what do you think? (Austin, Mission: transplants, buyers, bankrupt)

[Mr Floyd]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

Everyone likes to think that its just their city/region that is suffering from uncontrolled growth. But it is everywhere, in most every city. The root of all of it is massive, uncontrolled population growth. Resources, locally and globally, are overwhelmed by the masses of humanity. Population growth is at the bottom of almost every crisis we face, but it is too politically incorrect to talk about it, so we just ignore it while all the problems get worse.

Wow. We could tie this thought into the raging abortion debate on another thread. Also, we keep hearing about a lack of water and a drought but hey...let's keep building. And BTW, do you want a pool?

And yes. It's very un PC to speak of such things. You are so wise grasshopper...

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Mr Floyd

Don't worry. After nature disappears, you'll be able to drown your sorrows after the mega shopping (at the super deluxe CostCo or Wallmart) at your local Chevy's or Applebees or TGIFs. The drink will cost you $9 bucks, will be served by a disgruntled server, and will be mostly mixer. But the fake plants in the place will look nice and be an everpresent reminder of what once was.

Hey don't put Costco in the same sentence as Walmart - Costco pays its people decent wages and provides great benefits. BTW, I hear that Real Mex Restaurant, parent company of Chevy's is not doing well, so you may have to add a different restaurant to your triad of mediocre dining establishments.

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by Mr Floyd

Wow. We could tie this thought into the raging abortion debate on another thread. Also, we keep hearing about a lack of water and a drought but hey...let's keep building. And BTW, do you want a pool?

And yes. It's very un PC to speak of such things. You are so wise grasshopper...

I am not interested in an abortion debate (this is, after all, an Austin forum), but I think its is an awareness thing. Blaming the people who move to Austin is not productive. We need to take a long term, nation-wide approach toward population (something this country has never done) and do local planning to accommodate the people while protecting what we value in the land, because they aren't going to stop coming just because we complain.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

We need to take a long term, nation-wide approach toward population (something this country has never done)

I have an idea: Overprice housing nationally, then overextend lending to people so they can buy more house than they need, eventually ensuring they have no money leftover to have children.. and voila! population control.

[Mr Floyd]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

Hey don't put Costco in the same sentence as Walmart - Costco pays its people decent wages and provides great benefits. BTW, I hear that Real Mex Restaurant, parent company of Chevy's is not doing well, so you may have to add a different restaurant to your triad of mediocre dining establishments.

Just in case we run out of mediocrity...Maybe Rubios, Rubys, Tony Romos, Outback, Cheesecake Factory...

Sorry to offend the great Costco gods. I am just frustrated because I can't use up this 5 gallon mayonaise jar.

[Mr Floyd]

Originally Posted by jobert

I have an idea: Overprice housing nationally, then overextend lending to people so they can buy more house than they need, eventually ensuring they have no money leftover to have children.. and voila! population control.

Isn't this where we are now?

[capcat]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

I am not interested in an abortion debate (this is, after all, an Austin forum), but I think its is an awareness thing. Blaming the people who move to Austin is not productive. We need to take a long term, nation-wide approach toward population (something this country has never done) and do local planning to accommodate the people while protecting what we value in the land, because they aren't going to stop coming just because we complain.

This country has never had population control as policy, but think back to the 1970's when that was very much a part of the social conscience.

It was also part of the social conscience a little later that you carpooled when raising children, now I'm among people who drive their child separately to the same place as another child in the neighborhood and separately back home again. There is carpooling, but I don't see it sought out to the same degree as 20 or so years ago.

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by capcat

This country has never had population control as policy, but think back to the 1970's when that was very much a part of the social conscience.

It was also part of the social conscience a little later that you carpooled when raising children, now I'm among people who drive their child separately to the same place as another child in the neighborhood and separately back home again. There is carpooling, but I don't see it sought out to the same degree as 20 or so years ago.

I had forgotten about it, but I think there was a time when people were talking about having only 2 children, perhaps it was in the 70s. Now, however, whenever one even hints that it is not great to have a large family, you are painted as a racists because large families are the norm in many "minority" cultures. Personally, I think it is not up to government to tell people how many children they can have. But government shouldn't reward people for having big families, either (as the tax code does now.) Of course, our wasteful living makes the effect of our large numbers worse.

Perhaps I've hijacked this thread a bit, so I will stop. I just get tired of people hating newcomers to Austin, as though it is just a local problem, and not part of a major, more serious problem that no one acknowledges.

[Moekazi]

I am considering moving to Austin from California. It's not looking so desirable any more because i keep hearing about people moving there. I listen to Austin residents welcome the CA newcomers and it makes me cringe.

It seems like every week i bump into another Californian who's moving there. I want to move out of CA to get away from these people. Austin is nice, but if it ends up being "New California", no thanks.

When i was visiting Austin, i talked to a lot of people there. I voiced my concern of the Californians moving there, and was rather surprised by the typical response. To my disbelief, they were all very welcoming. I'd ask them if they were worried about self centered, sue happy, whiney people who would try to change Austin to suit them instead of trying to fit in. The typical response is that Texans don't take any bull. I really felt bad for them because i don't think they fully understand what they're in for. Pride and stubborness erodes over time to whininess and subterfuge.

What's strange is that Austinites are now talking about the traffic and sprawl like they weren't expecting it. That's what happens when a city grows. Having more people move there isn't going to help. It's going to get much worse. At least one person there gets it and demonstrates by afixing post-its declaring "Stop the War on Texas! Go Back to California!"

You may get some population control if Austin ends up like California. Out here it takes 2 incomes to buy a house. There's very little left to raise a family. Although, if you're working near the poverty level and never plan on owning, have as many kids as you want. Someone else will pick up the tab, and you won't even have to pay taxes.

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[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Moekazi

I am considering moving to Austin from California. It's not looking so desirable any more because i keep hearing about people moving there. I listen to Austin residents welcome the CA newcomers and it makes me cringe.

It seems like every week i bump into another Californian who's moving there. I want to move out of CA to get away from these people. Austin is nice, but if it ends up being "New California", no thanks.

When i was visiting Austin, i talked to a lot of people there. I voiced my concern of the Californians moving there, and was rather surprised by the typical response. To my disbelief, they were all very welcoming. I'd ask them if they were worried about self centered, sue happy, whiney people who would try to change Austin to suit them instead of trying to fit in. The typical response is that Texans don't take any bull. I really felt bad for them because i don't think they fully understand what they're in for. Pride and stubborness erodes over time to whininess and subterfuge.

What's strange is that Austinites are now talking about the traffic and sprawl like they weren't expecting it. That's what happens when a city grows. Having more people move there isn't going to help. It's going to get much worse. At least one person there gets it and demonstrates by afixing post-its declaring "Stop the War on Texas! Go Back to California!"

You may get some population control if Austin ends up like California. Out here it takes 2 incomes to buy a house. There's very little left to raise a family. Although, if you're working near the poverty level and never plan on owning, have as many kids as you want. Someone else will pick up the tab, and you won't even have to pay taxes.

.

So it's okay for you to move from California but not other people? Are all other Californians that are moving here the undesirables that you are trying to elude? How do you know they are not just like you?

Sue happy people won't last here - our statutes and common law don't allow the type of tort suits that that have made CA an extremely litigious state. We also don't have the entitlement programs that have bankrupted CA either. There is a different culture here and either CAs that move here will adapt or they will last a few years and move on.

What do you want people to do here regarding Californian's moving in here? Foam at the mouth, take to the streets, pass a law?