Fire, Water, Politics And Power

Special District Elections Set For Tuesday, December 13th

This year, perhaps more than any other, Long Island's Fire District elections -- where residents get a presumptive say in who will be Commissioner, at least in Districts where such races are contested -- are getting quite a bit of attention. Could be folks are beginning to realize that increases in Fire District budgets (up an average of 11% this year, according to Newsday. SEE Rising Cost of Fire Protection.) play a significant role in the spiraling property tax saga. Or maybe we're starting to understand that a pot unwatched will eventually boil over, and we'd better be more mindful of the flame.

Whatever the reasons may be, Long Islanders appear to be more atuned to who is spending their money and how ("and how," indeed). Whether they will come out to vote in Tuesday's Fire District elections remains to be seen.

Some 35 Fire Districts in Nassau County alone (85 island-wide) will hold elections for one or more commissioners [SEE Newsday's Fire Commissioner Contests], amidst other ballot propositions, such as allowing firefighters to accrue pension credits beyond the age of 60.

Residents do NOT get to vote on Fire District budgets, but they do have the opportunity to elect those who do -- Fire District Commissioners.

If you are unsure of which Fire District you reside in (after all, we have so many to choose from), you can easily ascertain this information by plugging in your property address at Nassau County's website, My Nassau. The site will also tell you your elected officials, road management authorities, Police Precinct, School District, and Sewage District. [It won't tell you your Lighting District, Sanitation District, Waste Disposal District, Parking District or Water District, but hey, there are just some things in life you have to find out on your own! :-)]

Speaking of Water Districts, publicly elected Commissioners will also vie for office this Tuesday. We say "publicly elected" because many residents are served by private water companies, such as Long Island Water. Those residents don't get to vote. Drink up.

To determine your Water District (or water company), look at your water bill. You can find out if, when and where your Water District election will be held by calling the phone number on your water bill.

Note that Fire Districts, Water Districts and the like are not necessarily co-terminus, especially in the unincorporated areas. So, for instance, West Hempstead residents may be served by the West Hempstead Fire Department, the Lakeview Fire Department, or, in a few cases, the Franklin Square-Munson Fire Department. Similarly, such residents may have their water provided by or through the West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens Water District, the Cathedral Gardens Water District, or Long Island Water, a private company. And these districts do not necessarily follow the lines of School Districts, Library Districts, Councilmanic Districts, Legislative Districts, and so on and so forth.

Confusing? You bet. And that's just the way the "powers-that-be" want to keep it. "Divide and conquer" is the catch phrase. Keep residents guessing as to who provides both essential and non-essential services, and they're at your mercy.

While we're on the subject of mercy, our elected officials should show us some. In South Hempstead, an unincorporated area located in the Town of Hempstead, Town Councilman Tony Santino (you remember, the fella who repeatedly bashes us over the head with a garbage can, charges us for the privilege, and tells us we enjoy it), does not hesitate to show us that he plays favorites in the local Fire District race.

Santino has publicly endosered incumbent Fire Commissioner Ray Spatz of the South Hempstead Fire Department in Tuesday's election. He did so by mailing letters to South Hempstead residents encoraging them to vote for Spatz. [Gee, we hope Santino didn't write those letters on official Town letterhead or utilize Town tax dollars to pay for postage. Nah. He would never do that!]

Mark Goldstein, a local community activist, is running against Spatz as an outsider (not a member of the Fire Deprtment), with the intention of seeing what can be done to lower the tax rates. [While the 2006 Fire District budget is actually slated to decrease in South Hempstead by approximately 2.7%, the District, one of the smallest on the island in terms of area covered, is reported to have the highest fire tax rate in the county. We suppose Mr. Santino is of the opinion, as with the Sanitary Districts, that we don't mind paying double for fire service either.]

Readers are reminded that Tony Santino is the spokesman for Joe Mondello, the Nassau County GOP Chairman, and has been mentioned in prominent circles (by Mondello himself, in fact) as the heir apparent for Town of Hempstead Supervisor, this when Kate Murray goes on to graze in greener pastures. So much for the "independence" of the Fire Districts. Much like Sanitation, Water and the multitude of other Special Districts that regularly divest us of our tax dollars, the Fire Districts remain, for the most part, under the thumb of partisan political insiders.

In a gesture of even-handedness (and because we have a soft-spot in our hearts for community advocates who put the people's welfare before political interests), The Community Alliance endorses Mark Goldstein for Commissioner in the South Hempstead Fire District. Sorry we can't mail out letters from Town Hall at the taxpayers' expense, Mark, but you have our blessing and our support.

There are few things more crucial to our well-being than fire protection and drinking water, and no votes more critical -- given the implications for the bottom line of our tax bills and the power-plays of local politicos -- than those for Fire and Water District Commissioners.

All residents are encouraged to seek out the often obscured information concerning Tuesday's Fire and Water District elections, and to take the time to vote. Even in Districts where Commissioners are running (waltzing?) unopposed, your appearance at the ballot box lets them know that you care, you're watching, and that government, even at its most basic level, is everybody's business!

Polling places and times vary from District to District (yet another way to discourage your vote). Check with your local Fire Department and Water District for poll hours and locations.

Toward Equity, Tax Relief And Educational Success

Long Island Assemblyman, Tom Alfano, Takes The Lead On The Education Front; Fiscal Equity, Property Tax Relief, And Commitment to Quality Schools Top Agenda

In a recent missive, The Community Alliance solicited ideas and suggestions -- both from the general public and from our elected representatives -- on ways we can begin to reduce the school property tax, while maintaining quality education for all of our children.

Today, one member of the New York State legislature, Assemblyman Tom Alfano, answers the call.
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First off, let me thank The Community Alliance for allowing me to express some thoughts regarding school funding and education in our communities. In the past, when the Alliance has asked for my opinions on subject matters impacting our neighborhoods, I have tried to be as direct as possible in my commentary. I will, therefore, approach this subject matter the very same way.

School funding has to change. It’s as simple as that. I have stood up and voiced my opinion on budget priorities regarding our schools consistently. In fact, I have taken the Governor to task regarding budgets and school aid packages. As many of you know, I have vehemently opposed budget proposals that would result in devastating consequences for our local communities. These were easy decisions to make as I truly believe that education is the great equalizer in today’s world. Because I feel so strongly about this issue, I have voted across party lines and over-rode the Governor on school aid and budget priorities not once- but over 140 times. Simply stated, I will not allow budgets to shortchange our schools and be balanced on the backs of taxpayers. Period.

Last year, I stood with community leaders, school districts, education professionals and taxpayers in calling for an overhaul and restoration of comprehensive operating aid to all districts statewide. This plan was not only embraced by school districts and taxpayers, but was carried by local media and applauded statewide. This plan would have eliminated flat aid packages in operating aid to our schools as a result of economic downturns associated with the September 11th terror attacks. It should be noted that some facets of that plan were indeed incorporated in the final state budget document which realized increases in school aid for all our local schools.

For the past two years, I have sponsored and passed the famed 2% bill which was co-authored with me by Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, Deputy Speaker Harvey Weisenberg, Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper, Assemblyman Bob Barra and Assemblyman Charles Lavine. This legislation slowed the overall assessment tax shift from commercial business districts to residential taxpayers. The result? Taxpayers saved, in many cases, over the past two years, up to $400 off their school taxes through this legislation. This initiative was a bipartisan effort and was signed into law by the Governor. This legislation was developed to help taxpayers and blunt the blow of the ripple effect of re-assessment. But it’s not enough.

I strongly believe that Long Islanders from all communities need a more aggressive approach to our school tax challenges. First, I am a very strong supporter of regional costs. The fact is that a typical family on Long Island has an income far different from those in other parts of our State. It can be easily said, that salaries have a very wide scale when you compare a family in West Hempstead to, say, a town in Hamilton County. It is easy to see then, that school costs vary greatly throughout our state. That spells inequity to Long Island taxpayers.

The battles that are fought over state aid to localities are truly bi-partisan in nature. I, for one, am proud to stand with colleagues who want to exact change that will make a difference for our communities. To date, a strong regional approach has been taken in regard to state aid to schools. I will continue to work to make sure that we continue to do so.

In a previous Community Alliance op-ed piece, there were several passages relating to the current Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. For the record, I was one of only four members of the Assembly Republican conference who voted to support the tenets of that plan in a floor vote resolution. In fact, I was the only Republican Long Island Assemblymember to do so. I cast that important vote to help become a part of the solution that would ensure that schools obtain the necessary resources for them to complete their mission of educating our children and to relieve taxpayers of the mounting tax burden here at home. Simply stated, I want school funding that meets our community’s needs, but is sensitive to the taxpayer pocketbook.

The plan I supported was a state-wide approach that would address the requirements set forth by the Court of Appeals decision. In that package, the proposal calls for a school aid increase totaling $6.1 billion and a statewide capital plan phased-in over 5 years. In essence, the plan would commit real dollars and result in property tax relief while providing an educational plan that meets the needs of all our students regardless of where they live.

While this comprehensive plan will be direct tax relief for property taxpayers, I will state for the record that I will not support any plan that has been characterized as a “Robin Hood approach” and will redirect state aid from suburban districts to New York City. That initiative is a non-starter that will not receive my support. Incidentally, I outlined my opposition to this idea in a letter to the Editor to our local newspapers signed by many of my Assembly colleagues.

The funding mechanism for any plan is where the true battle will lie. I support using a holistic approach where we demand accountability and cut spending from agencies and authorities. In addition, I strongly support a reprioritization of agency funding based upon the needs of our State’s citizens. I believe that programs should be means tested and, if they don’t work, they should be eliminated. In essence, we need a consistent cost-benefit analysis of how our government’s services perform.

Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that State receipts show an actual budget surplus in the amount of almost 1 billion dollars in state coffers. That surplus should be returned to the taxpayers in the form of school tax relief.

I will support a methodology that has the State do more in this regard by increasing funding to districts, accountability in appropriation by local school boards and flexibility by local districts to develop their educational standards district by district.

In addition, I will be proposing a modernization to the STAR program. As we all know, STAR was enacted in 1997 to provide tax relief for homeowners across the State. Although this program now provides over $2.6 billion in school property tax relief for the 2005-06 school year, it has not kept pace with increasing school property taxes and increasing home valuations.

For instance, the current STAR program is based on a 1997 statewide median home valuation of approximately $112,000. Therefore, the STAR program provides an enhanced STAR exemption of $50,000 (45%) for most seniors and a Standard STAR exemption of $30,000 (27%) for all other homeowners. Due to regional cost factor, residents in Nassau County receive an enhanced STAR exemption of $109,415 (45%) and a Standard STAR exemption of $65,649 (27%).

Under a plan and bill that I will be advancing this New Year, the STAR program would be changed to recognize 2005 median home valuations. This is necessary since the median home valuation has increased by 52% since 1997. Therefore, the Enhanced STAR exemption would increase to $76,000 (45%) for most seniors and the Standard STAR exemption would increase to 46,000 (27%) for all other homeowners. Due to regional cost factors, residents in Nassau County would receive an Enhanced exemption of $166,125 (045%) and a Standard exemption of $99,675 (27%).

Overall, this STAR initiative would provide an additional $1.3 billion dollars in school property tax relief. And, the bottom line for the average STAR recipient would realize an increase of 53% in their STAR savings under this legislation. This initiative means real savings and real relief.

As you can see, the issue of school district funding is complex. It’s my belief that we need to look at all sides of the issue in order to come up with a plan that will address the needs of all our communities. Clearly, the status quo is not acceptable and must be reformed. I have voted my conscience on this issue and stand ready to be a part of a consensus that will provide meaningful change. My priority will be to ensure that our children get the resources they need to become a success. I will work to make sure that our community gets the very best school aid package possible. I will work toward equity and ensuring that our seniors get the help they need so that they can continue to live on Long Island. I will work to help relieve our school taxes by supporting real reform that channels aid, resources, and tax relief to our communities.

Assemblyman Tom Alfano,
21st District
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The Community Alliance thanks Assemblyman Alfano for his contributing Guest Blog, and moreover, for his unsurpassed commitment to our Long Island community, in general, and to the future of our children, in particular.

Readers can learn more about Assemblyman Alfano by clicking HERE to visit his NYS Assembly website.

Your comments, of course, are welcome here, as always, and we again invite both the electorate and the elected to chime in at any time with thoughts, initiatives and viable alternatives. It is, after all, our Long Island, our tax dollars, and our children's tomorrows that are on the line. The time has come for all of us, if not to lead, then, at the very least, to get on board. We can no longer afford to blindly follow the piper, let alone to continue to pay for that less than medodious tune.
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UPDATE: On December 7, 2005, members of Nassau County's School Boards met at a closed-door "summit" organized by County Executive Tom Suozzi.

Read Newsday's coverage online at School Boards Brainstorming For Aid.

Was your School District represented?

More on the great school financing debate to follow. Stay tuned. . .

"There Is No Blinking At The Fact. . ."

Pearl Harbor Lives In Infamy

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. This morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December seventh, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."

-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Address to Congress, December 8, 1941
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Infamy: Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and the Coming Outrage

The War Against Chanukah

Faith, Fact And Fiction ~ A Holiday Story

At this time of year, it is customary to wish neighbors and friends -- regardless of faith -- "happy holidays," and to express greetings of the season (be it the season of religious celebration, family reunification, or, as this blogger's daughter sees it, shopping exploration).

Indeed, we'd like to say "happy holidays" to our many readers, but we dare not, lest a gaggle of lawyers in the pocket of the American Family Association and other like-mindless groups, descend upon our humble cyber space with subpoenae and Temporary Restraining Orders.

Let's start with a basic premise, adopted some years back by churches and religious organizations of repute, that we should "keep Christ in Christmas." That makes sense. After all, Christmas isn't about half-off sales at Bloomingdale's or adorning the tree with Bill O'Reilly Christmas ornaments (Kate, why didn't you think of that?). No, it is about the celebration of the birth of the man who a majority of Americans believe is the Savior.

Whether the Savior has come, is still to come, is poised to come again, or should bother coming at all (did we cover all possibilities here?) is a question for debate among Theologians. What is not at issue is that the birth of Christ has nothing to do with shopping -- other than for the requisite frankincense and myrrh. If Christ were walking on water, or down Main Street, today, surely he'd not be sporting an "I'm your homeboy" tee shirt, or hawking WWJD bracelets on the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway. Then again, Jesus was purported to be quite the salesman.

The purists were right on point -- keep Christ in Christmas, and out of the mall! So what's with all the hubbub from the religious right (where else?) about corporate America not exhibiting that old Christmas spirit? The folks who wanted Christ kept in Christmas now take offense -- and call for boycotts, no less -- because there's not enough Christmas in the marketplace. "There those left-wing Liberal grinches go again -- stealing Christmas." Why, the American Family Association, for one, has gone so far as to target Target for, of all things, greeting shoppers with "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas." Clearly, such heretics should be detained as "Grinches of Interest" in this latest battle in the War Against Christmas. Pray tell, is Christmas "in" at the places we shop, or out? Make up your minds, for Christ's sake!

We all know its Christmas. If there is a "war" against it -- or so much as a skirmish -- you wouldn't know it to read the papers, watch the television, or shop at Sears. Doubtful anyone strolling along Main Street, USA could miss it. The stores -- particularly the big boxes -- began to remind us of this fact shortly after Columbus Day. The garland and wreaths, bedecked trees and Santa Claus, wooden soldiers and nativity scenes, shout "Christmas" across the land. And that's a good thing. For the celebration of Christmas has become as much a celebration of the human spirit, of hope for mankind, and of the goodness in all of us for secular America, as the birth, life, death, resurrection and purported second coming of Christ has become a rallying call for religious America. Either way, whatever your perspective, Christmas, in its many and varied forms, has not been forgotten, let alone besieged. So please, give the holier than thou rhetoric a rest already, will ya? ["Creche, Creche, Creche. That's all you do. Are you sure you aren't Jewish?"]

On the other side of the American holiday coin, we have Chanukah. Now there's a holiday that's pushed aside both by corporate America and our friends waiting in the right wings to take America back (back to what, we're almost afraid to ask). Just try to find a Chunukah dreidel (the spinning top, for those who are uninitiated) among the plethora of holiday -- oops, we mean Christmas -- displays, or to pick out a symbolic Chanukah gift hidden in the forest of Christmas -- oops, we mean holiday -- trees. [That's okay, we'll take the Chanukah "gelt" in lieu of a formal gift -- hold the wrapping paper.]

Unlike Christmas, Chanukah is not a religious celebration. No mention of it is to be found in the Torah or other liturgy. There are no special feasts or, for that matter, fasts. Chanukah celebrates the triumph of a people over oppression -- a victory by the minority over the tyranny of the majority. It is, at its core, a celebration of religious freedom and religious tolerance. [A lesson which should not be lost -- although we fear it is -- on the religious right, as they do everything within their self-proclaimed power to stuff their narrow-minded dogma down our throats!]

In fact, as Jewish holidays go, Chanukah is a rather minor blip on the map of Judea. And yet, Chanukah has become -- as Kwaanza will surely follow -- as much a part of the nation's landscape as Christmas, and almost as great a commercial success. Only in America.

Among Jews, there is a growing concern that Chanukah, like Christmas, has too little of the spirit and too much of the "better to receive." And so, it is with this in mind, and in the true spirit of the season, that The Community Alliance picks up the gauntlet, and begins the crusade (the anti-Inqusition?) to PUT THE OIL BACK IN CHANUKAH.

Yes, Put The Oil Back In Chanukah. You see, at Chanukah's very foundation is oil. No, not that Texas Tea "W" is killing us all for in the Middle East, rather, the stuff that was supposed to last for only one day, but, miraculously, burned in the lamp of the Temple for eight days. [You hear that, Richie Kessel?]

Traditionally, Jews around the world celebrate Chanukah by cooking -- and eating, let's not forget that -- foods saturated in oil. Potato pancakes (latkes), sufganiyot (donuts), chocolates (which have some kind of oil), and other oil-based, basted, or just plain old fried goodies.

Lately, with all the worry of cholesterol, the diet fads, and the cost of a barrel of oil, Jews have begun cutting back. We hear that in some homes, oil has been banished in its entirety, replaced by oil-substitutes like Benacol and "I Can't Believe This Isn't A Tub Of Lard Clogging Every Last Artery." No oil, no latkes. No oil, no sufganiyot. No oil, and the only chocolate will be gambled away at the dreidel table.

When, several months ago, The Community Alliance encouraged Americans to boycott oil, we meant Exxon-Mobil, not Wesson.

Slowly, if ever so, the meaning of Chanukah -- not to mention the greasy, gooey residue -- is being drained away. Such is the War Against Chanukah. At first, we hardly notice it. We replace the oil in our lamps with wax candles -- alas, we're lucky if they burn for an hour, let alone eight days -- or worse yet, electric candles (warming the cockles of LIPA's heart). Before we know it, we are as bereft of oil as the local gas station during the Carter administration, and not a Dobson, Gibson or O'Reilly in sight to get us back on track.

It remains for us, then, and for you, as guardians of the faith and defenders of the flame, to get out the word. Stop burning the Chanukah candle at both ends. Burn, instead, the midnight oil. Pour that Mazola (it all comes back, except for that one tablespoon that's lodged somewhere between the large intestine and the carotid artery), and help us Put The Oil Back in Chanukah!

As for JC, or Judah Maccabee, if you prefer, just what would they do were they among us (physically -- let's not start that argument) as we celebrate the holidays this two thousand and fifth year, AD (or 5766, but who's counting)? First, Jesus would lament that instead of two presents, he's only getting one -- his birthday falling on Christmas. Judah would bemoan the fact that, notwithstanding the passage of the centuries (being older but no wiser), the majority ("moral" and otherwise) continues to oppress, repress, persecute and dress down the minority. Then, they'd probably hit the malls. You wouldn't believe the bargains you can find on a good pair of sandals. And once "shopped out," they'd look around, to the left and to the right, and exclaim with a cool resignation, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do!" [Or, as it translates from the Yiddish, "Would you stop with the mishagas (nonsense) already?"]

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Family Association, Bill O'Reilly, or Madeline Murray O'Hare, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwaanza, and Happy Holidays to you!
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Please visit The Community Alliance Gift Shop for all of your holiday (oops) needs. Once again, we will feature many of your holiday (sorry) favorites, including:
The Boxed Set of Kate Murray's Hempstead for the Holidays (available on 4 CDs or 3482 vinyl glossies);
The White House Chanukah Bush (or was that a Bush Chanukah? -- we're so confused) - now available, for the first time, in burning and non-flamable versions;
The Complete Christmas Songbook, with beloved favorites like, "I Saw Tony Santino Kissing Santa Claus" (not that there's anything wrong with that);
The unabridged Grinch That Stole The Reassessment (with forward by Tax Assessor, Harvey Levinson); and what's sure to be the best seller of 2006,
Tom Suozzi's To Albany's House We Go - With All The Fixin's (as sung by Burl Ives).

Happy Holidays (oooh. Sorry.) to all, and to all a good night!
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NEXT ON THE AGENDA: PUTTING COMMUNITY BACK IN COMMUNITY. Now that oughta be a real challenge!

Fire In The Hole

FIRE TRAPS 4 ELMONT FIREFIGHTERS IN ILLEGAL BASEMENT APARTMENT

Four members of Elmont Truck 2 found themselves trapped at the bottom of a stairwell when the mattress from a bed in an illegal basement apartment re-ignited as they were carrying it up the narrow stairway. The volunteers were responding to a call for a carbon monoxide alarm at 185 Lincoln Street in Elmont on November 16th.

"The mattress became a fireball," said Elmont Fire Chief Edward Lutz, "and my men were trapped at the bottom as the fire raged and began burning the walls, a bookshelf and clothing." With egress blocked, Andrew Conrad, Captain of Truck, 2, Lt. Brian Schriefer, Truck 2, Fire Fighter Kevin Pholl, and the Department's Assistant Chief Rob Chernow, had no way to escape.

When Lutz arrived on the scene, a young man reported that when he arrived home the alarm was going off and he smelled smoke. Upon opening the door, Lutz realized there was a fire in the basement. The four firefighters found a mattress that had ignited from a cell phone charger in the illegal studio apartment, and extinguished the flames. In their attempt to remove the smoldering mattress from the premises, their exit became blocked when it re-ignited and wedged in the stairwell.

"Fortunately they were all wearing protective gear including self contained breathing apparatus, or they might have died in the fire," said a Department Chief who was both relieved and angry. The four retreated to another part of the basement while Engine 2 shot water down the stairwell extinguishing the intense fire.

"This was a very close call for our guys," declared Lutz. "Illegal housing is going to kill someone," exclaimed this angry Chief. "If not one of our firefighters, then an innocent tenant." He went on to say he was "furious with the Town." "They have to do something about these illegal basement apartments. They are a serious threat to responders and tenants alike."

We've already had one fatality, do we need more for the Town to act? About 12 years ago, a tenant in an illegal basement apartment on Doughty Avenue perished in a fire. The man who handed his baby out the window tragically was himself unable to escape through that small window five feet or so above the basement floor, and rescuers were unable to pull him out.

Within the Town of Hempstead, Elmont is known to have the most illegal multiple dwellings. Firefighters, and other first responders are now risking their lives in an attempt to enter these dwellings. Citing other incidents, Chief Lutz said, "We enter a burning house and there all walls where there shouldn't be walls, and we can't even get from one part of the house to another." He went on to say that exits are blocked and they have found numerous beds lined up in what should be a single family home. "Everyone living in these conditions is at risk."

Death of four firefighters was narrowly avoided Wednesday, November 16, because the Chief and firefighters followed procedures and were wearing the appropriate protective gear. Chief Lutz, when he realized there was smoke, called for backup and the Engine Company was at the scene.

We're glad you had the proper equipment and that you're still here Andrew, Brian, Kevin and Rob, to continue to respond to the emergency calls from Elmont Fire District residents. But, the Fire Department and tenants alike need to know the Town of Hempstead cares about their safety. The Town needs to address the issue of dangerous illegal basement apartments; and they need to do it NOW!

Reprinted with permission from the Elmont Herald, Roy J. Mezzapelle, Publisher.

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Illegal rental apartments in single family homes not only pose great risks to the health, safety and well-being of tenants, homeowners and firefighters, they also cause untold millions in loss to our property tax base. Your property taxes pay to pick up their garbage, provide water, police and fire service to illegally ocupied homes, and to educate children whose parents, as tenants in illegal apartments, pay no property taxes at all!

True, there is a critical shortage of affordable housing on Long Island, responsible, in part, for the proliferation of illegal accessory apartments. Another problem long-neglected by the Town of Hempstead, contributing to the taxpayers' ever-increasing burden. The critical needs of both the renter and the homeowner are not met, however, by the Town's construction of a mere 8 affordable housing units in Roosevelt (with another 11 planned for that community, and 3 more in Inwood), by continuing to blame the situation on the dreaded reassessment, or, as has become the custom at Town Hall, by ignoring the problem in its entirety, in the hope that it -- and we -- will simply go away.

Yes, Harvey Levinson may have lost the race for Town of Hempstead Supervisor, but his proposed 10-Point Plan to irradicate illegal rental apartments in single family homes should not be discarded with yesterday's Murraygrams. The Levinson Plan should be dusted off and revisited (or looked at for the first time by Town Hallers), tweaked as may be appropriate, and adopted/implemented by the Town of Hempstead.

Residents of Hempstead Town are encouraged to call Town Supervisor Kate Murray, and their respective Town Coucilmembers, at 516-489-5000, and tell them we need to slam the door shut on illegal accessory apartments.

Poll: LIers Voting With Their Feet. Duh!

Fed Up With High Taxes, Cost Of Living, And Unaffordability Of Their Own Homes, Long Islanders Want Out

Several months back, The Community Alliance opined that Long Islanders -- or at least the best and the brightest, the youthful and the elders, the "fed up to the pupiks" -- were packing their bags and voting with their feet. No Polls. No surveys. No think tank. No grant from the Ford Foundation. We simply took note of the For Sale signs, and saw that our good neighbors were heading west -- and north, and south.

Now, a Poll conducted by the Long Island Index reveals that more Long Islanders than ever before, faced with sticker shock from skyrocketing taxes and escalating costs for housing, are considering a move off the Island. What a surprise! [Click here to see Poll results.]

It seems we like the services (79% of those surveyed rated garbage service as "good" to "excellent." Looks like Tony Santino was right after all. :-), but can't stand paying the high prices commanded by them.

Well over half of those queried (56%) said they were "somewhat likely" (24%) to "very likely" (32%) to move out of Long Island during the next five years, joining the caravan in search of more affordable housing and lower property taxes.

Needless to say (but we'll say it anyway), this does not bode well for Long Island's economy, or for those of us ("Hello? Hello? Where did everybody go?") who, for reasons known only to God, decide to stay behind to hold down the fort.

Newsday's online Poll, in progress as this blog was being written, showed equally disturbing results. Newsday asked: "Which of the following reasons have prompted you to consider moving away from Long Island?"
34.3% The housing prices are too high (1367 responses);
54.0% Property taxes are too high (2152 responses);
0.8% I'm unsatisfied with local services such as sanitation (32 responses);
1.8% Too much crime (71 responses);
1.0% Weak school system (41 responses)
8.1% I would never leave Long Island (322 responses)
[3985 total responses as of 4:30 PM on Thursday, December 1, 2005.]

It would be interesting to make further inquiry of those "hold outs" who would never leave the Island as to the reasons behind their decision to stay put.

An informal survey conducted within the last 3 minutes by The Community Alliance reveals some interesting trends:
26.3% In a coma at Nassau University Medical Center;
18.5% School Superintendents making in excess of $150,000 per year;
45.7% Relatives of Kate Murray or GOP Committeemen on Town Payroll;
9.4% Stuck on the Long Island Expressway and can't get out;
0.1% Because I'm Gary DelaRaba, that's why!

Then again, this is no laughing matter. Nor do we need a Poll to tell us that there's a growing rift between LIers love for their community and their continuing ability to pay through the nose for the privilege of residing here.

As reported in Newsday [Poll: More people thinking of leaving Long Island], Seth Forman, Deputy Director of the Long Island Regional Planning Board, questions the basis of LIer's fears and concerns. "While anxiety about housing costs is high, it's unclear how well-founded those fears are," said Forman. "For example, while property values have skyrocketed in recent years, the vast majority of Long Islanders -- 69 percent, according to this poll -- already own their homes. Low interest rates have led many to refinance their mortgages at better rates. Rental prices across Long Island have either stagnated or slightly decreased in the past three years," he said.

"Long Island has always been high-cost, and people have always been complaining about it," Forman said.

Gee. We own our homes. [Actually, the banks own them, and for those who refinanced with adjustable rate loans, the time has come to pay the piper.] Then what in the name of the Mineola Indians could it be that would push us off our Island? Try the property tax, stupid. Nearly the highest in the nation, save Hawaii (and this ain't the Big Island, if you haven't noticed). Its the high cost of electricity and home heating fuels (remember when Richie Kessel was a consumer advocate?), not to mention that cable bill. Its every time you go to the supermarket for a container of milk and a loaf of bread, and barely get change back from your twenty dollar bill -- although you do somehow manage to walk out with 12 plastic bags to hold the 2 items purchased.

Damn, can't anyone see that -- and this blogger speaks only for himself and several million other Long Islanders -- WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO LIVE IN OUR OWN HOMES?

Sure, our homes are worth twice, four times, or maybe ten times what we paid for them. Of course, we've had to take all the equity out just to gas up the car. Even those with plentiful cash locked in that house understand, its of no value until you sell.

Do the math, and the equation is most telling. Your house is worth $400,000. Your property taxes are $10,000. Your kids are out of high school or otherwise on their own -- and probably off the Island. You can buy a bigger house, with more land, in South Carolina, for half of what your house will sell for, with combined taxes of less than a quarter of what you now pay. Well, it doesn't take an Economist to figure this one out.

Retirees on fixed incomes -- gone. College grads, who don't live in mom and dad's basement, and could never afford a home on LI -- gone. Young workforce (together with a whole host of employers who cannot afford or are simply unwilling to pay the high property taxes) -- gone.

Why, even the homeless are leaving Long Island, with few shelters other than the crime-infested no-tell motels, the cold shoulder from social service agencies, themselves strapped financially, empty shelves in the soup kitchens, and philanthropists and public do-gooders so tapped out that not even they can spare a dime.

This blogger read a heart-wrenching real life story today in this week's Long Island Press entitled, Homeless for the Holidays. The tears flowed freely, and the first thought that came to mind was, "There but for the grace of God go I." No one reading this story -- and we urge every one of you to do so -- can help but be moved. We want to help; to offer a decent job with sustainable pay; to provide a permanent roof overhead; to send an e-mail to the writer and say, "Call me, I am here for you!" Unfortunately, there are too few among us -- living paycheck to paycheck, hand to mouth, property tax bill to property tax bill -- who can afford to lend a hand. [By the way, if anyone reading the Long Island Press article can give the writer of that piece a hand up, please do. We'll say it again -- "He who saves the life of one person, saves the entire world!"]

So, here we are, watching. Watching our friends, neighbors, and retired public employees (with those fat pensions we're funding) pack their bags and move to less expensive, if not more hospitable climes. Its a brain drain, a generational divider, a squeeze on the "middle class," a burden on the dwindling tax base, and a pox on all our houses. We watch, as the promise of suburbia slowly slips away. Yes, we watch, as Long Islanders seek a better, or at least less expensive life elsewhere, and we cannot help but think to ourselves, "There but for the grace of who?"

If there is anyone still out there who, by chance, may be listening, please help make it possible for us to "live" and remain on our beloved Long Island. The hour grows late. The twilight approaches. We can only hang on for so long.

Polls, surveys, task forces and summits are all nice. They have their places, but they will not extricate us from the jaws of the beast that has its deadly grip around our necks. We need fresh, out of the box ideas and no nonsense strategies, set in play by courageous leadership. We need a New Deal, or at the very least, a Marshall Plan, for our Island, in our time.

Until then -- if ever -- here we sit, watching as Long Islanders, like refugees from the Dust Bowl or "evacuees" from the Big Easy, pack their belongings, take to the road in their cars, trucks and shopping carts, and vote, in numbers ever-mounting, with their feet.

Down In The Dumps?

Private Company Seeks Variance For Recycling Plant In Oceanside;
Local Civic Rallies Community In Opposition

Serota Brown Court II, LLC, a Valley Stream based company, proposes to build and operate a recycling facility in Oceanside. The company has made Application for a variance, as is required to construct and operate a facility out of character with the surrounding community, to the Town of Hempstead, Zoning Board of Appeals. [A Public Hearing on the Application, previously scheduled to be heard by the Zoning Board on November 30, 2005 and adjourned without date, will give Serota Brown the opportunity to clear the air concerning a recycling plant in close proximity to residential neighborhoods, and will afford all residents wishing to speak to this matter of great community concern the occasion to be heard.]

The Oceanside Civic Association, vanguard of the community's well-being, stands opposed to the construction and operation of the proposed recycling plant. Residents are being urged to consider the millions of tons of trash and construction debris to be carted in to the Oceanside community (and through surrounding hamlets); to envision the congestion of hundreds of trucks carting in the trash; the noxious fumes and odors of both trash and ash, with their detrimental impact on air quality and basic quality of life. And don't forget about the seagulls. SEAGULLS?

Now, given what the random traveler along Long Beach Road or Lawson Boulevard happens upon while taking that leisurely sojourn through Oceanside and environs, one might ask, "Doth residents of the home of the likes of Mount Trashmore and Oil City now see fit to complain? Do they not enjoy even more trash heaped upon the pile? Would they not be willing to pay twice the price for recycling within their own Sanitary District? And, those clams at Pete's Clam Bar don't come from surrounding waters, do they?"

Heaven forbid. Oceanside is no place for trash, no home for the recycled. Be gone, would-be recycling villians. Build your recycling plant where it truly belongs -- Elmont, West Hempstead, or, better yet, at the steps of Kate Murray's Town Hall!

Okay, we jest. Just barely. Oceanside deserves better. A higher use -- say, a municipal parking field. :-)

Fact is, the dumps, the trash, the unwanted masses of garbage yearning to stink up the neighborhood, will -- like the cell towers, the after-hours clubs, the adult video stores, the storage facilities, the illegal apartments, the waste transfer stations, and the sordid debris of humanity -- wind up in the community of least resistance.

The unincorporated areas of the Town of Hempstead, of which Oceanside can make claim, have borne witness to decades of lax zoning and virtually nonexistent Code enforcement. Neglect has been the order of the day, and decline, a seemingly inevitable way of life.

"Why should I give a damn? I don't live in Oceanside?" Why, because if we do not defend the quality of life of Oceanside's residents, who will be there when the time comes to defend ours?

"Well, maybe Oceanside is the best place to put a recycling plant?" Possibly. None of us are strangers to Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY). Still, we need answers to our questions. Do we, in Hempstead Town, really need this recycling plant? Are there sufficient safeguards to protect the community's health? Will the presence of this facility impact adversely upon the character of the surrounding community and/or the health and well being of its residents? What are the benefits to the community, if any, versus the risks?

We don't have the answers to these questions, and, to be sure, there are many other questions just begging to be asked. This is precisely why residents should come to the Town Zoning Board's Public Hearing once scheduled -- to ask the tough questions and, hopefully, to get the straight answers. [The Community Alliance will publicize the hearing date once it becomes known to us.]

In fact, residents of Oceanside and neighboring hamlets, and friends of the environment and community everywhere, should start asking those tough questions NOW, in advance of the Town's public hearing. A community armed with knowledge is, indeed, in the best position to mount a victorious defense.

There is nothing more compelling to a governmental body -- whether an elected Town Board or an appointed Zoning Board -- than the voice of the people. To fill that auditorium at the Town's Bennett Meeting Pavilion with those in opposition -- or those who simply want to know -- sends a clear and certain message: that, after the gavel has fallen and the hearing has closed, the best interests of the community will be served.

To be sure, the decisions of the Zoning Board of Appeals will not be based upon nor swayed by public opinion (nor should they be, the letter of the law to be applied in all instances -- wink, wink). Still, the weight of public opinion can be brought to bear to make certain that the law is applied strictly and uniformly; that "exceptions" are carved out sparingly, if at all; and that the character and quality of life of our communities are, above all, protected and preserved.

The battleground, this time, is in Oceanside. Next time, the battle may rage in your front yard. This, then, is the time for all good people to come to the aid of community -- for that blight upon a tree in Oceanside, left untreated, will, as certain as seagulls seek out garbage, spread to your community.

The Community Alliance, in solidarity with our neighbors in Oceanside, and in cooperation with the Oceanside Civic Association, opposes the granting of a variance to Serota Brown Court II, LLC for purposes of bulding, maintaining and operating a recycling plant as proposed, and respectfully requests that the Town of Hempstead Zoning Board of Appeals, upon full hearing and due consideration, deny cases #975 and #974 as shall appear on the Board's Hearing Calendar at a date and time to be set by the Zoning Board.

Of interest, Serota Brown's Application itself raises eyebrows -- and then some -- requesting permission to "Use premises for recycling of demolition debris & uncontaminated construction materials which may be noxious & offensive." Which part of "out of character with the community" does Serota Brown not understand?

Indeed, it would appear that Serota Brown is appealing to the Board of Zoning Appeals from "the determination of the Commissioner of Buildings that proposed use of the premises for construction & demolition debris transfer station is not a permitted use in the Industrial zone."

Fellas, the Commissioner of Buildings was right!

Then, too, while the Zoning Board cannot consider past deeds in ruling upon present Applications, residents should be mindful of Serota Brown's less than stellar conduct in the operation of a solid waste dump in Oceanside -- a dump owned by Nathan Serota, principal in Serota Brown Court II -- which resulted in $320,000.00 in penalties to the State DEC. [SEE STATE GAINS CLEANUP OF ILLEGAL LONG ISLAND WASTE DUMP.]

Those who wish to comment on the pending Application, or who may be unable to attend the public hearing of the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals, may -- and are encouraged to -- express their concerns in writing to Hon. Gerald Wright, Chairman, Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, NY 11550. Letters may be faxed to the Board of Zoning Appeals at 516-483-0432. [PLEASE PUT IN THE SUBJECT LINE: "SEROTA BROWN COURT II,LLC cases #975 and #974".]

Concerned citizens may also contact the Oceanside Civic Association via their web form, or e-mail the association's President, Raymond Pagano, at ray31@aol.com.
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CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE ON THIS STORY.
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A reminder that democracy is not a spectator sport (if it was, we'd be watching the NY Jets on a continuous loop).

JOIN YOUR LOCAL CIVIC ASSOCIATION.

COMMUNICATE. ADVOCATE. PARTICIPATE!

What are the quality of life issues that impact upon your community? At The Community Alliance, we not only want to know, we want to help. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and there really is STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!

The Numbers Game

Numbers Don't Lie, People Do. Okay, Sometimes Numbers Do Lie. . .

The Town of Hempstead does it, every time the budget rolls around -- say "freeze." School Districts do it -- proposing 8% budget increases that translate into 13% property tax hikes. And, believe it or not (yes, its true), even politicians do it -- skewing the numbers in their favor or, when the figures fail them, simply making the numbers up as they go along.

An interesting piece appeared literally on the eve of this year's elections on www.nassaugopwatch.blogspot.com. It rendered an accounting, of sorts, on the number of police officers hired -- or lost, depending on the point of view of the spinner -- by the County of Nassau during Tom Suozzi's first term as County Executive. Here's a sampling:

How many "less" Police officers are there in Nassau County? Ask any Republican candidate or PBA Capo Gary Delaraba and the numbers are all over the place.

Gary Delaraba in the Long Island Press "He's 375 police officers short."

Legislator Peter Schmitt says "There are 593 fewer police officers on the streets of Nassau County today than when Suozzi first took office (in 2001)."

Schmitt also says "Our Police Department has 600 fewer officers on the streets today, than when Tom Suozzi took office..."

County Executive Candidate Greg Peterson says "Under the Suozzi administration, more than 500 experienced law enforcement officers have left police service."

Legislature candidate Tom Sabellico says "we now have 550 less police officers than four years ago."

Sabellico also says "there are also 500 fewer county police officers than five years ago."

At a League of Women Voters candidates night, Sabellico used a number in the 300 range.

Legislature candidate Jeffery Katz says "This has resulted in a total loss of police manpower of about 800 officers."

The FACT of the matter is that since Suozzi and the Democrats took over, Police Academy classes have been graduating at capacity. In fact, Suozzi was there at the first graduating class in FIVE years. In REALITY under Republican control, there were no academy classes graduating for 4 years.

As reported here at The Community Alliance blog, Tom Suozzi actually appointed the maximum number of police officers to the Nassau County Police Department permitted by the police union's own contract.

Is it that those who are elected to represent us -- and those who would be -- don't bother to check the numbers before hand, or do they just assume we'll swallow what they stick down our throats on blind faith? A bit of both, we suppose.

Numbers, like statistics, are often skewed to paint the skewer in the best possible light, and the skewee in the worst. [Most of the time, you and I are the "skewees," in case you haven't noticed!] The distortion of fact -- and, conversely, the creation of a whole host of fictions -- stems both from the bias of those who blatantly bloat or deflate the stats to suit their purposes, and from the ignorance and apathy of the intended recipients, who rarely bother to check the facts -- factcheck.org notwithstanding.

We are reminded of that scene from The Manchurian Candidate (1962 version), where the McCarthyesque Senator John Iselin (played by veteran actor James Gregory, perhaps best remembered by TV land viewers as Inspector Frank Luger on Barney Miller) couldn't keep straight the number of Communists professed to be in the Defense Department.

Senator Iselin is reflected off the glass covering a portrait of Lincoln - juxtaposing the ghostly-thin, anti-Communist with a stalwart American from another era, as he fixes himself a drink. As a spineless puppet, Senator Iselin complains to his wife that he can't keep the number of Communists straight in the Defense Department: "I mean, the way you keep changing the figures on me all the time. It makes me look like some kind of a nut, like an idiot." She holds up a newspaper and proclaims:

"Well, you're going to look like an even bigger idiot if you don't get in there and do exactly what you're told...Who are they writing about all over this country and what are they saying? Are they saying: 'Are there any Communists in the Defense Department?' No, of course not, they're saying: 'How many Communists are there in the Defense Department?' So just stop talking like an expert all of a sudden and get out there and say what you're supposed to say."

When he crumples, she apologizes for being dictatorial and brash: "Would it really make it easier for you if we settled on just one number?" As he pumps Heinz [commonly known as 57 Varieties] tomato ketchup from a bottle onto his steak, she arbitrarily decides on the exact number of card-carrying members of the Communist Party in the Defense Department for his script - so it will be easy for him to remember. In Iselin's speech to the Senate later that afternoon in the next cut, he accuses the Defense Department of hiring '57' members of the Communist Party.

Of course, that's the movies, not real life. Tonight, for instance, President Bush will address the nation yet again on his "strategy" in Iraq. Listen carefully for any numbers mentioned or statistics referenced (not that "W" is big on the nitty gritty). The number of "terrorists" routed or killed. The number of "Iraqi defense forces" now at the ready and on the front lines.

Doubtful you'll hear the stats on the war's cost -- either in tax dollars ($223,155,980,000 and counting as of 8:50 this morning), or in terms of human life (there have been 2,309 coalition deaths, 2,110 Americans, one Australian, 98 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, two Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Hungarian, 26 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, one Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians in the war in Iraq as of November 29, 2005, according to a CNN count). So what? We're "winning" the war in Iraq, haven't you heard?

On December 7th, Tom Suozzi holds his summit on School Property Taxes, calling forth educators, administrators and legislators to put heads together on a crisis that quickly reaches the boiling point (in some communities, the mercury on the thermometers has already popped through the glass casing). Watch carefully as dollar figures, budgetary statistics, and State Aid formulae are amassed and dissmeninated. Scrutinize these "facts" under your microscopes.

In the not too distant future, we'll receive the latest bills/receipts in the mail for the non-school portion of the Property Tax. We'll see exactly how the numbers mesh with the promises to "freeze" and the assurances to "hold the line." The Community Alliance will report on these numbers -- as they really are and as they impact upon your bottom line.

Perhaps it was the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who said it best, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." [Erroneously misquoted as "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts" on, of all places, factcheck.org. Go figure!]

We'll Have A Gay Old Time

After We "Out" The Cartoon Characters, Who's Next?

There he goes again. Dr. James Dobson, the fella who makes Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson look like left-wing radicals of the 60s, is taking his family "values" act on the road, preaching -- more like pontificating -- to all who would listen, the virtues of the "straight" and narrow-minded.

You remember James Dobson, don't you? If not, let us refresh your memory. Dobson, a psychologist by degree (they really do let anyone in, don't they?), is founder and chief spokesperson for Focus on the Family -- an organization "increasingly concerned" about the direction families in his America are headed. His is a ministry -- read as "cult" -- thinly veiled as the savior of all that is good and heavenly in our nation, advanced, of course, "by reasonable, biblical and empirical insights."

Now, if Dr. Dobson were just another evangelical blowhard, we'd shake our heads in disbelief, let out a soft sigh, and walk away. But no. Dr. Dobson was not content to merely attack our lost family values and heathen lifestyles from the bully pulpit. No sir. He had to go after one of America's most honored and favored pastimes -- the cartoon. And not just any cartoon, but that yellow and squishy absorbee who lives in a pineapple under the sea -- SpongeBob, SquarePants.

Ah, it all comes back to you now. Yes. Dr. James Dobson was the guy who outed SpongeBob, linking him in untold sexual (or was it asexual?) exploits with his often dumbfounded starfish pal, Patrick. [The Community Alliance has since learned that it was SpongeBob's pet, Gary -- the snail that meows like a cat -- who let the sponge out of the moist cello-wrap.]

The insinuation is, as freaky as it is fiendish, that cartoon characters somehow have sexual identities and preferences, and watching them in certain left-wing, pinko, commie cartoon videos will, in ways that only Freud understood, turn your children into homosexuals. [SEE, Will SpongeBob Make You Gay?]

Okay, it was nearly a year ago that Dobson went on his anti-sponge tirade, so we've had ample time to regroup and reflect. Now that the good doctor is besmearching SpongeBob's holey name and porous qualities on college campuses and at local laundromats, reflect we will.

So, SpongeBob is flaming, even at the bottom of the sea. But what of Bert and Ernie? We see those twin beds moving closer and closer by the day! Then there's Winkie Dink. Why, even his name says "Gay." Tell us how "Woody" Woodpecker got his name, and what to make of a Pink Panther. And how about Gumby? Let us tell you, they didn't call his sidekick "Pokey" for nothing!

Let's call a spade a spade, boys, and a gay blade a gay blade. Snaggle Puss - Gay. Elmer Fudd - Gay. Winnie the Pooh - Gay, and darn proud of it. Wile E. Coyote - Gay (and dumb, too. For all that money he spends on Acme products, he could buy dinner for the whole family at Peter Luger's)!

How interesting that human sexual characteristics are now ascribed to cartoon characters and two-dimensional stick figures, and how appropriate that these preposterous labels are affixed, in a manner which could barely pass the "straight-face" test, by, well, cartoon characters and two-dimensional stick figures masquerading as human beings.

Truly, our world needs more folks like Dr. James Dobson, if for no other reason than to remind us that birth control is a good thing. Certainly, we need no reminding that Big Bird, Barney and Popeye the Sailor Man (who had, we are told by cartoon historians, a wistful romp in the spinach patch with his arch rival, Brutus) are not members of our families - immediate or otherwise. They are, alas, mere cartoon characters - amorphous in the context of sexual preference.

Yes, if Donald and Daffy walk like ducks and squawk like ducks, they probably are ducks. As to their sexual preferences - or lack thereof - frankly, that's their business - a matter best left for dinner table discussion amongst Huey, Dewey and Louie (who, by the way, never hung out with the opposite sex, if you know what we mean).

Now, we don't know if Mickey Mouse is gay - although the no-shirt look and those red blousy shorts tell us he's a bit light in the pants. Personally, that's his business, not ours - or for that matter, Dr. Dobson's.

The draconian neocons, who thrive on telling us how to live our lives, seem to miss the very point that the SpongeBobs, Big Birds and Winnie the Poohs are so poignantly conveying to our children - that diversity and acceptance of our many differences are good things.

Of course, Dobson and his ilk fear diversity and difference. For variation debunks the "superman" myth (hey, didn't Superman wear tights?), and dissimilarity destroys their ill-conceived notions of a master race destined to control both mind and matter.

Sure, SpongeBob is decidedly gay. And the Tazmanian Devil is straight as an arrow. We ask you, which one would you rather have as part of your family?

So, what does any of this cartoon-bashing and Dobson-dribble have to do with our quality of life on Long Island. Well, nothing. Or everything. That's for you to decide, which, by the way, is precisely our point!

"Let's go, Patrick. Time to blow this popcorn shrimp stand..."

Black And Blue Monday

They'll Come Out To Shop At 5 AM, But Will They Come Out To Vote?

As the level of Tryptophan slowly diminishes, the last cup of apple cider quaffed down days ago, we awaken to find that the world remains much as it was when we last left it for the Thanksgiving holiday -- only worse.

If the Friday after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, then certainly, the first work day after must be Black and Blue Monday. The news over the weekend confirmed it. Stampede at Wal-Mart (did someone yell, "IMMIGRATION?"); a father and daughter skating on thin ice -- search and rescue turns to search and recovery; the Giants miss three (count 'em, 3) field goal attempts; the Jets lose -- AGAIN; and how many soldiers were killed in Iraq?

Who was the lucky one to get the long end of the wishbone? Surely, it wasn't this blogger. Pick up Sunday's Newsday and turn to the Our Town page of the Hempstead Life section (a misnomer, at best, as clearly this is not life in Hempstead, at least as we would like to know it) hoping to find some cheerful news. No such luck. Just another photo of smiling Kate, and much surmise as to her political future. Kate Murray For County Executive? [Denise, please don't put ideas into those big heads with the little minds.] "The sky's the limit," says Kate. More like "the sky is falling."

It has been nearly three weeks (count 'em, 3) since Election Day, and not a single Murraygram has threatened to clog my mailbox. The postman is forlorn, and that pile of bathroom reading material is dwindling. Suddenly, the information so vital to the voter before November 8th that it had to be mailed, on an almost daily basis, in full-color brochure, to every household at taxpayer expense is no longer of any great moment. Apparently, our "need to know" dead-headed at the end of the campaign trail. Surprise.

Enough of this politics. Back to Wal-Mart for that $300 laptop and the not-quite-designer jeans for $6.99. All shopping is local -- even if the manufacturer of those inexpensive clothes sets up shop in Indonesia so that 9 year old girls can toil in filthy sweatshops for 12 cents a day. The retailers must be doing something right to drag millions out of bed at 5 AM. Reports of folks camping outside the store the night before just to be the first in the door. Now that's what I call a fun way to cap off Thanksgiving. "Hey honey. Could you put the turkey leg and a piece of pumpkin pie in aluminum foil? We're spending the night at Wal-Mart!"

Gee, we've never seen such enthusiasm as there is in fighting for a parking space at Roosevelt Field on Black Friday so you can pay half for items previously marked up 150%. If only we could muster such unmitigated excitement for the election of Fire Commissioners. Why, imagine them fighting over a parking space at Town Hall so they could break down the doors at the next meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals? Only if the new Mrs. D'Amato does a pole dance. Even then. . .

Could be a simple matter of marketing. Vote for One Sanitation Commissioner, Get the Second FREE! Hempstead Town Clerk Mark Bonilla could give out free gifts to the first 100 residents to walk through the door at a Town Board meeting. We hear the Tickle-Me-Kate doll is in great demand this year (not only does it smile, it wets itself on your wallet). Coupons for instant variances, perhaps. And that cooking demonstration at Angie Cullen's Culinary Kitchen always draws them in. "Today we'll prepare Turkey ala Santino, stuffed with all kinds of pork that you'll gladly pay twice as much for. Enjoy!"

Yes, you can lead shoppers to the mall in the hope of finding a bargain -- even at 5 AM -- but just try to yank 'em out of bed -- at any hour -- to vote, to attend a town meeting, or to participate in the day-to-day of their own government. To boldly stuff our stockings? Of course. To partake in the stuff that impacts directly upon our quality of life? Ahhhhh, we don't think so. Go figure. . .

You know, this blogger is getting kinda sleepy. Its time for a nap, and then, some more leftover turkey. "Heap on that Tryptophan, will ya Ma?" After a long, deep sleep, maybe I'll wake up and hear some good news for a change. Osama Bin Laden declares, "Can't we all just get along?" -- World peace erupts. -- There were no reported DWIs today. -- Father and daughter skate on thin ice and arrive home safely in time for Thanksgiving dinner with family. -- Voters turn out in record numbers to elect local canine catcher. Kate Murray concedes defeat to Deputy Dawg.

Well, if all else fails, we can always go shopping!

And A Child Shall Lead Them. . .

Evaluating Alternatives To Property Tax Based School Financing

We've all heard the Chinese proverb, as adopted by the Gordon's of Glouster Fisherman (or was it Mrs. Paul?) "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Of course, with all the mercury in the fresh fish and the PCBs in farmed fish, one has to ask, "Should we be eating fish at all?" Take those Omega-3 supplements, a couple of Lipitor, and bite into that 18-ounce prime rib, we say.

But we digress. We acknowledge that teaching the child has much more merit than spoon-feeding that child for the rest of his life -- fish or no fish. The real issue we must contend with is the price of the fish versus the cost of educating that child.

As any fish lover can appreciate, what was once less expensive than chicken is now among the most expensive eats. Why, you can't get a decent salmon steak for under $6.99 a pound, and those "exotics" are untouchable.

Okay, so buying the fish doesn't come cheap. What about teaching to fish? What is the price tag of our children's education?

Well, a recent review of this blogger's mortgage escrow reveals that the lender paid $3,572.00 to the Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes last month for School Property Taxes. [Cash that check quickly, Don, before it bounces!] Now, that's $3,572.00 for half a year -- or 6 months, for those who count using both hands. Folks, that's $7,144.00 per year for School Taxes alone. How much was that fish again?

Assuming that the $7,144.oo is in the neighborhood of 60% of our total Property Tax bill, adding in 20% for County Property Taxes and another 20% for Town and Special District Taxes, would bring this blogger's total Property Tax bill for 2005-06 to a whopping $11,906.66. That's nearly $12,000 in Property Taxes for a single year on a postage-stamp sized lot improved by a single family home (sans illegal tenants to help defray the costs).

Assume, as well, that the school portion of the property tax will double by decade's end -- not a stretch, by any means, as even contingency budgets up the ante 6-8% each year. That's roughly $14,000 in School Taxes alone. If County, Town and Special District taxes remain constant (even Kate Murray couldn't guarantee that freeze), this blogger's Property Tax bill for 2009-10 would be in excess of $19,000 for a single tax year. What's in your wallet?

Forget unacceptable or even unconscionable. The School Property Tax, based solely on the market value of real property, has become, simply put, unaffordable. Unless your income will double by 2009, you are not even keeping up. [And heaven help us should the local property tax no longer be deductible!]

The problem is abundantly clear. Rising costs, escalating budgets, inadequate State Aid, and a cadre of overburdened property owners who, if they are asked to continue to pay for fishing lessons, will soon find themselves starving to death.

The solutions? Why ask us? Heck, we're no experts. What do we know? Well, for one thing, it doesn't take an Alan Greenspan - or even an Ewald B. Nyquist (always loved that name) -- to figure out that in New York, the State Aid formula (where some districts get nearly full funding while others hover near the 12% mark) must have been concocted not by Einstein, but by Professor Irwin Corey.

There needs to be a "fix" geared toward what we'll call an equitable distribution of State Aid to all school districts. After all, teaching a child to fish shouldn't cost that much more in Coxsackie than it does in Coram, and children in both districts deserve -- and under the State Constitution, should be deemed equally entitled to -- an equivalent share of State funding. [We're still having a bit of trouble coming to terms with the State Constitution, Article XI, Section 1 of which mandates that "The Legislature shall provide for the maintenance of a system of free common schools, wherein all children of this state may be educated." (Emphasis added.)]

Okay, so free education is never free, but come on Mr. and Mrs. State Legislator, you're not living up to your obligation under our State Constitution! Where are the jurists who strictly interpret these things when we need them? Find us one Judge on the Court of Appeals who will say that inequitable funding of public schools by the State is inherently unequal under New York's Constitution, or that where School Districts are mandated to play, then the State is required to pay.

Anyway, if we are to be left to fend for ourselves -- and it appears we are, for even the fishing nets provided by the State have gaping holes in them -- then we'd better start swimming or, to paraphrase Robert Zimmerman (a/k/a Bob Dylan), we'll sink like that proverbial stone.

Of course, there is no paucity of ideas being advanced -- just an apparent lack of initiative on the part of our elected officials to grab the bull by the horns. Oh, plenty of bull, all right, but few if any willing to take them by the horns.

The Campaign for Fiscal Equity, well known for their successful court challenge of the State Aid formula as applied to New York City, has advanced a Schools For New York's Future Act. The proposal, reviewed, considered, and, in many respects, adopted by the education community, calls for the following:

AN ADDITIONAL $8.6 BILLION FOR OPERATING EXPENSES to be provided to districts across the state. The bill takes the same funding reforms that the court ordered for New York City and applies them to every district in New York State. This means that hundreds of districts throughout the state will receive substantial increases-a total of almost $3 billion-in addition to the $5.6 billion that the court ordered for New York City. No district's current state aid allocation would be reduced. The bill calls for a four-year phase-in of these new funds, with appropriate adjustments for inflation and student enrollment.

AN ADDITIONAL $10 BILLION FOR IMPROVING CAPITAL FACILITIES to relieve overcrowding, reduce class sizes, and other maintenance and facilities projects. Of this amount, $9.2 billion would be used for projects in New York City.

A TRANSPARENT, SIMPLIFIED FOUNDATION FORMULA that consolidates over 30 existing state aid categories into a single funding stream, providing districts with predictability and transparency in the way their schools are funded. The foundation formula starts with a base level of funding-about $8,000 per pupil-which is then multiplied by the number of enrolled pupils in the district. This figure is then adjusted to make sure that schools with high rates of poverty, children with disabilities, and English language learners receive substantial extra resources. Finally, the amount is adjusted by a cost of education index and a sparsity factor.

A CLEAR, FAIR FORMULA FOR DETERMINING EACH DISTRICT'S STATE/LOCAL SHARE that is based on the local district's ability to pay and its relative enrollment of students with high rates of poverty. The formula substantially increases the state's overall share of education funding. For many districts, this means that the proposed formula will result in lowering the proportion of total expenditures paid by local taxpayers. For New York City, and certain other districts that have not been successful in providing their students a sound basic education, this fair share local contribution would be mandatory.

AN ENHANCED ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM that will guarantee that the influx of funds is used in ways that actually provide all students a genuine opportunity for a sound basic education. New York City and other districts whose students are currently not meeting state standards would be required to develop a four-year comprehensive sound basic education plan that will replace most of the current planning requirements. The commissioner will issue regulations that will ensure that districts' comprehensive SBE plans set forth annual and long-term benchmarks for measuring outcomes, and that there is extensive public engagement of parents, teachers, administrators, and school-based planning and shared decision-making teams throughout the process.

The CFE's proposal is not without its detractors, and, at the very least, one has to question the "equity" in giving New York City's school children $9.2 billion of the facilities improvement funds while the rest of New York's kids have to share the remaining $0.8 billion. The Bill has its shortcomings, but nevertheless, its a start. As they say, that journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Glaringly absent from CFE's proposal is how in the dickens we're going to pay for all this equity. Unless we are willing to shoulder $100,000 in School Property Tax per household (as if we're not already headed in that direction), we've got to think outside of the box -- or, at least, outside the house, where the funding of our schools is dependent upon a regressive property-based system of revenue raising.

Liz Krolik, a coordinator for the Alliance for Quality Education, a statewide coalition of more than 230 organizations, and an organizer for the Long Island Progressive Coalition, posited a few palatable suggestions, as were published in Newsday this past September. [SEE A Crazy Way To Fund Schools.] In the height of the campaign season, Newsday's timely Long Island Topic seemingly flew under the radar. Perhaps we can put it back up on the screen.

Advancing possible reforms, Ms. Krolik opined:

The state income tax, for instance, is a progressive tax based on ability to pay. Over the past 25 years the top state income tax rates have dramatically dropped. Simply by restoring these rates, the state would draw in the needed revenues to fund education. Calling on wealthier residents to pay their share would help close the gap and guarantee access to extracurricular activities for all kids.

Another option is to eliminate corporate income tax loopholes. It's time that the state reinstated these levies that would broaden the tax base, shift the regressive system from individual taxpayer to a more progressive corporate taxpayer system and raise needed revenues.

The Assembly has introduced the Schools for New York's Future Act, legislation designed to fix the school funding formula, increase public accountability and increase state school aid. The legislation uses a formula that determines state funding based on the needs of the students.

With this kind of tax reform, or some mix of all three ideas, parents won't have to be overburdened by raising private funds for sports and extracurricular activities, and no children will be denied their constitutional right to an education.

Surely, there are pros and cons, costs and benefits, of every suggested reform. Still, one thing is abundantly clear -- reform is imperative if we are to survive financially while striving to provide our children with a workable system of public education where No Child Left Behind is no longer an unfunded mythical beast devouring local resources, but rather, a fully implemented reality, backed by funds from both Washington and Albany.

Teach a child to fish. By all means. Let's find a way to pay for those lessons that won't leave us -- and our children -- fishing with a baitless line in an empty pond!
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What's your opinion? Thoughts, suggestions, rants? The Community Alliance would like to know. E-mail us at info@thecommunityalliance.org.

The Community Alliance takes a Thanksgiving holiday hiatus, thankful for the legion of volunteers who understand that the causes of community, great and small, never take a holiday, and mindful of the fact that while we may enjoy the bounty bestowed upon us, many -- on Thanksgiving Day and every day -- go without. Click on TheHungerSite.com to feed the hungry. "Whoever Saves One Life Saves a World Entire."

From all of us at The Community Alliance, a happy, thankful and thought-filled Thanksgiving!

Fire And Water: Paying To Play

Comments To Blogspots Spur Debate ~ Keep Those Postings Coming!

A recent post to one of The Community Alliance rants raised some interesting points, reached certain far-reaching, if but entirely obvious conclusions, and, we believe, is well worth repeating here.

Nassau Resident writes:
So much to say, so little time. So much to understand, so little time. So much to think about, so little time. Of course, that's one of our basic problems these days, isn't it - so little time left in our harried, busy lives for us as individuals to seek out the truth for ourselves; instead, we are more and more often forced to listen to the processed and reduced 'truths' we have to hear on the news, read in the papers, or watch on television.

Is there financial waste or misspending in the fire service on Long Island? Before we say yes or no, let's remember one thing: the brave men and women who leave their families when the gong sounds, be it during dinner, services, or the middle of the night, are generally using the equipment that has been provided for them by the taxing authorities; the firehouses are generally constructed by the taxing authorities; the vehicles are purchased by taxing authorities. These taxing authorities - fire districts - are run by publicly elected officials. Does everyone know that the second Tuesday in December, every year, is the annual election of Fire District Commissioners, across the whole of New York State? When was the last time YOU voted in this election? It is these commissioners who decide what to spend, when to spend it, how to spend it. They go on trips to Vegas for 'commissioner' conventions, supposedly to learn what they can about how to run a fire district. Yeah, as if some guy who's a sanitation worker in his real job, or some other low-level menial labor, really has the business aptitude to understand what it takes to run a multi-million dollar fire district. Not to belittle these folks in their day-to-day pursuits, they are all hard working, family supporters. But let's be honest, if they know so much about running multi-million dollar businesses, why are they picking up garbage for a living?

It is here, with the Commissioners, that we must start, just as we must start with the School Boards to control spending in the schools, and the Sanitation Commissioners to control costs in the Sanitary Districts - by the way, some of these same Fire Commissioners are also publicly elected Sanitation Commissioners - bet you didn't know that either - and as Sanitation Commissioners, they even draw a salary. You think they know any more about running multi-million dollar Sanitation Districts than they do about running multi-million dollar Fire Districts? Maybe that's why Districts like Sanitation 6 charge way more per household than the Town of Hempstead.

Newsday's series of articles is revealing many interesting facts, some wholly truthful, others misinterpreted, still others simply out of context, but while they have singled out individual firehouses, fire companies, and districts as examples of what they call abuses and excesses, one must take careful note that the same names seem to keep coming up, again and again and again. And while these departments may very well have spending out of control, one must ask a very good question: can I do it better myself? It is always easy to sit back and pass judgement; to develop the plan, and then to execute it properly is a whole different matter.

A friend of mine ran for Fire Commissioner in our district a few years back, and lost the election. Not for lack of trying, you understand, but partly because the residents don't know, and they apparently don't care - turnout was around 5% - at least not until Newsday starts writing articles about the fire service.
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These comments, by a poster whose identity remains unknown to The Community Alliance, are well thought out and well said.

Absolutiely correct in praising the brave and selfless volunteers of our fire departments. They have never been a part of the problem. Well, almost never.

It is also true that we have to start with the Commissioners -- the folks we "elect" to represent us. Shame on us for not coming out to vote in these elections. Do you think at least part of that has to do with when the elections are held (December for Fire and Water, August for Sanitation), and that the interests of certain groups/people are best served by not publicizing that vote?

Fact is, most folks do not know that elections for Fire District and Water District Commissioners are held on the 2nd Tuesday in December -- most are still digesting Thanksgiving dinner and getting ready for Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza -- and even those who do know rarely pay attention. Too bad, as these are the elected officials who decide how much of our money the districts will tax, and how and where our money will be spent, whether for most critical local services, or for junkets to the Bahamas.

Perhaps we need to prevail upon our State Legislature to have all such "local" elections held on the same day every year. Why not on that certain Tuesday in November, or, if they fear the voter would be confused by too much on the ballot, that Super Tuesday in May when we vote on school budgets, library budgets, and corresponding Trustees, those other local mandates that consume our thoughts and our money?

Could be if we, as taxpayers, took an interest in these elections, scutinized who was running, reviewed budgets and processes, and then kept our eyes on the pot (after all, it is our money), maybe, just maybe, we would see qualified candidates elected as Commissioners, and at least some semblance of accountability to the public in the operation of these Special Districts.

Of course, most residents barely take an interest in the election of Presidents, County Executives and Town Supervisors, so what can we expect when it comes to Commissioners of Fire, Water and Sanitation.

And the question still remains, do we really need 126 (or whatever that number is today) separate and distinct fire districts and school districts, umpteen sanitary districts, and the more than 400 other "special" taxing jurisdictions that spread time, effort and money too thin on this not all that long island?

The Special Districts fly below the radar, like almost everything that happens in government operations, simply because we let them. We turn the other cheek, go about our "harried, busy lives," stopping only long enough -- if then -- to gasp at our property tax bills, to let out a huge grumbling sound, and to throw up our hands in disgust.

Our involvement, as citizens, as residents, as taxpayers, cannot be a passive one, lest we resign ourselves, as if by fatalistic design, to a decline in quality of life, in basic services, in simple human dignities. Our growing complacency, our willingness to accept what has been and what is, our refusal to stand up, shout out and be counted, are eclipsed only by the ever escalating price we pay in the loss of suburbia, the least of which, in the long run, may well be the property tax.

Indeed, the fault lies not in our stars -- or even in those Commissioners -- but in ourselves.
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Find A Solution, Win A Day Off From Property Tax
Seems that there's only one way to get new ideas to the table; to generate enough interest and excitement so that folks actually take it upon themselves to do someting. Have a contest!

And so it is with finding solutions to the property tax crisis here on Long Island.

The question: What can be done to reduce or eliminate the School Property Tax on Long Island?

Give us your answer, in 500 words or less, and, should your proposal be selected, The Community Alliance will post it prominently on its website, feature it on this blog, forward same on to our legislative leaders, the County Executive, and the media, and, better still, reward you with one (1) Property Tax Free Day* in 2006, courtesy of the C0-Chairs of The Community Alliance.

Now that's a win-win for everyone!

E-mail your proposals to info@thecommunityalliance.org. Contest open to bona fide homeowners residing in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Deadline for contest submissions is Friday, December 30, 2005. Special District Commissioners and their families are not eligible. Void in the village of Malverne, or where otherwise prohibited by law. Winner must prove home ownership and produce actual tax statements as issued by the office of the Receiver of Taxes. The decision of the judges will be final.

*Value of Property Tax Free Day to be determined by dividing winning homeowner's entire property tax bill (School, County, Town, Special District) by 365, with a check or cash equivalent to be paid to said homeowner. In the event of a tie, the C0-Chairs of The Community Alliance will split the difference and go out to lunch at Umbertos.