Just Empty The Damn Dishwasher Already

The drama unfolding in our nation's capitol yesterday reminded me of watching my two teenage sons argue over whose turn it was to empty the dishwasher. Each boy presents passionate explanations and defenses as to why he should not have to sully his hands with such a menial task as lifting dishes, glasses and silverware from the appliance under the counter to the cabinet and drawer above the counter.

As you listen to the arguments made individually you might even find yourself siding with one boy over the other. But you don't because you're the parent and you just want the damn dishwasher emptied and you don't see what the big deal is, seeing as both boys live rent free and eat rather well. If the world made sense, if it were fair and just, the boys would be fighting over who would show their parents just how grateful they are for the largesse of living under someone else's roof.

If the world were fair and just and made sense our elected officials would welcome the opportunity to do the right thing for the country. Instead we get "This is all his fault" and "I'm not going to vote for this if she's going to take that attitude."

The only way to settle the dishwasher debate is for the parent to step in and say, "Enough! You both live here, you both have to empty the dishwasher. Figure it out and get it done." Then you walk away and come back a few minutes later to make sure the deed is done.

That's what we as voters need to do. Call our representatives in Congress and say, "Enough already. Get it done." To their credit, all five Congressional representatives from Long Island - Peter King, Steve Israel, Tim Bishop, Carolyn McCarthy and Gary Ackerman - voted for the bailout. They need to convince their Congressional brethren, however, of the gravity of the situation, that this is not the federal government bailing out the "fat cats" of Wall Street but rather the government doing what it is supposed to do - step in where needed to ensure that the country can function.

The longer we wait, the deeper the hole. Get it done already.

Where's the Accountability?

If LIBI members ran their businesses the way the government goes about its daily operations, the world would be in a lot more trouble than it is in right now.

Take these news items, for instance.

This morning's New York Daily reports that "despite enacting a state hiring freeze, the Paterson administration created a $140,000-a-year job for a recently retired Queens assemblyman. Ivan Lafayette, 78, was named deputy superintendent for community affairs at the state Insurance Department...The higher pay will also help him boost his pension, which is based on the combined average of the last three years of a person's salary."

Closer to home, the North Shore Sun has a cover story this week detailing how the Suffolk County Deparment of Public Works changed the speed limit signs on the William Floyd Parkway to 45 miles per hour from 55 mph. What's newsworthy about that? Funny you should ask.

Turns out the Brookhaven Town Board voted to lower the speed limit in 1992! It took 16 years but SC DPW finally got around to posting the new limits!

Or how about this one from the Sunday New York Times: "Virtually every career employee — as many as 97 percent in one recent year — applies for and gets disability payments soon after retirement, a computer analysis of federal records by The New York Times has found. Since 2000, those records show, about a quarter of a billion dollars in federal disability money has gone to former L.I.R.R. employees, including about 2,000 who retired during that time.

"The L.I.R.R.’s disability rate suggests it is one of the nation’s most dangerous places to work. Yet in four of the last five years, the railroad has won national awards for improving worker safety."

Now, I don't know Ivan Lafayette from Marquis de Lafayette, I rarely drive on the William Floyd and I know my brother in-law works real hard at his job at the LIRR. I mention these items because they epitomize why Long Islanders get socked with some of the highest taxes in the region. Inefficiencies and government officials "taking care of each other" have been the norm for way too long. Long Islanders have to start holding our elected officials more accountable because we can no longer afford business as usual.

Years ago I attended an LIA breakfast featuring the two county executives reporting on the state of their respective economies. One of them went on and on about how he had reduced the number of "non-essential" employees on the county payroll. One of the business owners at my table looked around at his table mates and wondered aloud, "How many 'non-essential' employees do you have on your payroll?"

LIBI members have all taken measures to stay "lean and mean," and more often than not these measures required painful decisions involving valued employees. It's time we started demanding the same painful decisions - and lean and mean results - from our elected officials.