[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by skytrekker

As moderator I will stay clear of this. But Rich I think you know where I stand on the term 'progressive'


Under the definition below of 'Progressivism' CT would be more progressive then NC.


Progressivism is a term that refers to a broad school of international social and political philosophies. The term progressive was first widely used in late 19th century America, in reference to a general branch of political thought which arose as a response to the vast changes brought by industrialization, and as an alternative to the traditional conservative response to social and economic issues. Political parties such as the American Progressive Party organized at the start of the 20th century, and progressivism made great strides under American presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.[1]

Progressivism historically advocates the advancement of workers' rights and social justice. The progressives were early proponents of anti-trust laws and the regulation of large corporations and monopolies, as well as government-funded environmentalism and the creation of National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.

Perhaps we in Connecticut are at a later stage of progressivism which allows us to look at the issues that I mentioned. I would hardly think that the rest of the world views Scandinavia as the antithesis of progressivism with the programs that they have in place. They, too, are at a different stage of progressivism than we in Connecticut/U.S.

Adding to what skytrekker has written, last year Connecticut added the "tethered dog" law to its statutes: ...the law subjects anyone who confines or tethers a dog for an unreasonable time to a fine of up to $ 100 for a first offense, between $ 100 and $ 250 for a second offense, and between $ 250 and $ 500 for any subsequent offenses (CGS § 22-350a). I believe that law makers wanted a specified period attached to the bill but agreed to its amended version in order to get it passed.

[Sierra2Caden]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I think much of Connecticut's growth is controlled. Most towns are very particular about what is built and that is good, VERY GOOD in fact. I like not having to worry that they will be building a factory or fast food place behind me or that constuction is out pacing infrastructure. Are we perfect, no, but with fast growth comes a LOT of problems and errors in planning. I'll take slow growth any day. JMHO Jay

I like knowing that if you build a nice house, you don't have to worry about someone putting a trailer right next to you and bringing you property value down.

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

Perhaps we in Connecticut are at a later stage of progressivism which allows us to look at the issues that I mentioned. I would hardly think that the rest of the world views Scandinavia as the antithesis of progressivism with the programs that they have in place. They, too, are at a different stage of progressivism than we in Connecticut/U.S.

Adding to what skytrekker has written, last year Connecticut added the "tethered dog" law to its statutes: ...the law subjects anyone who confines or tethers a dog for an unreasonable time to a fine of up to $ 100 for a first offense, between $ 100 and $ 250 for a second offense, and between $ 250 and $ 500 for any subsequent offenses (CGS § 22-350a). I believe that law makers wanted a specified period attached to the bill but agreed to its amended version in order to get it passed.

Excellent critique of what being 'Progressive' is Rich.
New England has long been one of the most progressive regions of the country. We are just further along in progressivism then NC.

However as you alluded to- we are also well behind Western Europe and Scandinavia.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by glxyman21

Sports have everything to do with culture. Culture is behavior patterns, arts, institutions, beliefs and all other things of human work and thought. It is anything that can be "constructed" from a society. Would you not say that soccer is not reminiscent of European culture just as Football is to American culture?

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with my point or not on Connecticut's support of sports. We are very much sports oriented. You can't get behind a vehicle on the road without seeing a B, NY, Mets, Giants, Patriots, Jets, or UConn sticker or license plate frame on it.

When I first moved here in 1987, I was amazed by this state's love for Jai-Alai (phonetically: high lie). Since then, I would say that UConn Women's Basketball has become the state's #1 homegrown sport (or sports team). It has done a lot to put women's college basketball on the map. It also ranks as CPTV's top programming.

[Highpointer]

Originally Posted by jeremeyk482

As for culture. Well, Connecticut has many mom & pop eateries that represent the background of the population in this state (Ecuadorian, Italian, French, Mexican, Chinese, Hibachi, etc). I lived in Charlotte for 8 months, and hated it. It consists of mostly fast food joints with a Papa Johns here and there. Never once did I see a real Italian deli. Never once did I come across a French cafe with freshly made foods. Sushi is hard to come by. Arts, fine dining and entertainment represent culture, IMO.

I used YellowPages.com to find the number of restaurants by category in Hartford and Charlotte. The search encompasses suburbs of these cities. Here are the number of restaurants listed by several categories in each of these cities:

.......................Hartford...........Charlott e
Chinese................38...................128
Italian.................102...................231
Mexican.................6....................103
Greek....................1......................7
Japanese...............7.....................45
Hibachi..................1......................1

It seems like Charlotte beats Hartford in all categories, except Hibachi (with one each). There are 745 restaurants listed in the Hartford area but the Charlotte area has 3,569 listed, or about 4.8 times as many. Charlotte may be a larger city than Hartford but it is not more than four times as large.

Charlotte does have a higher percentage of fast food restaurants, 264, compared to 39 in Hartford. However, only 7.4% of restaurants in the Charlotte area are fast food, so most restaurants in the Charlotte area are not fast food restaurants. (Most fast food restaurants are located in prominant buildings on busy street corners, so that is why the perceived percentage of restaurants that are fast food is higher than its actual percentage).

Also, there are very few restaurants listed as a "French restaurant" in either city. However, the Charlotte area does have two, but the Hartford area has none. Therefore, if you never came across a "French cafe with freshly made foods," in Charlotte, you'll probably not come across one in Hartford either.

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by Highpointer

I used YellowPages.com to find the number of restaurants by category in Hartford and Charlotte. The search encompasses suburbs of these cities. Here are the number of restaurants listed by several categories in each of these cities:

.......................Hartford...........Charlott e
Chinese................38...................128
Italian.................102...................231
Mexican.................6....................103
Greek....................1......................7
Japanese...............7.....................45
Hibachi..................1......................1

It seems like Charlotte beats Hartford in all categories, except Hibachi (with one each). There are 745 restaurants listed in the Hartford area but the Charlotte area has 3,569 listed, or about 4.8 times as many. Charlotte may be a larger city than Hartford but it is not more than four times as large.

Charlotte does have a higher percentage of fast food restaurants, 264, compared to 39 in Hartford. However, only 7.4% of restaurants in the Charlotte area are fast food, so most restaurants in the Charlotte area are not fast food restaurants. (Most fast food restaurants are located in prominant buildings on busy street corners, so that is why the perceived percentage of restaurants that are fast food is higher than its actual percentage).

Also, there are very few restaurants listed as a "French restaurant" in either city. However, the Charlotte area does have two, but the Hartford area has none. Therefore, if you never came across a "French cafe with freshly made foods," in Charlotte, you'll probably not come across one in Hartford either.

Where did I ever mention Hartford? I was comparing Connecticut and NC in general. It's interesting how you chose one of Connecticut's most distressed cities to compare with Charlotte, just to fit your agenda.

And even while you compare the quantity of restaurants, there is still a little something called quality which, IMO, NC lacks in regards to food

[brattpowered]

Originally Posted by Highpointer

Charlotte may be a larger city than Hartford but it is not more than four times as large.

From Wikipedia:

Charlotte Population: 664,342
Hartford Population: 124,397

Charlotte is 5.34 times larger than Hartford.

Also, Jeremey is correct. Hartford is a very distressed city and not a good representation of the state. New Haven, which is becoming CT's cultural center, has 878 restaurants in a population of 124,791. This gives New Haven .70 restaurants per 1000 population and Charlotte .53 restaurants per 1000 population. CT wins

[Highpointer]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

From Wikipedia:

Charlotte Population: 664,342
Hartford Population: 124,397

Charlotte is 5.34 times larger than Hartford.

Also, Jeremey is correct. Hartford is a very distressed city and not a good representation of the state. New Haven, which is becoming CT's cultural center, has 878 restaurants in a population of 124,791. This gives New Haven 7.04 restaurants per 1000 population and Charlotte 5.37 restaurants per 1000 population. CT wins

When I used Yellowpages.com and selected "Hartford CT" as the city and state, the query returned restaurants in the Hartford metropolitan area, not just Hartford itself. Therefore, the first page of Italian restaurants includes restaurants not only in Hartford but in cities and towns such as Rocky Hill, Glastonbury, Newington, East Hartford, and West Hartford.

Here are the actual populations of the metropolitan areas, according to Wikipedia:

..................Population........Restaurants... ..Rest./1000 pop.
Charlotte......1,583,016.............3,569........ .......2.25
Hartford.......1,188,841................745....... ........0.63
New Haven......845,244................878............. .1.04

While the New Haven area has more restaurants per capita than the Hartford area, the Charlotte area still has more than twice as many restaurants per capita than the New Haven area.

[skytrekker]

A good Idea for all on the Connecticut forum:

This thread has become long in tooth- perhaps it is best to close it since this topic has been more then adequately discussed. Lets move on. Thanks to all of you for your insightful opinions and experiences.