Your balanced and fair-minded editorial is both praiseworthy and a surprise, given your well established antipathy to Mangano’s policies.
You correctly observe that ‘the police force (like our national defense budget) has long been a sacred cow’ and sacrosanct. Yet most certainly, any and all organizations can operate more effectively, notwithstanding the predictable howls from feckless politicos who are uninterested in leaving their comfort zones.
Non-praiseworthy is the standard whines from the usual suspects.
Mr. Wink, a relentless and tiresome kvetcher, intones that ‘he doubts (but doesn’t know) whether savings of $20 million will be realized.’ Nevertheless, he’s opposed to a plan that has yet to be finalized. Obviously his mind is made up and he doesn’t want any facts that may emerge to confuse him. So much for open mindedness.
Ms. Bosworth plays the ‘safety card’ expressing her ‘grave concerns about the plan.’ No mention of specifics, just grave concerns. And what might those be? Hmmm.
Next up is Carver, the PBA union shill who plans to fight this consolidation; hardly a surprise. And then comes assorted mayors, deputies and press flacks, all mouthing the same sanctimonious platitudes and pieties about the Nassau Police Department. One claimed that the ‘crime rate is so extraordinarily high that the risks are too great’!
Wow. Apparently it’s an amalgam of Baghdad, Detroit and Kabul in Nassau County. Who knew?
Needless to say, none of these politicos have either a clue, an idea or a suggestion as to how a budget shortfall of some $300 million can be bridged other than, you guessed it, raising taxes. So what’s going on here? Real simple. They’re carrying water for the special interests which keep them employed. Do any of these politicos remind of Burke, Clay or Disraeli; who stood for principle rather than selfish interest?
As late as 1950, New York State had 50 Electoral College votes. This year we will lose another two House members and by mid century are projected to approach 20 members.
Population continues to erode, a demographic death knell, because New York State and Nassau County, in particular, has lived extravagantly for generations and now the bill is due and payable.
So what is the chant from these hacks? Why, more revenue enhancements i.e. taxes; the core reason we are in our current economic morass.
Citizens will always get the governance they tolerate.
Tom Coffey
Herricks
