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A lot of people on this forum do not understand how debate/discussion works. They post something like "the earth is flat" and when someone asks for links and they get all huffy and ask others to dis-prove it instead. Or, they post links to blogs, opinion pieces and secondary sources which contain no facts. They also make snarky comments to other posters, and name call.
That's what I'm here for, Kat! People just need to remember that, for every one of their opinions, there is an equal and opposite opinion somewhere else.
The rise of the suburb has lead to the decline of America. As a nation we're only as healthy as our cities. People who think we can continue to operate as a world superpower without healthy city centers are fools. And yes, suburbs are an escape from reality. They breed a population cut off from social ills and incapable of comprehending the social problems that face our nation. I can't tell you how many times I've heard suburbanites young & old laugh at the murder rate in Baltimore City. Literally, they laugh at the fact that people are being killed in the streets, fellow Americans mind you. Hypocrites. The decline of suburbia will be the best thing this country has seen in years because it will wake people the hell up. These McMansions are comical...can you imagine how much it'll cost to replace the roof on one of those things in a few years? Thankfully, a lot of cities including Baltimore are on the rebound and I plan on moving back and being a part of the rebound as soon as I'm financially capable.
The rise of the suburb has lead to the decline of America. As a nation we're only as healthy as our cities. People who think we can continue to operate as a world superpower without healthy city centers are fools. And yes, suburbs are an escape from reality. They breed a population cut off from social ills and incapable of comprehending the social problems that face our nation. I can't tell you how many times I've heard suburbanites young & old laugh at the murder rate in Baltimore City. Literally, they laugh at the fact that people are being killed in the streets, fellow Americans mind you. Hypocrites. The decline of suburbia will be the best thing this country has seen in years because it will wake people the hell up. These McMansions are comical...can you imagine how much it'll cost to replace the roof on one of those things in a few years? Thankfully, a lot of cities including Baltimore are on the rebound and I plan on moving back and being a part of the rebound as soon as I'm financially capable.
Oh, for G*d's sake!
Do YOU think there is no crime in the suburbs? No poverty, homelessness, domestic violence?
Mock McManions if you want, but I don't want to hear about "grand old housess" in the city, the McMansions of their day.
You're right, the suburbs do have they're share of problems. Which is ironic because they're stuck with the same problems they were trying to run away from. And say what you want about big houses in the city...atleast they're made to last...many with slate roofs...no dry wall and plywood in those babies...BUILT TO LAST. Not disposable like the buildings that Wal-Mart builds with an estimated life of ten years! No better than a styrofoam plate!
The rise of the suburb has lead to the decline of America. As a nation we're only as healthy as our cities. People who think we can continue to operate as a world superpower without healthy city centers are fools. And yes, suburbs are an escape from reality. They breed a population cut off from social ills and incapable of comprehending the social problems that face our nation. I can't tell you how many times I've heard suburbanites young & old laugh at the murder rate in Baltimore City. Literally, they laugh at the fact that people are being killed in the streets, fellow Americans mind you. Hypocrites. The decline of suburbia will be the best thing this country has seen in years because it will wake people the hell up. These McMansions are comical...can you imagine how much it'll cost to replace the roof on one of those things in a few years? Thankfully, a lot of cities including Baltimore are on the rebound and I plan on moving back and being a part of the rebound as soon as I'm financially capable.
It is just as easy for those who live in "the city" to be small minded and selfish. People are people and we are all basically the same inside. To say that suburbs led to the decline of America is a gross over-simplification. You could make an argument that it was a factor, (a position that can be disputed, mind you) but at best it is a factor that contributed along with NUMEROUS other factors.
Aside from all that, I DO agree with you on the build qualities of structures now vs back in the day. Ironically we have all sorts of regulations and standards now that did not exist when the interior cores of many of our cities were built in the 1800s and before. Back then people did it right because it was just the way things were done. Then the govt stepped in and started imposing all these building regulations and ironically houses today are not as good as the ones build even in the 1950s. I am not saying that we should do away with regulations, but that regulations should address short comings. I'm not certain that a lot of the building regulations in jurisdictions around the country actually address a previously existing problem, but look at me now! I'm getting all kinds of off topic!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.
You're right, the suburbs do have they're share of problems. Which is ironic because they're stuck with the same problems they were trying to run away from. And say what you want about big houses in the city...atleast they're made to last...many with slate roofs...no dry wall and plywood in those babies...BUILT TO LAST. Not disposable like the buildings that Wal-Mart builds with an estimated life of ten years! No better than a styrofoam plate!
Who, other than you, said that people moved to the suburbs to "run away" from something? Many people know no other life than the suburbs.
We've talked about old houses before. They have a certain charm. They do not, for the most part, have a certain insulation, or big closets, or good windows, or up-to-date heating systems, etc.
Racist laws is the leading cause. People should be hired & judged by their skills, knowledge, criminal record & credit score, not RACE. Look at the mess the CRA & GSE's "Affirmative Action Lending" created in our financial system & housing.
"Affirmative Action" is a major factor of "White Flight". Working for stupid "Quota Bosses" just plain sucks, cost many jobs & damaged many companies. Not to mention the degraded public services, school system & utilities. Most inner city school systems have lost their accreditation while the ones in the suburbs rock. Families can't afford decent private schools in the city while still paying taxes for the worthless public ones, so they left. Only single people are drawn to the cities until they have kids & then they look for the exit.
Unless the person works for the credit bureaus themselves. I fail to see what someone's credit score has to do with job performance. Its thinking like this that keeps people unemployed. How insulting.
It was more common than you think, but you are right that lots of families moved to suburbs because they were, and still are, subsidized by the government. Energy prices are kept artificially low, and impractical and expensive road system are built to serve suburbs, not to mention maintaining them and providing them with government services.
People in cities and rural areas basically support people in suburbs. Had the government not subsidized suburbs and made people pay the full cost of living there they would never have gotten so big.
What energy prices? I hope you're not referring to gas prices. This country does not keep gas prices artificially low. European countries keep them artificially high through heavy taxation.
Some are declining (like Prince George's County inside the Beltway), some are reaching a plateau, and a few are still growing. Generally though, suburban growth/wealth is not quite what it used to be.
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People just need to remember that, for every one of their opinions, there is an equal and opposite opinion somewhere else.
