[bale002]

"For the last two decades, Palm Beach County has experienced rapid economic growth, positioning us as a top location for building corporate wealth" (my bold and italics)."

This is the opening statement of the Palm Beach County government site, the business development section.

This short statement says a lot and summarizes the core of many of the questions, debates, discussions, arguments, complaints on this board: if you are not part of the corporate wealth creation scheme machine in this state and in this country, a society dominated by corporatism, you are at high risk of being left behind, and the government makes no secret about it.

Maybe this is nothing new, but corporatism, against the backdrop of economic globalization, has been spreading so deeply that it is crowding out economically the standard of living of the "golden-age" middle class which is giving way to another type of middle class of a tangibly lower average standard whose population is no longer limited to a few regions like the United States and Europe, but to the whole world.

Comments, criticisms, reformulations of this interpretation?

[Need_affordable_home]

If the hurricane insurance increases take place(failure to repeal 1980 Senate bill) house prices will halve and become affordable for some middle class people, but they must have saved 100% downpayment in order to go uninsured

[Prichard]

In my opinion, Local Government has several broad functions:

1) planning the urban areas and preserving the rural areas;
2) protecting true environmentally sensitive areas;
3) regulating what people can construct on their property;
4) providing police and fire protection;
5) providing basic education for grades K-12 in a manner that is both acceptable to national standards, and compatible with local standards;
6) providing parks, green space, and preserves for everyone to enjoy;
7) regulating, maintaining, and construction roads, sewers, water, stormwater, and other infrastructures.

[TriMT7]

Well..... I mean, the "business development section" is geared towards attracting business to the area. I don't see too much of a problem with that statement then!

Your other statements regarding the Middle Class I mostly agree with. But it's a pattern echoed throughout the US. The wealthy keep rewarding themselves with tax cuts and assurances to be able to pass on their wealth to create a new Aristocratic class, while the poor get government assistance. The Middle Class is stuck footing the bill disporportionately to their salaries.

The Middle Class, however, is partly to blame for their own predicament. THEY are the ones who vote against their own economic well being out of fear of other things - gays, terrorism, etc. etc. They still have so much power, but squander it because of bullsh*t.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

If the hurricane insurance increases take place(failure to repeal 1980 Senate bill) house prices will halve and become affordable for some middle class people, but they must have saved 100% downpayment in order to go uninsured

What does it matter, didn't you decide a few days ago Florida would be under water in a few years? Are you heading for high ground yet?

[bale002]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

Well..... I mean, the "business development section" is geared towards attracting business to the area. I don't see too much of a problem with that statement then!

Your other statements regarding the Middle Class I mostly agree with. But it's a pattern echoed throughout the US. The wealthy keep rewarding themselves with tax cuts and assurances to be able to pass on their wealth to create a new Aristocratic class, while the poor get government assistance. The Middle Class is stuck footing the bill disporportionately to their salaries.

The Middle Class, however, is partly to blame for their own predicament. THEY are the ones who vote against their own economic well being out of fear of other things - gays, terrorism, etc. etc. They still have so much power, but squander it because of bullsh*t.

Excellent post, TriMT7, thank you. Agreed that it's not only a Florida phenonomenon, but a US phenomenon, and it also regards the better part of Europe; if anything, it is arriving to Florida relatively late "in the game".

Indeed it has its own special connotations in each region or state: certain realities about New York, for example, have been in place for around 40-50 years, while certain social phenomenon are relatively new to Florida.

An example relative to both New York and Florida: for the past 40-50 years, people have considered New York the place where to make money and Florida the place retire; now hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people consider Miami, for example, the northern city where to make money and points further south as places to retire - and not only Hispanics, but also "white" US citizens: there are US ex-patriot retirement colonies in countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama.

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by Prichard

In my opinion, Local Government has several broad functions:

1) planning the urban areas and preserving the rural areas;
2) protecting true environmentally sensitive areas;
3) regulating what people can construct on their property;
4) providing police and fire protection;
5) providing basic education for grades K-12 in a manner that is both acceptable to national standards, and compatible with local standards;
6) providing parks, green space, and preserves for everyone to enjoy;
7) regulating, maintaining, and construction roads, sewers, water, stormwater, and other infrastructures.

#1 and #3 are good for a communist regime. #2 is just a matter of the govermnent reserving land tax free whether publicly or privately owned. #4, and #5 are important and should be financed adequately by those who need their services most. #5 is a noble idea, but why not let people have some of their own space as well? #7 can also be done by cooperatives and private companies, and often for a lot less than a big beaurocracy can handle them. Just look at what a great job they do with our transportation system today.

In my view government controlled civic planning just breeds corruption and disaster. Look at the wonderful Miami-Dade county master plan and visit he area to see how bad goverment control is. They only care about one thing $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$.