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Government doesn't work for their money. They extort it from the people (if you don't pay the taxes levied against you you will be warned, if you do not comply eventually armed men will come and take you away). So there is no feeling of responsibility in spending it.
I just got a text from a person who attended the South Country School District budget meeting. The SD is spending around $100,000 for just transportation for ONE STUDENT. Is there anyone around that actually looks through these expenditures and brings in any sort of common sense? Seems to me like they just love to spend taxpayer dollars.
I certainly do not know that case but I will tell you the NYSED has bylaws about student transportation. Districts have little say. Proof of point is my wife(teacher) last year had a student who lived in a Babylon shelter and was moved in October to Hampton Bays. Is student transferred to school there? Not a chance. Student (1st grade) got transported to and fro daily for rest of year.
I just got a text from a person who attended the South Country School District budget meeting. The SD is spending around $100,000 for just transportation for ONE STUDENT. Is there anyone around that actually looks through these expenditures and brings in any sort of common sense? Seems to me like they just love to spend taxpayer dollars.
Well, its not just transportation. Its not just the person driving the bus. Its the bus supervisors, the ass't supervisor, the transportation coordinator, the district supervisor.
Most likely this is the result of a state mandate, not the fact that the district just likes to wasted $100K on transporting one student because it's fun.
Most likely this is the result of a state mandate, not the fact that the district just likes to wasted $100K on transporting one student because it's fun.
I agree. I've gone to quite a few of my district's budget meetings and a lot of the roadblocks they have to cutting spending are arbitrary mandates. Some of the stuff just blows my mind.
Please I'm so tired of all these ridiculous threads complaining how LI taxes are too high, cops get paid too much, teachers get paid too much, along with the other false comments like teachers do no work, teachers get free healthcare.
If you're all so upset about it why do you actually take some action on it instead of spending all this time writing and responding to threads?
Like I said LI has an extremely high COL for various reasons. Not just in taxes but all the other amenities here are much higher than most other parts of the United States. If it hurts your wallet, you move. There is no point in living some place you can't afford.
It's only natural that LI has such a high COL. If LI had a reasonable/moderate COL in all areas including so many people would be moving here..and we would have another 1-2 million population increase that Long Island physically can't handle because it's an island and there is limited space to expand.
Plus what is with all the hatred toward teacher, cops, LIRR workers, unions, salaries etc.? As I said there is more than just taxes that are sky high on LI. What about the cost of housing? Why is that never mentioned? It costs at least $400K in many parts of Long Island to have a decent size house. In other parts of the country you can get the same house for $150K. I think people would save a lot more money with lower mortgages than lower taxes IMO. If anything, people are leaving LI because they can't afford a decent house in a decent area, not because of the taxes (although this is probably not the case currently since the housing market took a dump).
Again, when all arguments fail, fall back on "why all the hatred towards teachers and cops." Poor victims. No one hates them. We love them. They are overcompensated and we are overtaxed. Period. They are responsible for the actions of THEIR unions.
I certainly do not know that case but I will tell you the NYSED has bylaws about student transportation. Districts have little say. Proof of point is my wife(teacher) last year had a student who lived in a Babylon shelter and was moved in October to Hampton Bays. Is student transferred to school there? Not a chance. Student (1st grade) got transported to and fro daily for rest of year.
This is true, NYSED mandates for special ed are the biggest kickers. The IEP's for special needs kids are created by doctors, specialist teachers and parents who don't know or care about the costs. The district must then follow that plan to the letter. I've seen them bus a kid from nassau to rockland county for speech or physical therapy because that's who the doctor recommended at some moment in time. Probably said "I know a guy, he's good" and wham, it's done. No thought of cost or practicality. Then the trans dept. has to accomodate busing a special needs kid (ie specially equipped van) to rockland for a service that 100's of excellent professionals could do right here in the kid's home district. The State and Districts are complicit in that no one stands up to this kind of thing and auditors overlook it completely. They are all deathly afraid of any litigation saying they denied the child access to the "best" medical care.
Again, when all arguments fail, fall back on "why all the hatred towards teachers and cops." Poor victims. No one hates them. We love them. They are overcompensated and we are overtaxed. Period. They are responsible for the actions of THEIR unions.
Then if you feel like you're over taxed and it's ruining your quality of life I suggest you move to Montana or North Dakota where taxes are extremely low.
The person who said they're only make $55K on Long Island should really take that salary and move to place like Atlanta. Long Island/NYC is becoming a place for the rich only these days.
As for spending $100K on transportation for one student, sometimes it's not even the district or government that mandates it but the parents of the child. I will not name the district, but a student's father wanted the district to spend tons of money on transporting his son to an elite special education school in the city. He believed the city could
"cure" his son from learning disability, and his son didn't even have that severe of a learning disability. Luckily the board members and district took the case to court because they refused to fund it. So it's not necessarily the district, government but rather the greedy parents.
Then if you feel like you're over taxed and it's ruining your quality of life I suggest you move to Montana or North Dakota where taxes are extremely low.
The person who said they're only make $55K on Long Island should really take that salary and move to place like Atlanta.
The absolute lamest argument on here continues to be "if you don't like it, move." When everyone who doesn't like it takes your advice, you can bet you'll be left SCREAMING about your taxes and what municipal employees get paid....cause you'll become the teeny tiny tax base that supports it. Be careful what you wish for.
Some of us prefer to try to effect change. It's hard as hell against entrenched institutions, overpowerful self interest, greed, career politcal hacks and apathetic people who think things can't be better or fear any semblance of change.
The absolute lamest argument on here continues to be "if you don't like it, move." When everyone who doesn't like it takes your advice, you can bet you'll be left SCREAMING about your taxes and what municipal employees get paid....cause you'll become the teeny tiny tax base that supports it. Be careful what you wish for.
Some of us prefer to try to effect change. It's hard as hell against entrenched institutions, overpowerful self interest, greed, career politcal hacks and apathetic people who think things can't be better or fear any semblance of change.
As I added Long Island/NYC is a place for the rich only these days. It's been happening for years. Not just with high taxes but with the other aspects of COL like housing, insurance, gas, groceries, utilities, etc. Long Island is like San Diego in a sense that you can only live there if you can afford it.
The saying goes "starve on Long Island or sweat in the sunbelt states", it's your choice.
If anything I think it's the housing prices that are killing Long Island the most, especially in Western Nassau. Forget trying to get a decent size house and property there for under $500K. The reason why none of my friends who have graduated college and have good jobs can't move out of their parents house - the housing is too expensive including apartments. I'm shocked that nobody on the Long Island forum has ever brought up the issue on the cost of housing.
Last edited by JCNNY; 03-01-2012 at 09:26 AM..
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