I've talked previously about the good people with The Long Island Index, a project to gather and publish important data about Long Island. I cited them in the early days of this blog, after their report released in the fall of 2007 showed that 61% of Long Islanders favored high-density housing in downtown areas adjacent to mass transit. This proved that the myth of every resident of suburbia wanting a single-family home with a white picket fence is just that, a myth.
The Long Island Index is back with a new report, one that is accompanied by this bone-chilling video, aptly titled "The Clock is Ticking on Long Island."
I defy anyone to watch that and come to any conclusion other than this: Long Island is dying, and it is in dire need of the kind of bold thinking represented by projects such as the Lighthouse. This is something we need, and something that could do a world of good for the community.
Also, please understand something. There are naysayers out there who claim we are a threat to the community's very existence, secret assassins ready to destroy everything they moved here to build. That could not be further from the truth, and I am deeply insulted by the inference, especially since many of the naysayers are the ones who are pushing the limited, community-choking worldview.
I'm in favor of housing options for everyone, not only those who want to buy a single-family home. There is room for both.
I'm in favor of economic opportunities for everyone, because it's a shame to move from a place due solely to cost of living, or because you were forced to by a lack of options.
I'm in favor of bold action, not sticking our heads in the sand like ostriches and denying there is any problem at all.
We may disagree on the way to fix our problems, but we need to all agree that our community needs us, and the problems we face are too great for us to simply hurl insults at each other or refuse to have a discussion.
I'm ready to step up and stop the ticking of that terrible clock - who else?
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