Career ambitions, higher cost of living erode Austin’s ‘Slacker’ vibe

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by llkltk

I've lived her for fourteen years so that makes me as entitled to this city as the old timers on this forum. I don't need people knocking my city left and right. If you hate the change, get out.

Consider this.

A bunch of people move into your house where you've lived for 20, 30, 40 years. They start redecorating - getting rid of your things, painting, remodeling, etc. They manage, one way or another, to stay there for a few years.

When you complain, first they tell you that the house hasn't changed at all because it's just the way they made it a few years ago. Then, they tell YOU to leave if you don't like what they're doing.

That's what you sound like.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by llkltk

I've lived her for fourteen years so that makes me as entitled to this city as the old timers on this forum. I don't need people knocking my city left and right. If you hate the change, get out.

Come on now. Why should you care? Is it really impacting you on any level what others think? People have a right to feel however they want to feel. That doesn't make them particularly curmudgeonly.

For the record, while I am not vehemently against growth or change, I can appreciate what others are saying instead of getting all huffy and screaming "but you resist change!"

My husband is an Austin native for several generations and while he doesn't announce his feelings to everyone, he has distinct thoughts on the issue and there's nothing wrong with how he feels.

[Shredding_Gnar78]

The rapid transformation of Austin was no coincidence. It was fueled by private equity and banks, who knew that they could lure Californians and other financial refugees here with the bait of gainful employment and affordable living.

Why is that Forbes... the very rag that idolizes the winners of the greed games.. told everyone to move here? It's the voice of the .01% who have a strong desire to maintain and grow their wealth.

once they trap people into mortgages with above average property taxes, water and electricity costs, as well as the other 50% of the bills that tax for everything from wastewater services to street cleaning, things get tighter. Rents increased to well beyond what they were just 5 years ago. Food and entertainment costs have gone up... and i'm sure before Obama is out, oil and gas will go up too. (see headlines today about Iraq violence, oil prices, etc)

And then you have the elimination of 'dirty' coal plants, which will increase the value of grid energy too.

All it takes now is an economic downturn... another asset bubble bursting (probably equities) and you will see defaults. Then the housing market will undergo a correction. Austin will probably be hit hard. People are very leveraged here in those 150K-250K suburb homes outside the city.

People are so short sighted... its as if they completely forgot what happened in 2008: The largest wealth grab in modern history. Booms and Busts are what keep the game alive for the mega rich.. the average person is oblivious by design.

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Consider this.

A bunch of people move into your house where you've lived for 20, 30, 40 years. They start redecorating - getting rid of your things, painting, remodeling, etc. They manage, one way or another, to stay there for a few years.

When you complain, first they tell you that the house hasn't changed at all because it's just the way they made it a few years ago. Then, they tell YOU to leave if you don't like what they're doing.

That's what you sound like.

This is life. Do you think any city looks the same as it did 30 years ago? Everything changes.

[dv1033]

Hipsters are this generations slackers.

[petro]

Originally Posted by llkltk

I've lived her for fourteen years so that makes me as entitled to this city as the old timers on this forum. I don't need people knocking my city left and right. If you hate the change, get out.

This.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by llkltk

Do you think any city looks the same as it did 30 years ago?

Charleston, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Santa Barbara - for starters. You are either purposely obtuse, or have an extremely limited frame of reference.

And who says all change is positive?

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by llkltk

This is life. Do you think any city looks the same as it did 30 years ago? Everything changes.

That's not the same thing as I described in the post you responded to. And you probably know that. So since that's "life" you'd be fine if someone did as I described in that post, to you, with the same attitude? Somehow I doubt that.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by scm53

Charleston, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Santa Barbara - for starters. You are either purposely obtuse, or have an extremely limited frame of reference.

And who says all change is positive?

And therein lies the crux of the matter. One can not be against change and be against certain kinds of change as being not positive. Only a fool embraces change just because it's change.

[petro]

Originally Posted by llkltk View Post
Do you think any city looks the same as it did 30 years ago?

Originally Posted by scm53

Charleston, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Santa Barbara - for starters. You are either purposely obtuse, or have an extremely limited frame of reference.

Except that these places have changed significantly over the years. I mean "New Orleans" hasn't changed? What planet do you live on? That's the perfect example of a city that *has* changed in the last decade. Charleston has also been battling with people being priced out of their own neighborhoods and gentrification—it's a huge issue there. I can't speak for Santa Barbara, but the others you chose are extreme examples of cities that have experienced signifigant change in recent history. You might think they "look the same" from the outside, but that is completely superficial. Just because they maintain a consistent architectural style, doesn't mean they haven't been impacted by change.