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Since that time, some predictions of the 13-day series have come to pass, while others failed to materialize. The defense jobs that propelled many Long Islanders into the middle class indeed disappeared. While local schools remain some of the best in the country, issues that bedeviled the region three decades ago persist - sprawl, job losses and the high cost of living.
So we have a lot of the same, exact problems as 35 years ago. What does that tell us, negative or positive? For the pessimists = we never learn. For the optimists = we haven't been destroyed by our problems in the past and LI will still keep going on.
So we have a lot of the same, exact problems as 35 years ago. What does that tell us, negative or positive? For the pessimists = we never learn. For the optimists = we haven't been destroyed by our problems in the past and LI will still keep going on.
What it tells you is that, while other regions have progressed, we are going backwards. You can thank the hack politicians, who are much better at filling potholes and selling party dinner tickets than they are at having any vision to make Long Island a better place to live. The fact that we are still grappling with these problems is pathetic. It'll be real interesting to see what Long Island looks like 35 years from now. If we continue on our current course, the prospects aren't pretty.
I think the harsh economic and political environment here has also drained us of our creativity. When I look at relatively drab and lifeless hamlets like Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor, I often ask my wife why Long Islanders can't be more creative. You go to other towns and villages around the country and there are vibrant arts and cultural communities, unusual shops and restaurants, etc. The best we can do in that regard may be places like Huntington, Rockville Centre and a few villages in the Hamptons. But even those don't hold a candle to other regions. On a cold winter Sunday out here, there's little to do but shop or go to the movies. We shouldn't have to hop a train to Manhattan for creative and interesting attractions (although maybe proximity to Manhattan is, indeed, one of the problems).
But what about all these nostalgic tales about how LI was paradise in the 70s, 80s and earlier? Then it all supposedly came crashing down? These problems we have are nothing new, unfortunately that also shows that very little has changed over decades here.
But what about all these nostalgic tales about how LI was paradise in the 70s, 80s and earlier? Then it all supposedly came crashing down? These problems we have are nothing new, unfortunately that also shows that very little has changed over decades here.
That's the thing, it's only gotten worse. It WAS better back then, especially in terms of the number of people residing here and the lack of sprawl back then.
That's the thing, it's only gotten worse. It WAS better back then, especially in terms of the number of people residing here and the lack of sprawl back then.
To me that's all subjective. You could find people in virtually any built up town in the US who longed for the 'old days' when there was less sprawl and population. I mean lets face it, people often view the past with rose colored glasses.
We ranked #1 in quality of living and now we are somewhere in the mid 40's with NYC.
We ranked near the top in median income and now we are #12 (Jersey has plummeted too, also killed by taxes).
Our taxes have gone up 20% over inflation when the rest of America has gone up closer to 2 or 3%.
School taxes have blown by the rate of inflation AND income growth.
Simple facts.
Decline takes time. It doesn't beome evident all at once. It's brick by brick, job by job, family by family, business by business.
We've done nothing. The same voices at (least in Town of Hempstead) that poo pooed the Crossroads report then are STILL IN POWER, still denying the numbers. Still killing development (bye bye Lighthouse, bye bye Islanders). Still praying for 1950 and some magical defense contract to fall at our feet.
The major quotes I took out of it are:
"We're really trapped by our history," said Pearl Kamer, chief economist for the Long Island Association, the area's largest business group. "The problems we haven't addressed over two or three decades have really come back to haunt us this recession."
"School taxes have outpaced overall economic growth, and high-paying jobs are leaving Long Island, said Michael White, executive director of the Long Island Regional Planning Council. He and others also worry that the high cost of housing and lack of rentals will continue to drive young people elsewhere - as they have for decades - taking the future tax base with them." Mongoose Editorial Note: The FUTURE tax base is already GONE. We are now cannibalizing each other to get the lowest assessment so our neighbor can pay more!
"Long Island could be a paradise or Long Island could be hell. And it's all going to be decided in the next 25 years."
With nothing done in the 25 years and local political machines and unions STILL calling the shots, it's not quite an expressway. It's more of a Parkway to hell. No commercial vehicles and no ideas or projects over 9 feet tall.
Crushing taxes? Maybe in relation to what housing prices were, but my parents paid $25K for their house in 1961, and would have it paid off in 1983. They paid cash for four college tuitions, three of them at private colleges. My dad worked for an insurance co in the city and made a middle class salary and my mom was a nurse, worked part time in those days. By those same standards nowadays, that kind of lifestyle is not happening. COL has outpaced wages and so has the tax burden. I know my parents NEVER complained about taxes in those days - they thought they were getting a pretty good deal for what they got. Property taxes have at least quadrupled since then, but where's the return on investment? The answer to that question is one you never hear.
To me that's all subjective. You could find people in virtually any built up town in the US who longed for the 'old days' when there was less sprawl and population. I mean lets face it, people often view the past with rose colored glasses.
Agree with this - I think the things that were different then were things like going out to play in the morning and coming home whenever your parents called you home. Being able to hop on your bike and go anywhere. No cable t.v., crummy video games. Less schedule, more go with the flow. More job security and belief in the ability to right the ship when things went wrong. How many people who gre up in the 1970s and 80s remember anyone's parent ever being out of work? Less worry about everything.
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