“Changing the minds of Murray supporters is not the goal. Nobody is going to change their minds. They will vote in their usual dogmatic way – even if they are fans of the Islanders, or believe in a good smart plan like the Lighthouse.”

I honestly believe that at this point humans are genetically programmed to feel a certain way politically speaking. Almost impossible to change someone’s mind, so all the screaming and name-calling and threats is a waste of time. When I get lectured, I not only want to vote my way, but I kind of want to vote ten thousand times my way. A little bratty, but true. Mind-changing only happens when a significant experience, often negative, happens to the individual or someone that the individual cares about.

Thanks, HyeDray, for really taking the time to make sense of what makes no sense and all. And thank you for all the hard work you did for that election. Your borscht is in the mail ;o)

Thanks

This post I made on Let There Be Light(house) last year explains it pretty well:

http://www.lettherebelighthouse.com/2009/10/back-to-basics-why-is-there-lighthouse.html

Short answer, Wang can privately finance the arena with either his own funds or through financing, and while it would almost certainly make the Islanders profitable, there is a big difference between making money and making enough money to cover your investment. Reinsdorf and Wirtz clearly could, but based on the numbers I’m seeing I don’t know if it’s true here.

The goal of the Lighthouse Project was to develop the (barren) land around Nassau Coliseum to raise the money to privately finance the arena, and that’s why this scale-down is so insulting.

Is there anyway Wang can fund the project on his own?

It was a lot different in Chicago as the Wirtz family owned the old Stadium and the land surrounding the building.

When the UC was built…for around $240 mill at the time I think….

Wirtz had one partner, Jerry Reinsdorf…no bond offering or city/state money needed.

Wang has bizillions can’t he find a way to build the new arena on his own without state/municiple help?

Is it a problem of acquiring the necessary land?

You cant govern if you dont win.

Which then leads to how do you win?

The really bad thing about politics, and the reason why youth get shafted is because the people you are talking about Brenna — you know — the people who actually vote. They are largely seniors on a fixed income. They don’t want to pay taxes. They dont want to pay for services and things they don’t use.

Everybody gets all excited about a Presidential election. But when it comes to real day-to-day governing, and the decisions that are key to our lives, and quality of life, it is the “off year” elections, the ones for Town government that matter most.

So the seniors that are voting for her — all they care about is building a good Senior Center because that is what they will use. They don’t care about the school and if the budget for the school passes —and more then likely, they want it to fail. They really could care less about the Islanders, and the business it may keep here, or bring in because of the scope of the development. They just see it as “something else I have to pay for that I will never use,” and “great more people, and more traffic.”

But that “narrow” thought process is what reduces their property value. Having an good school is good enough for them. But they don’t see that having a great school raises their property value. The “net” gain is something they dont understand.

Charles Wang could have, and should have had a high level, door-to-door effort on behalf of the candidates in support of the Lighthouse. With his resources, and the ability to get every Islander fan involved to knock on doors, it should have been a landslide with a huge turn-out in support of McElroy.

He may have felt it was a “conflict” of interest. But if we are going to have any chance at change, we need to get elected. If he was going to have any chance of this project working, he needed to either fund Murray/Modello, or build the infrastructure to beat them with a PAC or other political fundraising mechanism to put the people on the street.

I know…democrats like me can indeed think the same way as republicans like Murray and Mondello when it comes to “what do I need to do to win?”

Changing the minds of Murray supporters is not the goal. Nobody is going to change their minds. They will vote in their usual dogmatic way – even if they are fans of the Islanders, or believe in a good smart plan like the Lighthouse.

In 2008 I went to campaign for the ‘socialist’ as you called it :) I drove to Pennsylvania and knocked on doors. As a former operative, I was asked to give a speech on behalf of the socialist in Virginia. I was inspired to do these things. And once I was there, the operation that awaiting me, and all of the others who drove in from New York and New Jersey was impressive.

I raise this not to make it about one party or another. I raise it because that is what Charles Wang should have done! That inspiration should have been so easy for Wang – even with a bad team on the ice, he could have asked any number of Mike Bossy, Brian Trottier, Bobby Nystrom, Billy Smith, Clark Gillies to come and help on the level I am talking about. He should have gotten players like Bailey and Okposo out on the streets with the fans. Knocking on doors, working the campaign.

Charles Wang comes across to me as a “nice guy.” Doesn’t really want to anger anyone. But nice guys who expect reason, and intelligent negotiation and debate from a thick, dogmatic, narrow person like Murray and the Hooples is going to lose every time. The “nice guy” thing works only when the person on the other side of the table is operating in “good faith.”

In comparison, look at Huntington Township. Check out Brookhaven. Look at North Hempstead. Just off the top of my head — three townships with strong, viable business districts.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong. I am not as intimate with Hempstead — other then as I said earlier in the week — every time I drive into and around the town, I feel like I need a bath with heavy brown soap. People keep their HOMES very nicely in most of Hempstead. I am talking about the condition of the public spaces — the roads, the town streets — it looks dirty, desolate — no foot traffic and are largely “dead.” Exceptions do exist. Parts of Garden City are very nice. But I would not call that a business district. Those are retail stores. When I say business district — Im referring to Lake Success and the Northern Boulevard Corridor in North Hempstead (as an example). You know….corporations…..

My point in raising this comparison…

How can there be any expectation of a narrow, dogmatic, “small” in stature empty suit like Kate Murray, or any of her Town Clowns to have any understanding of your key bottom line business point? A business making money is a foreign concept to people who don’t bring business into its community.

The Hooples of Hempstead are content to keep things as they are or go backwards — as one quote in Newsday pointed out — Murray’s plan takes us backwards. That is fact based.

Economic growth is a foreign concept to people like Murray, and certainly to the small town, bedroom community thinking that she, and Joe Mondello share. They don’t want to see large business come here. There would be no point to it. Having business like that come to their town, using their thought process only brings commuters, and congestion. It would require “work” on their part and they don’t want to work. Every resident I have talked to has commented that Kate Murray and the entire board does not lift a finger.

NVMC has long been a patronage operation, and a fund skimming operation. As long as Mondello and Murray are in power — it will continue to be just that. The sad part about this — If Charles Wang had given the Nassau County GOP $25,000 — the ground breaking would have been 2 years ago. Murray and Mondello operate solely on the pay-to-play principal.

My own view is for Charles to publicly reach out to other municipalities — such as Queens. He has nothing to lose. Further — he owes NOTHING to Hempstead, and NOTHING to Mangano.

If Mangano is so determined to keep the Islanders in Nassau County, he needs to go see his Party leader, Joe Mondello, and Kate Murray. HE is supposed to be the titular head of the Nassau County Republican Party. Not Kate Murray. And if he believes — as he has said — that keeping the Islanders in Nassau is critical to the economic viability of the County, and Long Island, then he best find a way to put another Ring Ding in Kate Murray pie hole, and hand some cash over to Mondello.

Let Mangano spin his wheels with big momma and the mafia boss while Charles explores other options. The heat needs to be dialed up on the Hooples to the point where their makeup melts!