The Truffle

Remember yesterday's article on socialism for rich Long Islanders? Turns out there are a lot of Long Islanders who are NOT rich and are NOT happy about this. Newsday follows up with more. "It's outrageous," said Harold Berkowitz, 83, a retired insurance salesman in Plainview. "It's a legal way to steal from my pocket. " He was among dozens of furious Long Island residents who contacted Newsday yesterday by phone and e-mail. Nassau Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) said she was unaware of the practice of giving benefits to members of the county's Board of Assessors, Assessment Review Commission and Civil Service Commission. She planned to review it. "Such a costly benefit should not be used, in my estimation, as a perk for those serving on various boards," Jacobs said. Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman urged the legislature to review its policy on how long a person must work in the county before being entitled to lifetim...

Today's Newsday has a cover story on part-time community board members on Long Island who get free health benefits, paid for by taxpayers. Now, what do you call this? Say it with me: Socialized medicine. The full story, in all its obscene detail, is here. Katuria D'Amato, wife of former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, gets free family health insurance as a member of the part-time Hempstead Zoning Board of Appeals. Patrick E. Byrne Jr., an anti-tax activist from Lake Grove, gets his benefits as vice chairman of the board of Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corp. And Kings Point Mayor Michael Kalnick, a partner in his own Manhattan law firm, gets his health benefits fully funded by serving as chairman of the board of the Water Authority of Great Neck North. All across Long Island, at least 100 members of various appointed boards are given health insurance - usually at no cost to them - even though they work just part time, in some cases only a few hours a month. Many also are eligible fo...