[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by goldenband

For example, university salaries in TN are MUCH lower than in CT, I think.

I think that is highly dependent on the discipline.

[Seattle's Best 28]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest

I think that is highly dependent on the discipline.

I don't comprehend.???

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Seattle's Best 28

I don't comprehend.???

It means, what you teach.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

That's not generally the case. I see positions similar to the last one I had before I started my own business advertised for up to double the salary in CT and NY than I had in Austin, TX. I was a VP of online marketing and a medium sized firm.

Your experience doesn't make the rule, and neither does mine. But I bet mine is closer to typical.

This is very true. I know JViello is in a service industry and that people pay for his services. I can tell you what people pay here will be more than what people are going to pay for the same service in less expensive parts of the country. Labor is labor and the costs paid are not going to be more than they have to be no matter where you live.

A couple of years ago a coworker wanted to move south to a less-expensive area. He went down and interviewed for a job that was a lateral move. He looked a comparable homes which were surprisingly not that much less than his home here. He checked all of the cost differences and found that there was a savings but it was eaten up by "hidden" costs like having to pay HOA fees (homes comparable to his were only in planned communities), taxes on groceries and to pay for a private school for his children. He was still ready to make the move but then our company informed him that he would have to take a 10% reduction in his pay. Comparable workers there were making less so the company could not pay him more. That did it, he canceled the move.

I have seen this time and time again. Is it costlier here? Yes, but to live comparably somewhere else is not really going to save you a lot. Jay

[Golden1]

Originally Posted by JViello

As for the discussion at hand. I can say it's a tough place. You have what's left of the middle class being asked to pay out of control taxes and cost of living prices here in CT which usually requires both adults to work themselves silly. They are already stressed with daily life and are now being asked to "give more" to fix problems that they most of the time feel they had no hand in creating in the first place. Or they can move away to a place more affordable and raise their family without half the stress.

I believe it's one of the reasons the middle class in CT is shrinking at a greater rate than most other places in the country

It's the same old story to a degree. The responsible people are being asked to clean up the mess they didn't create in the first place. Which brings many things

Yes, there is no easy answer to these problems. I'm close to looking elsewhere to raise my family myself...I'm tapped out. Just being honest.

Jviello, what you said makes perfect sense and it echoes my belief, BUT I seem to recall about a year ago you descending on people considering leaving CT and voicing their issues with CT life with intense verve and anger. You held up your experiences outside CT (Florida and North Carolina) as a shield and anyone who was thinking of leaving were foolish and short sided as CT was an ideal place. This is not to antagonize you or really to insult you but I almost stopped posting on these boards because of your fanatical opinion of CT life in which I who lived in Northern CT didn't really view as my own. The problem in life is you have to be objective and there are few absolutes. I do not enjoy your current situation and it tells even more concretely there is a problem in CT. My problem with you is about a year or so ago people sensed what was coming or felt they wanted to go and you hammered their opinion down only to have your own issues of late. Now that's irony for ya or scarier - a sign of the times.

In regards to moving, sometimes the grass is not greener, but often new energy is good enough. I've lived in a few places and when it gets sour and negative and you're unhappy staying will only make you one of the thousands of miserable, and possibly medicated, people around. If you have the means and the opportunity then go for it. Some of my biggest regrets in life were not moving when I had the chance. Taking the road less traveled is bumpy but at times it works out better and makes you stronger. In Jviello's case, he's been around and traveled so he knows where to go that might be adequate for him. In our own case, if we're to move look into moving out of CT - don't go by instinct. Do some research. Some people move out of CT for say Seattle, Washington only to be surprised it was more expensive.


And on the subject of peoples impressions with CT... people see what they see on tv and think CT is like that when you can count those nice little towns on one hand. In NY, the perception is it's all quiet white collar suburbs as it's always been a staple of success to work in NYC but have a home in CT. If they went beyond Fairfield County they'd be surprised.

[Beeker2211]

Taxes have always been something that confuse me, because everywhere I have gone people honestly believe they are taxed the most. I do know there are reports that Connecticut is indeed the most taxed, but that's usually taking into account that the Federal Tax Rate is included and does not consider actual tax bills, just what is supposedly owed. What also is often left out in these reports is where the majority of the Tax Burden actually falls in states. So really, I think comparing tax structures should revolve around personal bang for the buck, rather than gross numbers.

Another part that bothers me is the assumption by people who assume that from city line to city line our large municipalities are trash the whole way through. This isn't the 1980's or 1990's anymore, and even areas that are still considered bad, example being the West Side and West End of Bridgeport/Tunxis in Fairfield, that have both gentrified because people started caring about their property or younger people moved in that actually could take care of their properties (lest on forgets there were an incredible amount of elderly folks in the area for years). Weird, I know right, but people in Bridgeport and New Haven may take pride in their community even if resources are tight, but that said there are jerks everywhere.

Also, about the talk of people being surprised when they get out of "Fairfield County" but in reality there's more than enough proof that income and racially mixed areas abound in Connecticut right here in Fairfield County. Sure maybe not the widest expanse of geography, but the majority of people in the county live side-by-side with much diversity.

~Cheers

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Golden1

Jviello, what you said makes perfect sense and it echoes my belief, BUT I seem to recall about a year ago you descending on people considering leaving CT and voicing their issues with CT life with intense verve and anger. You held up your experiences outside CT (Florida and North Carolina) as a shield and anyone who was thinking of leaving were foolish and short sided as CT was an ideal place. This is not to antagonize you or really to insult you but I almost stopped posting on these boards because of your fanatical opinion of CT life in which I who lived in Northern CT didn't really view as my own. The problem in life is you have to be objective and there are few absolutes. I do not enjoy your current situation and it tells even more concretely there is a problem in CT. My problem with you is about a year or so ago people sensed what was coming or felt they wanted to go and you hammered their opinion down only to have your own issues of late. Now that's irony for ya or scarier - a sign of the times.

Fair enough. I don't see it as large as you posted here, but I do agree with you. I've always said I have a love/hate relationship with this state. I think it's got some really really good qualities that many people fail to see in their "hate" of the state, but it's also got some very big problems.

As for myself: Call it reality slapping you in the face, call it growth, call it having kids and figuring out what's best for your family.

Perhaps all the above. I never realized I offended you personally, so please accept my apology as it was never my intent.

P.S. I still would NEVER move back to Charlotte or Orlando. But that doesn't mean all of NC is that way, or all of FL is that way.

Originally Posted by Beeker2211

Taxes have always been something that confuse me, because everywhere I have gone people honestly believe they are taxed the most. I do know there are reports that Connecticut is indeed the most taxed, but that's usually taking into account that the Federal Tax Rate is included and does not consider actual tax bills, just what is supposedly owed. What also is often left out in these reports is where the majority of the Tax Burden actually falls in states. So really, I think comparing tax structures should revolve around personal bang for the buck, rather than gross numbers.

Another part that bothers me is the assumption by people who assume that from city line to city line our large municipalities are trash the whole way through. This isn't the 1980's or 1990's anymore, and even areas that are still considered bad, example being the West Side and West End of Bridgeport/Tunxis in Fairfield, that have both gentrified because people started caring about their property or younger people moved in that actually could take care of their properties (lest on forgets there were an incredible amount of elderly folks in the area for years). Weird, I know right, but people in Bridgeport and New Haven may take pride in their community even if resources are tight, but that said there are jerks everywhere.

Also, about the talk of people being surprised when they get out of "Fairfield County" but in reality there's more than enough proof that income and racially mixed areas abound in Connecticut right here in Fairfield County. Sure maybe not the widest expanse of geography, but the majority of people in the county live side-by-side with much diversity.

~Cheers

No assumptions. CT is #3 in the nation for highest tax burden. It's been #1 and #2 but consistently in the top 5 for the last 15+ year.


http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/335.html

[Golden1]

Jviello, my respect just went up for you a great deal and I apologize for anything that may have been taken as negative. Life happens I guess. And if you move you're a better man than me or anyone else that has a gripe because you took action. I, too, have a love/hate relationship with CT. In today's economic climate everyone has to be smart and take inventory of oneself and surroundings. Sometimes it's best to cut and run and salvage yourself somewhere else and sometimes it's best to dig in. No one on this board is magically credible enough to figure this out

[JViello]

Originally Posted by JayCT

This is very true. I know JViello is in a service industry and that people pay for his services. I can tell you what people pay here will be more than what people are going to pay for the same service in less expensive parts of the country. Labor is labor and the costs paid are not going to be more than they have to be no matter where you live.

Speaking for myself, I can assure you the rates only vary a couple percent at most around the nation for what I do and what I would do again wherever I move. Some of it is mandated by insurance industry standards for billing and invoicing...I.E. a certain dehumidifier bills out/gets paid out by insurance companies via a national standard software (Exactimate) at $200 a day here and there.

Same way a Camry costs about the same here as it does there.

If I move right now to say NC, I would see a raise of about 18% in my salary based on tax burden and cost of doing business there vs here. Add in the lower cost of living and it's a very hard thing to walk away from.

So I don't disagree with you as a whole, but for me that would be the case.

[Seattle's Best 28]

I always thought before I moved here that CT was snow-white suburban with poor dirty cities. That is true for the most part but I did find some nice areas in the cities. I do a lot of exploring, I drive around on my day off to check out new areas. I love CT and think it is very picturesque especially the northwestern part of the state. Route 67 thru Roxbury is my favorite drive, ever. If only some people in the small towns can bring their nose down a little bit......