Confused about Duluth.

[brandy77]

Nate you proved my point oh so perfectly. You're totally out of touch and wrong. Gee, kind of like our REPUBLICAN leaders.

[aluminumpork]

Heyyy now, I don't want to see this thread become a page of the Duluth Citizen's Blog ;-)

[newcastle]

Originally Posted by nateduluthnative

I don't think it is true that "right-wingers" are blowing crime out of proportion.
I believe that left-wingers are the ones who want to control everyone by
taxing people into oblivion, taking peoples property, forcing everyone into
mass transit and high-rise public housing and telling everyone what they can
or cannot eat, smoke or drink all in the name of being "compassionate",
"caring" and being "green". Crime has gotten worse in Duluth and in many
other urban areas because people are more concerned about punishing
"politically correct" crimes like smoking bans than punishing real crimes like
murder, rape and robbery. Why do you think people are moving to Herman-
town, Woodbury and Maple Grove and away from their core cities? It's
because people are more free and safe and that makes it more attractive
for them to live in. If the State of Minnesota and the City of Duluth do not
start embracing free enterprise, low taxes and private property than it
can expect to keep losing people, jobs and money. This is the USA, not
the Soviet Union!

Minnesota is a high tax state with a high quality of life. Your Republican Governor "didn't raise taxes" but added fees instead. The counties have all had to raise property taxes in order to pay for basic services including a huge portion to care for the elderly and disabled. Many services have been cut as a result.

Criminal background checks (required for healthcare professionals, teachers, and many other professionals) now take 3-4 months to process rather than the requirement of 15 days after the date of hire.

So, potentially you could have someone caring for your grandma or mother who is not qualified to work in the field because of a vulnerable adult violation. All becasue the governor stopped local government aid and refused to raise taxes to pay for basic services.

Education spending ( A mandate in Minnesota) has not been raised above 2% for the past 4 years and does not cover the cost of running the programs especially when there is a state and nationwide decline in high school graduates and students in the schools. This is why you see school districts attempting to pass levies all across the state in order to run the basic programs required for graduation and Minnesota students slip in the national rankings.

Our universities are not as competive (another way to attract 21 century jobs) because the governor will not give the required funding to keep the U of M system competetive in research and development.

The Governor has lobbied for these JOBZ zones where business relocate outside the metro and do not pay taxes for 12 years, but instead continue the race to the bottom at 11 bucks an hour (or less) without health insurance. Yippee! I am glad Duluth has one of those White Elephants at the harbor sitting empty.

So, I think it is safe to say that Duluth's liberals are not really to blame for all the problems in this town. Oh yeah, the police chief's recent report on crime indicated that major criminal activity is in line with a 25 year avergae while the stations calls have tripled to over 90,000 a year. I think they do well for an understaffed department (hiring freeze do to lack of Local Government Aid) that is run out of an inadequate 1920's building.

[Joseph_2010]

Interesting perspectives (i've just read all posts).

There certainly does seem to be a solid concensus on which areas are looked and agreed on as favorable compared to other local neighborhoods that are almost labeled, TOXIC! DANGER! Potentially Harmful To Life & Safety in this proximity (Lincoln Park) or (Central Hillside) and such.

I am seriously considering moving to DULUTH myself very soon and would appreciate if any of you good folks "in the know" can give an opinion of the 2700 block of West Superior Street and if it is considered in the "safe family friendly zone" or not.

Reason being is because i came from a city in the North Mid-South that i personally seen transition from a long trusted place to live (as in safe) only to degrade so badly that now (2008) all the family folks have gone into a mass exodus into outer surrounding counties to escape those daily challenges of crime gone amuck, because both the authorities and local politicians sat on their duffs so long that now it's much too late to ever really redeem it back again to it's former prominence and safety.

After suffering an incident myself (violent home invasion) that nearly cost me my life because of the pure lack of the past old disciplines of officials putting their foot down, i blew up at the officials (for what it was worth), let my frustration be known that no one should be expected to work and pay taxes into a local government that can't even protect it's citizens as expected, and i wasn't about to lay down to sleep every night with a loaded firearm, (thats simply nonsense), and shortly packed up and to this day never looked back.

I moved to rural Michigan (as far away as i could get from that insanity) and life instantly returned to normal for me again. In fact it was the best move at the time i ever made, because when people become so stubborn when you see matters going totally down the drink to think you'll be lucky enough to get through it for another day/week/month, i'm living proof it won't work. The poison will eventually find it's way straight to your door or life eventually, especially if it's spreading & consuming more real estate every year.

Any opinions? Thank You.

[Duluth07]

Duluth in 2008 (into 2009) isn't sure what it is anymore. We have a mix of people who think of it as a small Minneapolis and another mix who see it as a big International Falls. The two groups (the urbanites and 'Carhartts') seem to represent those with education, more money, and more vision; while the other represents the more ignorant, bigoted, racist and homophobic attitudes that this city just can't shake. The latter group doesn't have any money, so they never leave, which is why Duluth seems to attract the Jesus freaks, those with nothing going for them, people with 8 kids who aren't even 35 yet, people who are on disability for something like ADHD, etc. Those who are forward thinking, have some money, and have been other places where cities are moving in the right direction see this negative energy that is in Duluth (particularly when looking at the dilapitated buildings downtown) and say 'forget it'. It's at least 10 years of work pushing against forces that have been here for decades who believe what they believe and don't you dare try to argue with them. Their kids, unfortunately, are no different. They're just as fanatical as their parents and their 'let's get the gays and blacks out of here' grandpa/grandma.

I want to say this is a common problem throughout the country, but this is Duluth's problem: we are at the end of the line. There is nothing past Duluth that is worth visiting for anyone who has anything to offer, or can provide a valuable service. Minneapolis has tons of Fortune 500 companies stacked next to each other, so they have much of their work done for them. They don't have to work hard to attract people with lots of education and money because those people are looking to come to Minneapolis in the first place. Duluth, at least in the last 12-13 years, is getting a mix of the rural people who have nothing going for them as well as those who can't afford Minneapolis or Milwaukee rents anymore (and have no money, no education, no work ethic, no intentions of ever working). So with those forces here, it's an extremely difficult battle to find some sort of realistic 'good energy' here that will be productive. I see a lot of great ideas that people have discussed, but look at city history. Many of these things have already been tried. There needs to be more open minds here and at the highest importance, more people who have lots of higher education and money to bring with. The last thing we need are more rednecks and thugs with no money, lots of kids they can't afford, and no intentions of ever doing anything with their lives. I think that Duluth can turn around from what it is now, but it's up to the people who are already here to open their minds and be receptive to different kinds of people.

[Joseph_2010]

Definitely a different spin from that perspective but thanks for the input nonetheless.

From what i seen and where i have lived and worked, including where i been compared to where i'm going, there seems to exist in nearly all U.S.A states, one single mid sized city in some of them that rests prime for expansion & positive development howbeit so gradually. Just how gradual (or the opposite) depends surely as already mentioned, on what trend is expected, and then IF carried out & developed with those neccessary goals, it will become truly productive all the way around. I can't speak for DULUTH myself as others who can accurately measure it's progress now compared to before, but merely draw on it's positives as they are introduced and it's potentials seem to be firmly in place in some respects, and not in others which is not uncommon for cities that size.

Take for example if you will Evansville, Indiana (well i have to anyway), it's small compared to it's big brother INDY, (no comparison really), however i've watched that small city in 5 scant years expand outward and gradually encompass plenty of it's county borders by virtue of slow business growth i call it, and actually is beginning to take some shape as an authentic City of some positive recognition, although it appears that most of it's growth is been in areas that were previously cornfields or farmland or both, and they're working inward toward the downtown whereas most larger Cities seem (now), to be trying to expand within and less without.

I dunno in all honesty what that means for it's future, because this all gets so confusing for me real fast, but one chief factor that seems static is that it always takes the support from all the right sources (and resources) at the appointed time (whenever that is ) for productive towns to grow into vibrant progressive self-sustaining societies worthy of reputation (in a positive sense).

Originally Posted by Duluth07

So with those forces here, it's an extremely difficult battle to find some sort of realistic 'good energy' here that will be productive. I see a lot of great ideas that people have discussed, but look at city history. Many of these things have already been tried. There needs to be more open minds here and at the highest importance, more people who have lots of higher education and money to bring with. The last thing we need are more rednecks and thugs with no money, lots of kids they can't afford, and no intentions of ever doing anything with their lives. I think that Duluth can turn around from what it is now, but it's up to the people who are already here to open their minds and be receptive to different kinds of people.

A very genuine open-minded opinion noteworthy of recognition from an up close & ground level perspective no doubt.

Thanks for the input.