I AM A NEW YORKER

I am a New Yorker. I do not live in the five boroughs or on the Island or Upstate I may live hundreds or thousands of miles away Or I may live just over the GW Bridge. But I am a New Yorker .

I am a New Yorker. Whatever took me out of New York: Business, family, or hating the cold did not take New York out of me. My accent may have faded and my pace may have slowed. But I am a New Yorker.

I am a New Yorker. I was raised on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Rockefeller Plaza, The Yankees or the Mets (Giants or Dodgers), Jones Beach or Rye Beach or one of the beaches on the sound (Orchard Beach), Coney Island, Brighton Beach or Manhattan Beach. I know that "THE END" means Montauk. Because I am a New Yorker.

I am a New Yorker. When I go on vacation, I never look up. Skyscrapers are something I take for granted. The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are part of me. Taxis and noise and subways and "get outa heah" don't rattle me. Because I am a New Yorker.

I am a New Yorker. I was raised on cultural diversity before it was politically correct. I eat Greek food and Italian food, Jewish and Middle Eastern food and Chinese food, because they are all American food to me. I don't get mad when people speak other languages in my presence, because my relatives got to this country via Ellis Island and chose to stay. They were New Yorkers.

I am a New Yorker. People who have never been to New York have misunderstood me. My friends and family work in the industries, professions and businesses that benefit all Americans . My firefighters died trying to save New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers. They died trying to save Americans and non-Americans. Because they were New Yorkers.

I am a New Yorker. I feel the pain of my fellow New Yorkers. I mourn the loss of my beautiful city. I feel and dread that New York will never be the same. But then I remember: I am a New Yorker .

And New Yorkers have: Tenacity, strength and courage way above the norm. Compassion and caring for our fellow citizens. Love and pride in our city, in our state, in our country. Intelligence, experience and education par excellence. Ability, dedication and energy above and beyond Faith-no matter what religion we practice. Terrorists hit America in its heart, but America's heart still beats strong.

Demolish the steel in our buildings, but it doesn't touch the steel in our souls. Hit us in the pocketbook; but we'll parlay what we have left into a fortune. End innocent lives leaving widows and orphans, but we'll take care of them Because they are New Yorkers.

Wherever we live, whatever we do, whoever we are, There are New Yorkers in every state and every city of this nation. We will not abandon our city. We will not abandon our brothers and sisters . We will not abandon the beauty, creativity and diversity that New York represents , Because we are New Yorkers . And we are proud to be New Yorkers. Fuggedboutit? Never!

I AM A NEW YORKER

I put Hillary Clinton AND Chuck Schumer in the Senate.

I am one of the most highly taxed people in the United States.

My city is home to not one, but five of the most powerful Mafia familes which has held rule over the lives of many citizens, even outside the state.

Six mafia families if you include Al Sharpton.

Our retirees have invaded and taken over the state of Florida.

Our educational system is getting more dumbed down everyday. Aided and abetted by our local bureaucracy known as the Board of Education.

We're a bunch of elitist snobs, because let's face it, we have a right to be (The food here is best. New York pizza cannot be beat).

Coney Island once a beautiful vacationing retreat and filled with amusement parks, is now a haven for the Russian mafia and gaudy prostitutes.

Donald Trump is allowed to bypass all the meddling regulations that the rest of us peasants have to live and die by.

Our housing market, due to antiquated anti-free market rent control laws, is making it increasingly too expensive to buy a house or rent an apartment.

We still have one of the oldest and blatantly gun control law still on the books known as the sullivan law which was designed primarily to keep guns out of the hands of ethnic undesirables.

But at least we aint Massachusettes.

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