The OSI lesson: If you can't build it, they will leave LI

It's probably an exaggeration to say that biotech is dead on Long Island , now that OSI Pharmaceuticals is fleeing to Westchester County, but make no mistake about it: This is a profoundly unsettling turn of events, a dagger in our heart.

[Surprized]

Another company leaving tax island.

[just me]

Well ,Long Island is a place where progress has lots of obstacles,because narrow minded people.We can not have wind mill here because it's an eye sore, we can not build megabusiness sites like Wall mart tried to because it will increase trafic, and God forbid our beautiful streets get trafic,ofcourse those streets was built only for our expensive cars take us back and fourth to work and to the mall ofcourse.
When we all know that the economy is in terrible shape and we need any revenue possible, the Nassau denied a permit to build a 500 millions dollars mall in Syosset just because it will bring trafic to our streets.Narrow minded against progress,so lets get revenue from property tax,school district tax,more sales tax. Soon we will be just like California,not enough money to even pay garbage collection,but it's alright we can always pack it on the back of our SUV's and drop it in NY in our way to work.

[newsday should leave]

when will newsday leave long island? there's a company no one will miss.

[tommy boy]

Too much red tape to get anything done in a timely manner. There will be more relocations in the future, Remember Republic aviation, Grumman Corp, Fairchild etc and the list goes on. Long Island should be renamed La La Island.

[linc312]

Try not taxing them so much

[liner]

just me wrote:

Well ,Long Island is a place where progress has lots of obstacles,because narrow minded people.We can not have wind mill here because it's an eye sore, we can not build megabusiness sites like Wall mart tried to because it will increase trafic, and God forbid our beautiful streets get trafic,ofcourse those streets was built only for our expensive cars take us back and fourth to work and to the mall ofcourse.
When we all know that the economy is in terrible shape and we need any revenue possible, the Nassau denied a permit to build a 500 millions dollars mall in Syosset just because it will bring trafic to our streets.Narrow minded against progress,so lets get revenue from property tax,school district tax,more sales tax. Soon we will be just like California,not enough money to even pay garbage collection,but it's alright we can always pack it on the back of our SUV's and drop it in NY in our way to work.

At what point do you think development should be slowed on LI, never? How many more malls do you think we need? Yeah, losing OSI will be a hit to us, but that doesn't mean we should let them develop LI until there's absolutely NO space left. Is NYC having budget problems? Do you think their answer would be more development in Manhattan?

[Just a Thought]

A total shame to Long Island that has fortified its reputation as nothing more than a bedroom community to Manhattan.

[Carolina]

I find it frightening seeing discussions of companies leaving Long Island. Malls, sorry I'm not on board with that.

If I recall correctly isn't Canon also on the fence with a new building in Suffolk or the possibility of moving to NJ.

Of course there is also the loss of our sporting teams.
The NY Jets have made the move to NJ out of NY frustration and now let's see what happens with the Islanders. Maybe not large companies but again companies willing to make the move.

This is very sad to me.... you wonder what LI's future will be.

[get out now]

LI's future is as follows:

1) More and more companies wake up to reality that long island is not business friend and is less so every year

2) Educated people (the workforce) will follow those jobs off LI.

3) Young people cannot afford it here and with no jobs, if they don't want to live at home or in a basement apartment, will leave as well.

4) Maffia-unions will continue to flourish (teachers and police) all talking about how difficult their job is or how hard they have it...even though those 2 groups are what have created the excessive taxes.

5) Politicians will continue to get re-elected because the LI Sheep just expect corruption

6) More illegals will continue to move in as queens moves east and of course we know they don't pay all their taxes

7) People left will still talk about the Good Old Days on LI..when people actualy moved here instead of away from here, how it used to be a great place to live and work.

8) Taxes will keep going up, no one new moving in to tax to death..and the maffia unions still need their guaranteed salary increase.

9) The sheep will argue about how having 124+ school districts is sensible as they vote yes on the school budgets, thus condonding a broken system

10) the over-compensated police and teachers, as they retire, will take their excessive pensions and move away as well...they are not stupid, they can live a lot better ANYWHERE else.

End results - higher taxes, more people taking out of the system (social services) than putting in (taxpayers) and a island that is DONE.

[Bob Matheson]

Get out of NY before it's too late. Ahhh I wonder how much in tax breaks and financial incentives they received from the taxpayers to have them at SUNY Farmingdale in the first place? When the perks ran out.......so did OSI.

[liner]

get out now wrote:

LI's future is as follows:
1) More and more companies wake up to reality that long island is not business friend and is less so every year
2) Educated people (the workforce) will follow those jobs off LI.
3) Young people cannot afford it here and with no jobs, if they don't want to live at home or in a basement apartment, will leave as well.
4) Maffia-unions will continue to flourish (teachers and police) all talking about how difficult their job is or how hard they have it...even though those 2 groups are what have created the excessive taxes.
5) Politicians will continue to get re-elected because the LI Sheep just expect corruption
6) More illegals will continue to move in as queens moves east and of course we know they don't pay all their taxes
7) People left will still talk about the Good Old Days on LI..when people actualy moved here instead of away from here, how it used to be a great place to live and work.
8) Taxes will keep going up, no one new moving in to tax to death..and the maffia unions still need their guaranteed salary increase.
9) The sheep will argue about how having 124+ school districts is sensible as they vote yes on the school budgets, thus condonding a broken system
10) the over-compensated police and teachers, as they retire, will take their excessive pensions and move away as well...they are not stupid, they can live a lot better ANYWHERE else.
End results - higher taxes, more people taking out of the system (social services) than putting in (taxpayers) and a island that is DONE.

I think you've pretty much nailed it.

[Moved to Charlotte]

get out now wrote:

LI's future is as follows:
1) More and more companies wake up to reality that long island is not business friend and is less so every year
2) Educated people (the workforce) will follow those jobs off LI.
3) Young people cannot afford it here and with no jobs, if they don't want to live at home or in a basement apartment, will leave as well.
4) Maffia-unions will continue to flourish (teachers and police) all talking about how difficult their job is or how hard they have it...even though those 2 groups are what have created the excessive taxes.
5) Politicians will continue to get re-elected because the LI Sheep just expect corruption
6) More illegals will continue to move in as queens moves east and of course we know they don't pay all their taxes
7) People left will still talk about the Good Old Days on LI..when people actualy moved here instead of away from here, how it used to be a great place to live and work.
8) Taxes will keep going up, no one new moving in to tax to death..and the maffia unions still need their guaranteed salary increase.
9) The sheep will argue about how having 124+ school districts is sensible as they vote yes on the school budgets, thus condonding a broken system
10) the over-compensated police and teachers, as they retire, will take their excessive pensions and move away as well...they are not stupid, they can live a lot better ANYWHERE else.
End results - higher taxes, more people taking out of the system (social services) than putting in (taxpayers) and a island that is DONE.

I left 14 years ago and I am TOTALLY HAPPY. Your post is 100 percent accurate. Wait.... you were too kind to police and teachers. Both are the biggest crooks in the world.

[newsdays boy]

tom suozzi is newsday's boy. you will see nothing in newsday that will hurt tom suozzi's re-election chances. sometime soon maybe tomorrow there will be an editorial in newsday supporting suozzi's arbitrator ploy (to prevent county layoffs). newsday will claim this is the "fair" thing to do. i'm writing this here because newsday deleted all the anti-suozzi comments at the story post. like i said, tom suozzi is newsday's boy and newsday is going to do everything they can to get him re-elected.

[dom]

Cut LI Property Taxes in half NOW, and you will see a startling improvement in the overall economy of the region.

If you want to know HOW to cut them in half, ask me.

[Whatashame]

Just think of the number of families that will leave along with the company...if they're smart, that is! I doubt the many workers from OSI lived in NJ, NYC or CT and commuted here. Expect many more "For Sale" signs lining the streets.

[Clear Vision]

Here's a hint.. Technology companies are not looking to stay on LI, but are looking at where they will move to. The high-tech industry has already decided that big- government, over-regulated, high taxed Long Island is NOT business friendly. Get ready for more tech companies to announce plans for leaving - this is well known in the commercial real estate community (and our politicians couldn't care less, they're more focused on gay marriage and other nonsense).

[Bill]

If we have to give away million dollar peices of real estate to have companies stay here them let them go to Hell. I do not want the Board running the State College system to have the authority to make sweetheart deals with their croonies. These companies will be paying off our corrupt polititians left and right for free state land.

[Bill]

lets have a standing ovation for all the local gvernments. Lets cheer for all the corrupt building inspectors. Lets say horray for the endless appeals boards, variance boards, historical preservation board, the north fork land trust, the enviromental impact board, the pine barren idiots, the lets close shoreham dopes. Now we can sit in our squalor and get what we vote for.

[dca]

Carolina wrote:

I find it frightening seeing discussions of companies leaving Long Island. Malls, sorry I'm not on board with that.
If I recall correctly isn't Canon also on the fence with a new building in Suffolk or the possibility of moving to NJ.
Of course there is also the loss of our sporting teams.
The NY Jets have made the move to NJ out of NY frustration and now let's see what happens with the Islanders. Maybe not large companies but again companies willing to make the move.
This is very sad to me.... you wonder what LI's future will be.

despite the "the public should pay for our stadium" propaganda, sports teams hire minimal numbers of employees.

much more significant job creation with industry (manufacturing, engineering, back-office, etc.)

[dca]

oh, and a note to Newsday, the paper that never met a tax it didn't like: if you tax the bejeebers out of it, they will leave Long Island.