Interested in writing for our blog?

We are always interested in having people who believe Long Island should be a state voice their opinions.

If you are interested in contributing to our blog please email us at longisland51ststate@gmail.com

New NYS budget, forget the youth?

Due to the relative failure of the NYS government over the years, the state is left with a huge deficit. With this we usually see budget cuts start and be aimed of the children of the state. It seems to be that they are the most worthy of lesser funds, even though they are the ones who need it the most.

Governor Cuomo does not care as much for the well being of some of these children as he aims to shutdown many youth centers. These youth centers are safe havens for children who have no where to go after school. They also teach fundamental career and life building skills.

Even worse is the fact that the new budget gets rid of funding for homeless youth. New York has 45,000 homeless youth, can we be okay with saying no we can't help you? Where do these children go? They can't get a job and an apartment, do we just let them die? Why should criminals in jail be given food and a home while we say no to homeless children. If we ignore these needy children eventually they will become criminals, just to survive or just to get into jail to live.

These are the great NY officials making these policies, feel free to call and voice your opinion.
- Governor Andrew Cuomo (518) 474-8390
- Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (518) 455-3791
- Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (518) 455-3171
- Senator Joseph Robach (877) 854-2687

Budget Trimming

As New York trims it's budget, Long Island and the rest of the state will be severly hurt in many different ways. As Governor Cuomo's promise not to raise taxes stays true, there is only one way to balance the budget. That means trimming and removing programs that may not see important but have a greater affect than actually known. One example is Youth centers, these places give kids who parents work a place to go to so they don't have to be home alone or out in the streets doing the wrong thing. As funding gets smaller and smaller many youth centers will have to close down and it will greatly affect the lives of many kids. After school programs like youth centers are just as important to school itself. Youth centers give under privileged children access to technology, opportunities to learn useful skills, a respect for the community, and the comfort of having someone to talk to.

Why should kids always be the first ones to suffer during economic reform? Money is wasted through many different programs that have little to no benefits. The correctional system is a joke in it self. Many convicts return to jail after being released making it a pointless system. Many convicts themselves are in jail for drug related offenses themselves. A solution can be the taxation of drugs themselves, it would earn money through taxes and remove people from jail. Another thing is that it can deter the use of drugs as well. It can be done the same way cigarettes are sold, the high taxes on them deter people from buying them which will make use possibly less but in the end more profit for the government.

Should kids really need to suffer though, aren't there other programs that can take a hit? If Long Island was a state would we need to ask these questions? Think about it

A new state = More Government and Confusion?

A reason many are against Long Island becoming a state is that it will just increase the size of government. This is true but it also improves our region, New York is a big state. It has many different regions with different cultures and economies. The major regions of Long Island, New York City, and Upstate are all very different. It's a shame because when you ask people where they are from, Long Islanders and city residents say either Long Island or one of the city boroughs. While those from upstate say they are New Yorkers. A divided state is no use to anyone, while Albany fights and New York struggles due to fights everyone is hurt. Long Islanders are becoming restless with all of the money they send away to Albany to never be seen again.

Things need to be done. There is already a well structured local government for Suffolk and Nassau county the couple major additions would be a governor and senators. Will that add more confusion? I don't believe so take Sudan as an example. Right now they are having a referendum to see if residents want to divide their country. That will not add more confusion it will actually bring stability and end long fighting. Long Island has nothing in common with New York State now. There is not much unity between the different regions. Albany should not have to deal with Upstate, the City, and Long Island. Albany should deal with Upstate, the City or even Long Island can take care of the city.

The City and Long Island have a lot in common a lot of NYC workers live out on Long Island so there is that shared bond. Also there are the two boroughs of the City on the Island. I believe that if Upstate separated from the City and Long Island a lot more good can be done. The MTA can be improved and make live easier for Long Islanders and city residents as well.

Long Island

Long Island needs to be improved, everyone is putting their two cents in so we shall as well. The biggest problem is being a part of New York State itself and dealing with the dysfunctional  government there. To be a part of a state which is segregated by "Upstate", "The City", and "Long Island" is pathetic. There's no unity anymore the state is separating gradually and it needs to either be brought together or finally separating.

Well what does Long Island need? It needs to prevent businesses from leaving. That is the number one priority, jobs bring residents and bolster the economy with money flowing through everyone. A region cannot last without business because who would want to live there? Long Island used to be known for a lot of things remember Grumman and duck farms? Well we need to fight to keep major businesses and identities here. We cannot let taxes force business out of here because it just hurts Long Island in the end. Luckily businesses are still coming here like Canon which is building it's American Headquarters on the island. It's a great thing because it will bring jobs and another identity here.

Long Island still needs to keep being it's strong identity as we push towards statehood. The rest of the country needs to see the self sustaining government being implemented here to keep Nassau and Suffolk country running while Albany runs around in circles. Things need to be done before it becomes irreversible, remember the fight may seem impossible but one day Long Island can be it's own state.

Politicians

Sometimes don't you ever wish you knew who you were really voting for? Not just what they did wrong through opponents attack ads? Sometimes it's hard to tell what someone is about from a sign on someones lawn or just accusations. We can easily learn when a candidate does something wrong whether they say it or publicly make a mockery of themselves. But how do you really know of all the great things they've done?

There are some Long Islanders who will go to the polls and not know who half the  candidates are and it's a shame. Some candidates have fought hard to protect their constituents and sometimes they are never recognized for it. They have helped protect our youth, cleaned and protected  our beaches and are just overall good people. Not all politicians are scum bags and not every person has their constituents in their best interest .

There really should be a better way and easier way for people mainly young people to learn about candidates and their history. How they've helped their local area and will alway fight for something they care about. The positives need to be talked about more, the negatives are important but it shouldn't overshadow a campaign.

The Focus of Long Island 51st State

The idea behind the creation of a new state for Long Island is not one that is merely based on political ideology, but for perfectly practical reasons.  In one sentence, the mission of this movement can be explained: The mission of the LI51 Movement is to making living on Long Island more affordable to residents both upstate and downstate and continue to provide the high quality of life expected here on the island without sacrificing resources to benefit those outside the realm of Long Island.

However, it seems as if the mission has become lost in this ideological preaching that has occurred from a variety of sources within the movement that are disturbing for those interested in this movement.  This movement is not a movement to create an anarchist society.  It is not a movement to create an entirely private school system.  And it is not a movement to redefine how Long Islanders handle business.  The is not a libertarian (or Libertarian) movement, nor is it an anarchist movement or the bullshit voluntaryist movement based out of the Free State Project.  To make everyone clear about what political ideologies are behind this movement, I will break it down.  William Cerf is a staunch libertarian who is a firm supporter of the Modern Whig Party.  Tim Foley, from what I can tell, is a pretty strong liberal and a supporter of the Democratic Party.  And I (what I like to call an adjunct supporter of LI51) am a moderate/centrist and cherry pick between the Democrats and the Republicans.  And I have no clue who the other contributor is, so he'll introduce himself when he walks in.

So, now you have met us.  You know how our minds work ideologically.  What I want everyone to know is that LI51 is NOT an ideological movement, it is a movement based on practicality and government business, not an attempt to eliminate government.  With that, I will say that I am extremely disappointed with the actions one of our contributors has taken within the group and I am calling on this person to take a step down from a contributor and organizer within the LI51 movement as his actions have become irrational and have stepped outside of the mission of the movement.  William Cerf has used this movement as a soundboard for his own personal propaganda and thoughts rather than actually stepping forward to promote the LI51 movement.  He has connected this movement to other movements that are completely irrelevant to this group and has circumvented the established leadership of this movement regarding his promotion and interactions of LI51.  It is an absolute disappointment that he has chosen to promote his own ideologies ahead of the thoughts of the actual Long Islanders who will actually be affected by this move.  As a Brooklyn resident, there is no guarantee that he will actually become a resident of this new state because of the complicated process of Queens and Brooklyn to secede from the Greater City of New York.  As someone who has leadership aspirations in outside organizations, I understand the necessity to listen to people and work with the people that will be affected by changes and movements like this.  William unfortunately hasn't.  So today, after his irrational actions to promote groups like the Free State Project, I will officially ask William Cerf to step down as a contributor to the blog and as a representative of this movement.