788 times
Reputation: 26
Just what I thought. Just went back to the jealousy of the salaries and not to what asked. I would really like to know all of your histories with police involvement and what you people do for a living but that I won't find out. Well good luckto you all cause I am done debating a bunch of jealous people. Read about my pension in Newsday in three years. I deserved and earned evey penny. I wonder if you can say that for your jobs. As I used to say to my tax payers on the E way before they had to pay money for breaking the law. " Have a nice day '
 
Old 01-23-2011, 11:21 AM
 
929 posts, read 2,062,344 times
Reputation: 566
Quote:
Originally Posted by truthone View Post
Just what I thought. Just went back to the jealousy of the salaries and not to what asked. I would really like to know all of your histories with police involvement and what you people do for a living but that I won't find out. Well good luckto you all cause I am done debating a bunch of jealous people. Read about my pension in Newsday in three years. I deserved and earned evey penny. I wonder if you can say that for your jobs. As I used to say to my tax payers on the E way before they had to pay money for breaking the law. " Have a nice day '
I've never been arrested, received two speeding violations in my life when I was much younger, I own my own business, I have a bachelor's from a top 10 university, and I make more then the median police officer.

You're not debating, debate is made up of arguments, logic, and supporting data. You are trolling.

Quote:
In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response[1] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
If you want the entire definition you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

Also, enjoy your pension being cut after Illinois goes bankrupt and the Fed is forced to allow states to cut government pensions across the board. Enjoy the fact that your pension doesn't increase with inflation, and anyone with a rudimentary understanding of finance will tell you that your pension will have significantly lower buying power in as little as 10 years. In 20 years your pension will barely cover basic costs. But, if you're the average PO, you're retiring in your early 50s, so I hoped you socked away a lot of extra cash, because you're going to need it.
 
Old 01-23-2011, 08:01 PM
 
1,615 posts, read 3,572,134 times
Reputation: 1115
I'll tell you who gets paid too much

The NY Jets
 
Old 01-24-2011, 04:52 AM
 
Location: Long Island
56,934 posts, read 25,873,676 times
Reputation: 15462
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomonlineli View Post
Honestly, it's not the salary that is such a problem as the benefits. Southampton ran an article in their local paper in 2003, I think, that broke down the numbers on retirement pensions and benefits. The article summarized, and I'm paraphrasing, that for each officer on the street they were paying $500,000 in pensions and benefits for retired police officers. The high salaries are expensive, but it's the benefits and pensions that are going to boil the community slowly.

I think 105k is more then fair, as long as we have them contribute to their own 403b and pay 50% of their health care. It's a start.
The taxpayer donations to cover pension shortfalls will need to be increased next year, salaries are just one part of the issue. They will not be able to cover pensions that are over $100K, that is a big part of the issue. The teachers union and others are hitting the streets and putting pressure on their NY State representatives to fight the tax cap. We will see if Cuomo is going to go the way of Christie or cave in to the unions. If you want to do something meaningful start contacting your representatives.

"NYSUT is providing AQE with $425,000 for use over four months to pay for staff in several counties statewide, many represented by potentially vulnerable senators. The funding will pay for rallies, local news events, phone banks to build pressure on Albany, mailings and door-to-door campaigns. It aims to mobilize clergy, parents, teachers and community leaders around their schools."


The Alliance for Quality Education Joins New York State United Teachers union to protect school fundingCBS New York
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