Taking The Pulse Of Long Island

The Community Alliance e-Poll Seeks Opinion of Long Islanders

While some may question whether Long Islanders have a pulse, given that few issues seem to resonate sufficiently so as to motivate the masses to action, we at The Community Alliance believe that there is indeed life out there beyond the LIE and Southern State -- albeit that pulse is, at times, rather weak.

And so, from time to time, we'd like to query residents (not that there's anything wrong with that :-) as to their views and opinions on hot button issues of the day.

Toward that end, we are initiating an e-Poll through which you can register your vote -- and offer comment -- on matters impacting upon your community, your wallet and your future here on our Long Island.

Our e-Polls are not scientific, and are not intended for any purpose other than offering blog aficianados the opportunity to register their opinions on a wide range of topics that, collectively, fall under the umbrella of "quality of life."

In line with our current initiative geared toward lowering or eliminating the school portion of the property tax, and seeking fair and equitable methods of funding our children's education, we begin here with a simple Poll question: Should public money (tax dollars) be used to finance private schools?

Be mindful, this is not a debate on the issue of Church and State (i.e., using public money to fund parochial school programs), although this certainly can be a consideration in forming your opinion on this subject. For purposes of this e-Poll, we simply want to know whether the taxpayers should bear any part of the financial burden, through whatever means (i.e., vouchers, providing transportation, paying for textbooks), of maintaining and/or operating a private school or private school system.





Please be kind and vote only once, enabling us to get a more or less "fair and balanced" (as loathe as we are to utter those words) sense of your gut reaction.

Once you have voted in our e-poll, feel free to comment, both on the e-Poll and on this blogspot, and to share your views on this and other issues as may, over the course of the next few months, be presented.

In the coming weeks, we will be taking a closer, more in-depth view of the critical issues of school financing and the school property tax. Your input, inclusive of Guest Blogs on these most compelling subjects, is encouraged and always welcome.

We hope you will not only vote your mind in The Community Alliance e-Polls, but that you will help to motivate others to become more involved in their own community and beyond by e-mailing this blog to your Long Island family, neighbors and friends.

Remember, the more who know, the smarter we grow!