So here's a little bit of a story.This morning, detractors of the referendum plan woke up bright and early with the rest of the commuters and handed out anti-referendum flyers. I was at one of these stations this morning, Hicksville, on my commute to work but did not see them up close. I did however see a few people holding these flyers, but I couldn't make much out. What I did see was a New York Islanders logo with the Islanders name cut out, so it was really just a picture of Long Island. Instead of "NY" up to, it read "NO." Then, the flyer contained the (disgraceful) Daily News editorial and a bunch of drivel about taxes.
Well, I saw these pamphlets and I saw people reading them and I got very upset. Thankfully, there were a lot in the trash, but their efforts were surely noted. I got upset that these intolerant residents are so against the semblance of change. I got upset that these residents spent more money preparing and printing and handing out these flyers than it would cost them to pay the first year before the Coliseum opened. And I got upset that these people are not for a better Long Island, and that they are okay - or even happy - with accepting the status quo. As an
Alex and I have predicted negative articles and negative comments, but from my end, I did not expect this type of organization. Apparently, Hicksville was not the only station they were at (not sure of any of the others), but that's not the point. We've been hearing about the major PR push from Nassau County and the Islanders. Through the Vote YES campaign, we know that one is coming from the Islanders first-hand. The time is now for all hands to be on deck - and it will be. I have no doubt that the Islanders are going to pull out all the stops they can - the only question is, is it too late? I don't think it is. This vote is hinged upon the ability of community influencers and residents to get their votes out. There's plenty of Islander fans. There's plenty of Ranger fans. There's plenty of union workers and plenty of people who support growth.
What's the other option? Just sit back and watch the Coliseum die? That's not good enough for me. We can talk about the Lighthouse project for hours on end, but that's backwards thinking. That's not what I believe in. So we have 23 days - let's get the vote (YES) out. This is a total group effort from Floral Park to Oyster Bay to Bethpage to the heart of Uniondale. And most importantly, let's make sure we have a beautiful new arena in 2015. Nassau County, despite the ridiculous and corrupt politics, deserves one.
AT: It's time. Carey's story just shows us why. The opposition is formulating and needs to be quelled. Leave any lethargic tendencies at home, people. This is your team. This is my team. This is our team. Naturally, any referendum that goes up like this will receive some natural opposition. That's completely normal. However, when the opposition comes up with no solid facts and nothing other than an editorial that was rife with misinformation to begin with... are we really going to let these people ruin 40 years of Islanders history and a major Long Island destination? That's a rhetorical question, because obviously the answer is: OF COURSE NOT.
If you love this team as much as I do, if you want to continue to raise your family on Long Island, if you want to raise a future family on Long Island and if you want this great location which holds a special place in all of our hearts to continue to prosper, then drop what you're doing and start rocking the vote. Anyone who sits back and waits for others to do the job for them is just as bad as those who vote no. We need this. Let's go.
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