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Archive for January, 2009

Riverhead GOP Lincoln Fundraiser 02-12-09

In Riverhead Republican Committee on January 28, 2009 at 1:07 am

(Published in the News Review, 2009-01-22)

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

It comes with great pride that Republicans across the country will soon be celebrating President Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. As the first elected Republican president, he is also consistently ranked by historians as one of the greatest U.S. presidents.

Abe Lincoln is known by all as having successfully led this country through our greatest internal crisis, the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and the passage of the 13th Amendment, are all testament to Lincolns place in history.

Republicans should also take note that Lincoln handled the many factions of the Republican Party well. Lincoln brilliantly united this party by appointing political rivals to high positions in his cabinet. Many historians agree that because of this, his cabinet was a highly effective group.

In keeping with Lincolns unifying principals, the time has come for all Republicans to come together and find new leaders; new leaders that will bring this party together and move forward.

The “party of Lincoln” must also never forget the paramount political values of republicanism; which are based on liberty, free market principals, property rights, the rule of law, and civic virtue. These very principals were the cause of our great American Revolution and the birth of our nation.

So let us all celebrate Lincolns 200th birthday and be vigilant that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall never perish from this earth.

In honoring and celebrating this great Republican President please join the Riverhead Republican Party on February 12th at the Eagles Landing Restaurant, Calverton Links Golf Course at 6pm. Tickets costs $75 per person. Please contact Chairmen Marty Keller at 727-1234 for tickets.

Happy Birthday Abe

Lee Zeldin

In Uncategorized on January 28, 2009 at 1:04 am

(Published 2009-01-06, LI Biz Blog)

Rarely at the local level does a remarkable young political figure like this come along.

Lee Zeldin has unstoppable energy and an incredible life story. His congressional campaign inspired young and old. We are watching the birth of a rising star in the Republican Party.

Best of luck to Lee and his new law practice. Looking forward to seeing him again at his next campaign.

Clinging to the past

In Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Riverhead on January 25, 2009 at 12:25 am

(Published 2008-12-18 – North Shore Sun, News Review, Village Beacon, Middle Country Times, and The Independent)

 

It comes as no surprise that the Riverhead Town Board recently unanimously approved the creation of a Wading River Historic District. After all, when was the last time any politician voted against preservation? According to Supervisor Phil Cardinale, “We are all the better for it.” But are we?

 

In this case the answer is a resounding no. But wait, the town’s Landmarks Preservation Committee recommended the creation of the district. And Sid Bail, president of the Wading River Civic Association, said his organization supports the district idea. So how could these people who have dedicated so many years of their lives to the betterment of our community, all be wrong? Unfortunately, this is a classic example of good people simply making a bad decision. It is also an example of government borrowing a page from a tired, old playbook and far over-reaching its authority.

 

What constitutes a historic district? According to the LPC’s very own mission statement, “It is the purpose of the Landmarks Preservation Committee to conserve, protect and preserve places, sites, structures and buildings of special historic significance or, by reason of famous events, the antiquity or uniqueness of architectural construction and design which are of particular significance to the heritage of the Town of Riverhead.”

 

Other than Wading River Congregational Church, which was built in 1837, what is so historically significant about that designated 1 1/2-mile strip? What famous place, or site, or structure needs to be protected? What famous event ever happened there? What antiquity, or architectural uniqueness, or significance exists in that 1 1/2 miles of unnoticeable architecture that lacks any historical unifying experience? The answers are nothing, nothing, nothing and nothing.

 

Yet, the LPC resolution in support of this designated historic district read, “The dense concentration of historic structures gives the area special historic and architectural character that would be destroyed if these historic structures were to be lost, or their historic architecture compromised by inappropriate modifications.”

 

Perhaps residents should take another ride through this designated area and take a second look. Should any of these affected homeowners who choose to renovate or modify be forced to submit to an overzealous unelected board for additional approvals?

 

Aren’t all old buildings inherently historic? Should they all be protected? No, just the ones that are defined in the LPC mission statement. This 1 1/2-mile strip does not meet the criteria. You cannot legislate or create historical significance that just doesn’t exist.

 

This leads us to the next question. Why? Why would government choose to place more needless restrictions on property owners, forcing them to adhere to certain guidelines that infringe upon basic property rights? Aren’t there enough layers of government already over-regulating property owners? Isn’t the building permit and approval process already arduous enough?

 

Why do our elected officials do everything to regulate, not promote?

 

The answers lie in an aging population clinging to the past that wants to preserve an island that no longer exists. A motivated voting block that misses the days depicted in black and white photos, and politicians pandering to their vote by legislating preservation and preventing necessary and vital growth. A government also continuing to spend millions on farmland preservation in the middle of a deep recession, when taxpayers are struggling to meet their mortgage payments.

All while the only solution to prevent younger generations from leaving are socialized housing schemes and taxpayer giveaways originating from tax-delinquent property seizures. What a kind government.

 

It is time for Riverhead and the rest of Long Island to move forward. It is time to find new leaders with fresh ideas. And to borrow someone else’s words, “Leaders willing to abandon small ideas, banality in design, and the clinging to historicism in order to recapture a nonexistent past — and instead to channel courage, optimism, and humanism in the search for big and forward-looking solutions to contemporary issues.”

 

Is what we are doing now working?

Their Obama’s children, not yours?

In President Obama on January 25, 2009 at 12:23 am
(Published 2008-10-16 Village Beacon)

Are you ready for real change? Ready to give up your parental rights?

In a recent campaign speech, Barack Obama stated, “I won’t just ask for your vote as a candidate; I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am president of the United States. This will not be a call issued in one speech or program; this will be a cause of my presidency.”

What kind of service?

According to Obama’s official website, “Obama and Biden will set a goal that all middle and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year. They will develop national guidelines for service-learning and will give schools better tools both to develop programs and to document student experience.” Additionally, “college students would perform 100 hours of service each year.”

His plan is instituting mandatory youth service. Basically all children and young adults over the age of 11 will be required to serve if Obama gets elected.  

Obama has already given this youth service plan a name: Universal Voluntary Public Service. But it’s voluntary? Not really. Obama states, “At the middle and high school level, we’ll make federal assistance conditional on school districts developing service programs, and give schools resources to offer new service opportunities. At the community level, we’ll develop public-private partnerships so students can serve more outside the classroom.” So if school districts don’t participate they get cut off from federal funds. But what if parents don’t want their kids to participate?

Parents should be aware that this Universal Voluntary Public Service, UVPS, is already modeled after an existing program called Public Allies. And in 1992, Obama was one of its founding board members. In 1993, his wife became the executive director of Public Allies Chicago.

What is Public Allies? In recent tax filings, Public Allies provided in a written document that “Our alumni are more than twice as likely as 18-34 year olds to engage in protest activities.” It has been reported that, “When they’re not protesting, they’re staffing AIDS clinics, handing out condoms, bailing criminals out of jail, and helping illegal aliens and the homeless obtain food stamps and other welfare.”

Not all Public Allies recruits appreciate this radicalism. One PA graduate stated, “It’s a lot of talk about race, a lot of talk about sexism, a lot of talk about homophobia, talk about -isms and phobias.” At a Public Allies training seminar in Chicago, one of those “isms” was described as “heterosexism”, which was described as a negative byproduct of “capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and male-dominated privilege.”

Where does PA get its funding? Half of its funding comes from Bill Clinton’s AmeriCorps. Our tax dollars. But Obama’s plan is to now fully fund it, and to expand it into his national service plan. Hence the new name Universal Voluntary Public Service.

Do you trust Obama with educating your child? Are you willing to have your child indoctrinated and forced to serve his voluntary program?

It has been noted that Obama has, “spent decades aiding and abetting people that hate America.” People like Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn from the Weather Underground, Ali Abunimah from Chicago-based Arab American Action Network, Louis Farrakhan from the Nation of Islam, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Marilyn Katz from the Students for a Democratic Society, Marxist Carl Davidson, and racist Dorothy Tillman. The list could keep going.

Imagine the impact of millions of Obama youth serving outside the classroom that have been indoctrinated by the likes of Obama’s friends and mentors. Is his plan to put a pretty face on radicalism and make it mainstream? Is this what he means by “change?”

Do our children belong to the charismatic Obama? This will not be the first time that mandatory national youth service has been instituted. Both parents and children should start doing their homework.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silence of the Lambs

In Socialism Growing on January 25, 2009 at 12:18 am

(Published 2008-10-01 Village Beacon, The Independent)

 

We are not alone. County by county across all of America, the growth of socialism is becoming more and more apparent. I dare anyone to view the Socialist Party platform and see for your self. Through the years we have been given small doses of Socialism thru politically correct programs. From compassionate conservatism to liberalism, these programs have brought us further and further away from founding American principals. Look at what we’ve become.

 

Thousands of people are leaving Long Island each year; yet the salamander, spotted owl, and northern harrier populations have been growing exponentially. Maybe the taxpayers should legally declare themselves endangered species?

 

Fourteen of Sixteen Suffolk County Legislatures voted to increase county license fees by 700 percent. All while local self employed contractors are struggling to make ends meet in a place that has long become too expensive to do business. Maybe all of the contractors should refuse to renew their licenses?

 

The county has spent hundreds of millions of tax dollars on land preservation, but then can’t find the money to repair the crumbling sewer systems? Maybe the people should demand the government sell some of that land to pay for the sewers?

 

Security cameras and gates restrict war veterans from fishing on public owned beaches, yet Congressman Bishop still supports hiring halls for people that have broken immigration laws. Fishing offenses are punishable by $250 fines and ten days in jail, all while thousands of illegals are still loitering our public streets. Maybe Congressman Bishop should be shown the door?

 

Out in Bishops sanctuary town, the local 7-11 employs a security guard to protect its parking lot from the illegals. All while every level of law enforcement turns a blind eye. Maybe the 7-11 should refuse to pay the portion of the tax bill that is allotted to the police department?

 

Each year hundreds of millions of tax dollars are taken from groups of citizens and spent on social welfare projects that benefit other groups of citizens. Maybe the people should repeal our confiscatory taxation system?

 

Like lambs being sent to slaughter, have we just given up? How much more will we give up? How long will it take before the American spirit awakens within us all? County by county across America we have slowly lost that spirit. County by county we will have to fight and get it back.  

 

Always remember – Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.

 

Have we forgotten who we are?

King Levy’s Noble Attire

In Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's Workforce Housing Plan on January 25, 2009 at 12:15 am

(Published 2008-09-10 Village Beacon, The Independent)

 

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and his merry band of Republicrats, are beginning to resemble the classic tale called “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” This modern day version goes something like this.

 

In the County of Suffolk, the King of Republicrats who cares too much of accolades, hires a career housing guru who somehow has made a pretty nice living off of a “not for profit” housing partnership corporation. Incidentally this housing partnership is funded with taxpayer dollars and boasts of having two previous Suffolk County Executives as being on the board of directors. Hmmm. Anyway, this housing guru promises the King the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful of all socialist cloth; that is government funded workforce housing.  The King cannot see this cloth (the tax funded rip-off scheme for what it really is), but instead pretends to see it as noble attire. For fear of appearing stupid, his Kool-Aid drinking Republicrats do the same. When the housing guru reports that the suit is finished, he dresses the King in mime. The King then goes on a procession throughout the county showing off his beautiful noble clothes. During the course of this procession, an unknown taxpayer cries out, “But this is a scam!” The crowd realizes the taxpayer is telling the truth. The King, however, holds his head high and continues his procession.

 

I suppose Mr. Levy’s behavior can only be blamed on a republican cross endorsement which mandated him to be king. However, educated taxpayers know that housing subsidized by the government is social housing. This could be in the form of supplements to the builder, or even using government owned land. Social housing, Mr. Levy, is considered to be a socialist program.

 

While misunderstanding a point that seniors can’t afford to live here either, Mr. Levy recently stated, “the government is giving senior citizens tax relief through the Circuit Breaker and enhanced STAR programs, which of course comes about by shifting that amount to other taxpayers who are more able to afford the impact.” Levy clearly misses the point that redistributing money from one group of people to another is not noble but immoral. And that tax relief to any one group should not come at the expense of any other group.

 

Mr. Levy claims to be a fiscal conservative. But cutting taxes and spending in one area, only to raise them in another area is being purely dishonest. This is also known as mumbo jumbo economics. And this is the reason why there has never been any real tax relief. In spite of all the promotions of reduced county budgets, the tax bill and cost of living every year still increases. Anyone in county government claiming to be a fiscal conservative should pour Levy’s socialist Kool-Aid down the sink and denounce this housing program.

 

Oh, and one more thing. A king maybe, but is it legal for a county executive to give away county owned land without the approval of the county legislature? Wake up people. The revolution has begun.

A Green Mountain of Debt and Regulation

In Environment on January 25, 2009 at 12:12 am

(Published 2008-08-07 Village Beacon)

 

“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”
Thomas Paine

 

For a long time now the environment has been in a deadly war against the Long Island taxpayer. And the environment is winning. But the environment is not the real enemy. The real enemy is a green mountain of debt and regulation disguised as governmental righteousness.

 

The cost of this war is staggering. And as this green mountain of debt and regulation continues to plunder this once great people, the historical mass human exodus will carry on until nothing is left but salamanders, spotted owls, and northern harriers. This two pronged strategy, debt and regulation, have been highly successful in the attacks against the taxpayer and economic growth.

 

The agents of debt came as the environmentally self righteous. These self serving self righteous shams figured out a way to collect signatures, conduct press conferences, and hold rallies that were covered by the local news. This struck fear into the hearts of our elected officials. If only they would have watched the television screen until the very end of that news segment; they would have noticed that as the camera faded back, the only people at those press conferences were the self serving eco-right, his four unemployed friends, and five signs. But instead the people were feared into voting yes; and our leaders signed into law new programs, funds, bonds, and acts that were colossal in taxpayer cost. Programs that cost billions of dollars.

 

The agents of regulation came as elected officials that declared themselves environmental saviors. Many layers of regulations, reviews, and approvals were created. This process they created destroyed the development and building industries. These regulations and the approval process are enforced by tax funded agencies whose sole function is to impede growth. All of this is in the name of noble governmental watch dogging. All in the name of environmental righteousness.

 

This was an unnecessary war. The taxpayer and the environment could have lived together in a peaceful coexistence, and shared this once great island. But the staggering amount of money spent on this environmental boondoggle, denied the necessary improvements to our crumbling infrastructure. Like the widening of roads, the construction of sewers, and vital energy supply upgrades.

 

Is it too late? Too late to rethink this long habit of environmental righteousness? Too late to unwind these layers and layers of green debt and regulation? Long Island is dangerously close to flat lining. For the people choosing to stay here have an epic struggle in the years ahead. If the taxpayers want to win this struggle, then this green mountain needs to be bulldozed.

LEVY SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECT CONTINUES

In Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's Workforce Housing Plan on January 25, 2009 at 12:09 am

(Published 2008-07-04 Long Island Business News, Village Beacon)

“To tax the community for the advantage of a class is not protection, it is plunder,” so said Benjamin Disraeli.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy recently presented a scaled down version of his Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing for Economic Sustainability Act. The new bill focuses just on Nassau and Suffolk counties and calls for $25 million in state funds over five years.

Levy’s bill proposes setting housing goals for each community. And also, seeks town and village voluntary cooperation through financial incentives for building affordable housing; including aid for school districts if they are impacted with extra students. Officials said the program could be funded through the $400 million for housing already included in the state budget.

Workforce housing is not a new idea, just the politically correct name for the moment. History clearly shows us many reasons why these projects and programs are long term losers. But there is an even bigger reason why Mr. Levy’s plan should not be approved. That is, it is a social welfare project plain and simple.

And it wouldn’t matter if its state funds, county funds, or even county owned land. Using taxpayer dollars to aid any one particular social class over another amounts to an immoral redistribution of wealth. Even though Levy’s workforce housing plan is being promoted for a “good” cause, is it moral for any governmental entity to levy excessive taxes on one group of citizens for the benefit of another group of citizens? Is Mr. Levy exercising compassion by giving away other people’s money stolen through confiscatory taxation? Is it his money to give? This workforce housing initiative funded with public money is a modern day form of socialism. In this over-taxed and over-regulated county and state, it is time to say enough is enough.

For the past 20 years retirees have also been leaving in droves. Why isn’t anyone trying to keep them from leaving? Retirees have been leaving all along for the same reason why young adults are leaving. Because it’s a very expensive place to live. And you can’t build affordable homes IN a very expensive place to live. You can’t retire in a very expensive place to live. You can’t live in a very expensive place to live.

Recently, Gerald Monter of the Holiday Organization said, “the problem is that there is not enough land to make it economically feasible for developers to build affordable housing.”

Answering that, Michael White, executive director of the Long Island Regional Planning Board, said that’s where the incentives come in. “We’re going to work to establish what their needs are.”

So who exactly is going to establish what the developers needs are? How is it going to be established? Who determines the price? Who is going to monitor this tax funded payoff disguised as a noble deed?

We are all in agreement that there is an affordable housing crisis on Long Island. However the answer does not lie in any socialist form of governmental funding. The answer does not lie in creating a need for new and more taxation. The answer does not lie in yet another subsidy.

Enough is enough.

Congressman Tim Bishop’s Deaf Ear to Taxpayers

In Congressmen Tim Bishop on January 25, 2009 at 12:06 am

(Published 06-13-08 Village Beacon, Long Island Business News, Suffolk Life, The Independent)

 

After nearly a decade of outrage, law abiding taxpayers are finally being heard. Every elected official, including Democrats and Republicans can hear them. All of them accept Congressman Tim Bishop.

 

In the year 2000, former Suffolk County Legislature Joseph Carracappa began the fight for the taxpayers by suggesting a possible law suit against INS in federal court based upon the federal agency’s failure to fulfill its obligations under federal law. Mr. Carracappa, a Republican from Selden, was the first to hear the taxpayer outrage and he listened. The situation at that time was the beginning of the deterioration of Farmingville brought on by the illegal alien day laborers. While there was no conclusive proof that the illegal aliens were responsible for any spike in crime, one thing was certain. The quality of life for the law abiding taxpayers of Farmingville was being severely undermined. By loitering on public streets which prevented the safe flow of vehicle traffic, urinating in public, the onset of serious illegal housing violations, and income tax evasion, it was a hard slap in the face to every law abiding citizen to see our government turn a blind eye.

 

In 2004, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, Democrat, began a countywide crackdown on illegal immigration. Last summer he refused to allow a hiring hall to be built. Why? Because, Mr. Levy believes in the rule of law. In doing so he made national news for “standing by the citizens of this county.” Few politicians are as popular as Mr. Levy, and after his firm opposition to building that hiring hall his approval rating was nearly 80%. He hears the taxpayers and is listenening.

 

The latest crack down against Suffolk County illegal aliens came recently when Legislature Brian Beedenbender, Democrat, sponsored a bill that would require 15,000 licensed contractors to verify their workers’ legal status. Mr. Beedenbender stated that he was “standing up for the people who follow the rules.” He hears the taxpayers and is listening.

 

Meanwhile Eastern Long Island’s Democratic Congressman Tim Bishop said he still endorses a Southampton Hiring Hall for illegal alien day workers. Mr. Bishop clearly doesn’t hear the taxpayers.

 

After his successful election win over Felix Grucci in 2002, Mr. Bishop commented on his victory. He said: “I think it says that the issues dear to Democrats are the issues that are important to the people of Long Island.” Now in his third term, the 57 year old three term Democrat seems out of touch with the popular leaders of his own local party. Out of touch with main stream Long Islanders. Out of touch with law abiding hard-working taxpayers. After all this time, Mr. Bishop still supports a Southampton Hiring Hall. Is he turning a deaf ear to the taxpayers?

 

In 2002 Congressman Elect Bishop heard the taxpayers and listened.

 

In 2008, he no longer does.

 

 

 

Warning May Be Offensive

In Riverhead on January 25, 2009 at 12:02 am

(Published 2008-05-08 News Review, North Shore Sun, Suffolk Life, Village Beacon)

 

Please do not read this entire letter. The end may be deemed offensive by some.

 

Part of me is pleased that Mr. Cardinale’s “resort deal” is stalling before take-off. After all, how can a 700 acre self contained theme park that creates meaningless jobs benefit anyone other then the theme park owner.

 

The other part of me is really ticked off at the DEC’s recent stop-work request covering all 2,900 acres at EPCAL. The reason being was to insure that any habitat that was being utilized by endangered species – including short eared owles, northern harriers, and tiger salamanders are not adversely impacted.

 

What I would like to know is who’s protecting an even more endangered species? The young adults, aged 20 – 40 yrs old struggling to pay their bills. Young adults are fleeing Long Island to the extent that those still here have become an endangered species. Who’s protecting them? From the governmental leaders and agencies, to the self serving individuals making a living off of their environmental groups; one thing is certain. If this continues we’ll be an island of just senior citizens.

 

We are at 10 years of listening, arguing, debating, zoning, re-zoning, patience, and waiting. Ten years and still nothing. Get ready because we are about to enter a new 10 year period. That’s 10 years of litigation. By then another generation will leave and we just can’t afford to let that happen.

 

So the answer to all of this is a two step solution. WARNING. Here it comes.

 

Step 1 – Request the Riverhead Police Department supervise and surround EPCAL thereby cutting off all possible exits. Enlist the local hunting club with licensed firearms. In an orderly and safe manner, find and shoot any short eared owles and northern harriers found. Once completed, have all the hunters wear steel toe boots and step on every tiger salamander they find.

 

Step 2 – Give EPCAL back to the Navy. It’s too much to ask Riverhead to do something smart anyway. This will give Mr. Cardinale more time to figure out how he’s going to solve the downtown debacle.

 

The taxpayers have had enough.

Government is the Problem

In Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's Workforce Housing Plan on January 24, 2009 at 11:59 pm

(Published 2008-04-23 Long Island Business News, Village Beacon, Suffolk Life)

 

“Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.” Ronald Reagan

 

Unfortunately, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy is looking for government to solve the affordable housing problem on Long Island. That’s a problem. Government can not be relied upon to solve affordable housing problems. And the more Mr. Levy communicates his plan, the more it eerily sounds like social housing or public housing.

 

Several months ago, Mr. Levy cited many examples of “aesthetically pleasing” workforce housing communities across Long Island and even the nation.  That should be another alarm bell. Students of history remember that in the 1930’s, a famous French architect, named Le Corbusier, inspired ways to house large numbers of people in response to the urban housing crisis of that era. Le Corbusiers’ aesthetically pleasing modern architecture and his urban planning was NYC’s public housing inspiration. He believed that his solution would raise the quality of life of the lower classes. But by the 1960’s, this style of housing was predominantly of the poor. His “housing projects” were crime ridden.

 

Another attempt at affordable housing came in 1978. The Section 8 Housing Program, which encourages the private sector to construct affordable homes, and subsidizes public housing. Noses still cringe when people hear that dirty word, Section 8.

 

In spite of all the governmental efforts to clean up their own creations, these projects and programs continue to have a reputation for violence, drug use, and prostitution. Wide spread critics agree that concentrated poverty contributes to increased levels of crime. But Levy’s plan is for the working class? Noble, but it has been tried many times in history. Like Mr. Levy’s workforce housing plan, NYC’s public housing was also initially for the working class. And history clearly shows us the long term results of these projects and programs. Why would Mr. Levy’s plan be any different then Le Corbusiers.? Workforce housing, social housing, public housing, housing projects, section 8 programs, or whatever the politically correct name for the moment is, are simply poverty traps and zip code killers.

 

How is workforce housing a poverty trap? While the rest of homeowners build equity and build wealth, a “workforce” homeowner will never. Nothing good economically can come out of a home with a “workforce” sticker. Those that buy in will eventually get sucked into the black hole of governmental dependence. They will be pulled further away from prosperity. Highly dense pockets of poverty will be created. The cycle continues. What is really scary is Mr. Levy’s plan for the number and sizes of these workforce communities. I will argue that in 20 years, Mr. Levy’s plan will be considered the birth of ghettos and the lower class urbanization of Suffolk County. Please Mr. Levy, not in our county.

 

Government sponsored housing is not the solution. Neither is telling young people where they should live. So if Mr. Levy wants to keep the brightest young people from leaving Long Island he should listen carefully to Middle Island resident Andrea Todd. “Everyone’s always speaking for younger people, but they’re wrong. The more the county wants to build this kind of housing, the more young people want to move out of Suffolk County.”

 

Ronald Reagan was right, government is the problem.

EPCAL – It’s an Airport, Stupid

In Riverhead on January 24, 2009 at 11:55 pm

(Published 2008-02-21 News Review)

 

STOP! Stop before it’s too late. Executives of Northrop Grumman have approached Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy about the possibility of establishing a new regional headquarters in Suffolk. Could our prayers have been answered?

 

Let’s hope that somehow the Suffolk County Executive can broker a deal and bring Northrop Grumman back home where it belongs. It would be blasphemous if meaningful job expansion at EPCAL couldn’t be achieved because one of the runways was no longer going to be in existence. EPCAL’s existing two runways were a gift. Let’s not forget that. And all along, those two runways should have been used as the foundation for meaningful job growth. Ideally those two runways should be shared by Grumman, air freight carriers, aviation maintenance facilities, and other aerospace contractors. Those types of jobs pay well. Ticket taker and snack stand jobs do not.

 

Stop this Ski Mountain madness now! Imagine spending over 1.5 billion dollars excavating a 90-acre lined lake when we’re surrounded by the most beautiful oceans in all of North America. Imagine that this lake required ripping up one of the two runways where Grumman tested F14 jets it built there for the Navy from the 1970’s thru 1992.

 

That is why any kind of recreational zoning on 755 acres at EPCAL is wrong. And why any kind of tourist destination plan is wrong. How many visitors would a Riverhead Resort need to be successful? Where are these visitors coming from and how are they going to get here? Furthermore, the taxpayers will not benefit from any cash payments received from Riverhead Resorts because that money will only be squandered away on more bad ideas. Where is the landfill money coming from? History shows us that Riverhead just can’t be trusted to make sound decisions. Riverhead received EPCAL as a gift. And in return it should finally give that gift back to the taxpayers and create meaningful long term jobs.

 

It’s laughable how the town halts the construction of artificial turf ball-fields at EPCAL, because residents are worried about the cost of having to rip them up if they are deemed “toxic”. Yet no one seems to be concerned about the cost of having to rip up a failed 300 foot ski mountain. Hmmm, between the abandoned Shoreham power plant and the inevitable abandoned ski mountain, let’s see how many more eyesores we can leave our grandkids.

 

The “Great Grumman Giveaway” lies in all of the high paying jobs that could have been created and that never were. EPCAL is an airport stupid. And airports bring industry. My fingers are crossed that Steve Levy can get this done, because Riverheads leaders can’t.

Workforce Housing Sounds Like Public Housing

In Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's Workforce Housing Plan on January 24, 2009 at 11:41 pm

(Published 2007-12-14 North Shore Sun, News Review)

 

If you really want to prevent people from leaving, build a wall. It would be a lot cheaper.

 

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy is leading a downstate coalition of seven suburban counties with a proposal to spur new affordable housing in Suffolk County. Levy’s initiative calls for state funding of $87.5 million over the next five years to encourage local communities to voluntarily create special areas where developers would be able to erect at least 25 percent more units than zoning allows if at least 20 percent are affordable.

 

Using public money to create private affordable housing is a bad idea. It sounds eerily like public housing or social housing. Public housing was first designed in the 1930’s for the working poor, often with stiff eligibility requirements. In its earliest decades it was usually much more working-class and middle-class than it was by the 1960s, when it eventually evolved into slums and poverty traps. Although “workforce housing” is good intentioned, it’s just a new version of a bad old idea.

 

Most appropriately, workforce housing is housing that was intended to appeal to key members of the workforce such as police officers, teachers, nurses and medical technicians, etc., whom we think of as “the backbone of any successful community”. The problem on Long Island is that those professions are among the highest paid. That is part of the reason we have such high taxes.

 

So who on Long Island would initially be considered for workforce housing? Levy said the initiative is the outgrowth of common regional worries that the counties’ brightest young people can’t stay because of high real estate prices. “The crisis is now,” Levy said at a news conference in Hauppauge. “The suburbs have been shut out for many people who want to experience the American dream.”

 

Bulldozing land to create what will inevitable become slums and poverty traps is not the answer to keeping people on Long Island. The reason why “the brightest young people” are leaving is because there aren’t enough high paying jobs to pay for the high housing prices. Still, it’s not just the cost of housing. It’s the property taxes, LIPA, and the hours commuting in traffic that are causing current homeowners to leave. Everyone’s leaving! It’s just not worth staying. Luring top-paying local jobs is only going to become more crucial as time goes on. A rebirth in industries like aviation and technology will be the key to keeping the brightest minds, young and old. Creating meaningful jobs is the answer to keeping everyone here.

 

Finally, any form of public housing would eventually create a new form of governmental dependence not yet seen on Long Island. That is housing projects, and that is a bad idea.

A Bridge for the Future

In Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Riverhead on January 24, 2009 at 11:20 pm

(Published News Review 2007-12-06)

 

One of Long Island’s longest talked about ideas recently came back into the public spotlight with the proposal from Garden City “mega-developer” Vince Polimeni to build a $10-billion, 16-mile tunnel under LI Sound, from Highway 135 in Syosset to Rye that would be entirely funded by private investors. He has already paid more than $250,000 for a feasibility study for an attempt to build what would be the longest traffic tunnel in the United States. Why? Because it makes sense.

 

Riverhead is currently planning for the future. Economic prosperity in Riverhead is also vital to Suffolk County’s future. But, what if they developed EPCAL and revitalized Riverhead’s downtown and no one came? That is a real possibility. Are those beautiful images of a new waterfront and a tourist friendly EPCAL alone going to be able to draw in the crowds needed for the return on the investment? Are the already congested L.I.E. and 2 insufficient ferry services going to be able to bring in the tourists needed to keep these huge projects afloat? The answer is no. Riverheads plans are destined for failure. It wouldn’t matter if it’s a ski mountain or a raceway.  If the plans are to bring in tourists, then how are they going to get here and where are they coming from? Riverhead and Long Island need another artery. We need a bridge for the future.

 

The benefits of a Long Island to Connecticut Bridge are also vital to the long term economic interests of all Long Island residents. What would be the benefits of an eastern Long Island bridge? It would:

  1. Improve prospects for tourism on both sides of the Sound by creating easier access.
  2. Open new trade between Long Island and New England by providing a viable bypass of the NYC bottleneck.
  3. Free the rail and trucking industries from their current Long Island dead-end which causes the operation of empty trucks on return trips.
  4. Foster economic growth on Long Island and Connecticut by opening new markets for products and farming, by making it cheaper to transport such products, and by increasing job opportunities.
  5. Increase in jobs both in bridge construction and in associated service industries. The number of .new jobs generated in bridge-related service industries would be even higher.
  6. And as noted by Mr. Polimeni, it would provide a crucial link for emergency access to Long Island in the event of severe weather or a catastrophic event. Two ferry services are no longer cutting it.

Where would such a bridge be located? In 1970, two possible locations were thoroughly studied.

  1. Shoreham to New Haven: Extending William Floyd Parkway to the Sound and connecting it to Interstate 91 in Connecticut.
  2. Riverhead to Guilford: Extending the LIE to the Sound and connecting it to the Connecticut Turnpike.

The study concluded that the Shoreham-New Haven Bridge alternative would not generate significant noise or air pollution and would cause the least disruption to communities among other western alternatives. The bridge would only require the taking of 25.9 acres of wetlands.

The arguments against a bridge would most likely be:

  1. Environmental impact to shore areas and the Sound
  2. Cost
  3. Adverse development pressures

It would take a bold governmental leader willing to present a strong argument as to why the benefits of a bridge would out weigh any negative impacts caused by it. For the long term economic interests of Long Island residents, creative compromising would be the best way of getting it done. Creative compromising?

Imagine if William Floyd parkway was to be extended so a bridge to Connecticut could be built, and in return the un-siting of the Shoreham Power Plant was possible. Imagine a bridge in return for no Broadwater. 

If the biggest obstacle to a bridge is the environment, then let’s give the environment back something somewhere else. Let’s compromise. How about a bridge in return for doubling protected Pine Barren lands? A bridge in return for the clean-up of all of Long Island’s brown-fields? Creative compromising will get it done.

Riverhead, Suffolk County, and all of Long Island need this bridge. If EPCAL, tourism, and a revitalized downtown should be an economic heart, then a bridge to Connecticut should be a necessary economic artery. An artery that would bring new industry, new employment, new investment, and new markets for farming. It makes sense to invest in the future.

We just need someone to lead the way.