Residents React to Debt Ceiling Crisis

On Sunday night, President Barack Obama announced that leaders of both parties in the U.S. House and Senate had approved an agreement to increase the nation's debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion and cut the federal deficit by as much as $2.5 trillion over the next decade. The next day, as the House approved legislation to raise the U.S. debt limit, a day before a possible default, Sachem Patch caught up with local residents to inquire about their views on the subject.

John Caracciolo, owner of JVC Broadcasting, based out of Ronkonkoma, which owns four popular radio stations including Party 105 and WRCN, thinks it's a dysfunctional level that government is working on right now.

"It's too much oversight, and too much bickering, and not enough substance getting done," he said. "The debt crisis was created and two wars didn't help, and obviously the bailout of the auto industry didn't help, and the economy in a slump didn't help.  It's a lot of factors; it's just, I don't think we have the leadership to get us out of it."

Ronkonkoma resident, Ellyn Okvist, a member of several civic organizations including the , believes that the government may be focusing in on the wrong issues.

"I think they have to wake up and realize that full towns, in upstate New York and throughout the Midwest are disappearing and closing down, because there's not enough work anymore," said Okvist.  "People's businesses, and their livelihood, and the schools they can't even keep open for the kids, and that's where your problems are.  I'm sure the budget's a problem, but I think that's what they need to concentrate on more."

T.J. Clemente of East Patchogue, 58, a journalist who has a local political column on the east end, blames his generation, the baby boomers, for the sorry state of the economy.

"For the last 20 years, we have ignored the responsibility of fixing social security, Medicare and Medicaid.  All we've been doing is voting for people who spend the government's money, and turn money in our direction, and we weren't being responsible," said Clemente who has been following the debt crisis debate intently. 

"I thought it was fascinating that our government was making a right hand turn and that the Obama administration, and the left, caved in because I truly think that it's unbelievable that people making over $250,000 [a year] have these ridiculous tax breaks put in place."

John Murphy, 66, formerly of Lake Grove and now living in Manorville, said he is grateful that both parties came to an agreement and avoided default.

"I don't want the soldiers to not be paid or social security, I don't want that not to be paid, or doctors, children or education — we pay for that," he said.

Lifelong Long Island resident, Pete Schneider, 53, is being forced to short sell his family's Shirley home and move to Florida.

 "I blame all the politicians.  It's an ongoing thing ... You can't blame one party over another.  It's not something that happened in the past four years, or eight years.  It's been going on a longtime.  Once they get in office they forget what it's like," Schneider said.  "Long Island is just too expensive, and I can't see it getting any better."

Ronkonkoma resident Dorothy Hilbert, 37, expressed the frustration of many saying, "I blame Congress.  They all look out for themselves ... We hired them to watch out for our best interest, and it's never our best interest —it's always theirs."