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Get the facts. GA's budget deficit is actual and far worse than Mass's. Your actually in the tope 10 worst budget deficits in America. Mass's deficit is a projection based on slowing capital gains receipts. The actual deficit here thus far has only been 200 million, less than one per cent of the budget.
As for tolerance you guys are very tolerant...as long as youre a white christian.
I never insulted GA's roads, I said it needs more.
Yes I drive all over New England for work. I've been alot of places. I also lived in Atlanta for 7 years. Yes, all cities have traffic. You have slow death on the roadway. We go slow in Boston, but we move. With the exception of the exodus of people coming down 93 from New Hampshire to work in Boston our roads move.
And being that you moved to Georgia recently I'd say youre still in your honeymoon phase. Maybe youre a redneck at heart, and that's fine.
People seem to think that GA will boom forever.... youre dreaming. Its economically impossible for any economy to expand forever.
Its simple math... exactly what jobs has GA attracted in the last three years. You were a pitstop on the way to Asia... and if the people keep moving there you'll end up with high unemployment, lower wages, and more crime.
Not to mention... youre really just so stuck on yourselves.
Everything the South critized the North for being, it has become. Rude and elitis
GA's budget deficit is actual and far worse than Mass's. Your actually in the tope 10 worst budget deficits in America. Mass's deficit is a projection based on slowing capital gains receipts. The actual deficit here thus far has only been 200 million, less than one per cent of the budget.
Simply untrue...check your facts. Here's just one tidbit:
Georgia's deficit is projected between 1.6 and 2 billion. MA already cut and raised taxes to close a 1.4 billion deficit for this year in Oct, and another 750 million shortfall above that is now projected.
And being that you moved to Georgia recently I'd say youre still in your honeymoon phase. Maybe youre a redneck at heart, and that's fine.
There you go when you can't debate on the facts...you start hurling insults. You'll fit right in with your friends in MA.
I'd say you're more in your honeymoon phase than I am. Sounds like you bought the utopian liberal paradise mantra hook, line, and sinker. I lived here for 10 years previously and had other family living here and know Atlanta very well. I'm hardly a redneck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thenewNewEnglander
Thank you for moving to GA...
I don't need or want your thanks. The difference between you and me is that I look at the world as it is, not as I want it to be. If I wanted to be in MA, that's where I'd be. Enjoy yourself in the People's Republic.
ThenewNewEnglander…..you make a lot of good points. Let me add to them concerning something that really favors the whole Northeast…..and that is POPULATION DENSITY. Right now, gas prices have droped because a global recession is cutting demand and the gain in strenght of the dollar. However, it is said that the world is on the cusp of PEAK-OIL, which is the point where about half of the finite supply of cheap oil has been depleted. What this means, for regions, is very important.
Sprawled out urban areas, like Atlanta, are not feasable in a world of 5 and 6 dollar a gallon gasoline, when you have people communting over 100 miles daily, going to work and going back home. Public transportation is not feasable at such low density and a metro area of 5 million spread out over about 10,000 sqare miles. It will not be good for people who have to work and live there or companies. However, high density areas like NewEngland and the NorthEast have the type of density and infrastrucature to expand an an already existing descent public transit system.
We are heading into a totally new era. The era that saw growth heavilty influenced by superhighways and cheap fuel to that allowed the suburban and exurbanization of America is essentially over. We are heading into the era more like the pre automobile and superhighway boom, with high density, street cars, subways, rapid bus systems and the like. The Northeast…..and to a lesser degree the Midwest, became what it is before the the massive suburbanization and super highways. Most metropolitian areas that gained the majority of their population in the last 30 years will be hit hard, because their layout will be an inefficient design for the new century. The European model of cities is the futur of American metropolitian areas. High densities, massive public transportation, the poor living in the suburbs and the middleclass living in the cities core near jobs, culture, entertainment and the like.
ThenewNewEnglander…..you make a lot of good points. Let me add to them concerning something that really favors the whole Northeast…..and that is POPULATION DENSITY. Right now, gas prices have droped because a global recession is cutting demand and the gain in strenght of the dollar. However, it is said that the world is on the cusp of PEAK-OIL, which is the point where about half of the finite supply of cheap oil has been depleted. What this means, for regions, is very important.
Sprawled out urban areas, like Atlanta, are not feasable in a world of 5 and 6 dollar a gallon gasoline, when you have people communting over 100 miles daily, going to work and going back home. Public transportation is not feasable at such low density and a metro area of 5 million spread out over about 10,000 sqare miles. It will not be good for people who have to work and live there or companies. However, high density areas like NewEngland and the NorthEast have the type of density and infrastrucature to expand an an already existing descent public transit system.
We are heading into a totally new era. The era that saw growth heavilty influenced by superhighways and cheap fuel to that allowed the suburban and exurbanization of America is essentially over. We are heading into the era more like the pre automobile and superhighway boom, with high density, street cars, subways, rapid bus systems and the like. The Northeast…..and to a lesser degree the Midwest, became what it is before the the massive suburbanization and super highways. Most metropolitian areas that gained the majority of their population in the last 30 years will be hit hard, because their layout will be an inefficient design for the new century. The European model of cities is the futur of American metropolitian areas. High densities, massive public transportation, the poor living in the suburbs and the middleclass living in the cities core near jobs, culture, entertainment and the like.
Yes, regardless of the arguing going on in here this is a good point. I've always said the suburbs are the slums of the future. Low-density, suburban heavy areas like Atlanta are going to be hit the worst when the oil market blows. The politicians here unfortunately are content to not plan for the future and allow unfettered development with no plan of any sort.
Something needs to be done about a regional transit solution but nothing will as long as the mishmash and county and city governments refuse to cooperate which each other.
I don't have the stats that you guys do, but thought I'd interject regardless, having lived in Georgia for 20 years and being born in Michigan, where I currently reside once again.
I'm the first one to jump to Michigan's defense, as this is my home state and I love it enough to have moved back here despite the black economic cloud that always seems to be hovering overhead. That said, I really disagree with the OP and the others who are trying to compare Georgia's current economic condition to Michigan's.
The most valid point I've read so far in this thread is that Georgia is in a sudden, but likely temporary slump while Michigan has been in dire straits for some 30 years now. You can't possibly compare the recent increase of companies cutting back and rising foreclosure rates in GA to the years and years of government incompetence, industry failure, union wars, and job losses followed by mass exodus' of people that MI has encountered. I've never heard of entire families (cousins, nephews, sons, uncles) who want to work that are unemployed in Georgia the way I have here in Michigan. Driving through Atlanta when I was visiting family over x-mas last week, I noticed there were at least 10 new tall buildings either already built or currently going up in downtown and midtown Atlanta just since I moved in mid 2007. That kind of progress doesn't happen in a place that's headed for times such as Michigan is in, so don't kid yourself. I don't think Detroit has put up a new skyscraper in at least 20 years. Hell, there's even a big hole in the middle of our downtown up here in Petoskey because the developer can't secure funding to finish the freggin' little condo project he started. Sorry, OP, but Georgia is still in much better shape than Michigan is economically, and probably will be for many more years, I don't care which party is in the White House or whatever stats you choose to throw around.
Hey, like I said, Michigan is my state, and this is a great place to live if one has a stable career. It's true, though, when I say that I'm gonna be 40 in 2009 and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever see things improve here in my lifetime. Regardless, I came back because I love it that much and I wanted to do what I could to help get things going again by living and working here.
There are many, many great things about the Great Lakes State. Unfortunately, the economic climate isn't one of them, and trying to paint one of the recent southern boom states with the same brush is quite silly and misleading, at least right now.
Well…..Grand Rapids has had over 2 billion in new dowtown investment over the last 5 years. New skyscrapers…..new Museams, new Medical complexes. Detroit has had the construction of 3 permanent Casinos, totallying over 2 billion, in the last few years. Compuware has build a new downtown headquarters, the owner of Little Ceasars Pizza has invested millions, the owner of quicken loans/rock finacial has planned two new skyscrapers to be built to house his companies move from the suburbs to the City. The Governments of the United States and Canada have agreed to build a new bridge linking Detroit Michigan to Windsor Ontario Canada, a project that is projected to create 25,000 jobs over its construction phase of several years. Google is bringing 1,000 high tech jobs to Ann Arbor…..ect….ect. All this gets overshadowed, of course, by the loss of auto jobs….which gets all the focus and national attention.
There is no question that Michigan has been hit hard for the last 30 years……..nearly all related to the auto industry woes and decline. The auto Industry built and populated Michigan and Michigan is going through the pains of that dependence. However, as each year has passed, over the last 30, Michigan has become less dependent upon the auto Industry. Whats going on in the state now is linked, most profoundly, the a massive global recession/depression that is unfolding…..that MOST people still have not come to grips with yet…..because they simply cannot believe that this county will be anything but what it has always been and will always bounce back. Unfortunatly, that is not going to happen this time. I am not going to list out the reasons why….but there are plenty. There is absolutely no positive signs out there.
Georgias economy is going to be hit very hard by the time this thing shakes out over the next few years. Its really not germane to look back at the last 30 years and compare Georgia to Michigan economic peformance. That competition goes to Georgia hands down……no comparison. Going forward, however, it’s a different story. Growth has been a big factor in Georgia economic growth. Its like a population ponzi sceme. The opportunity of current residents is greatly augmented by the assumption of massive number of future residents. In other words, current residents benefit from Job that go to build residences, commercial establishment, retail, infrastucture, government jobs, ect..ect…..before the demand actually manifest for it. The area would eventually grow into the supply, but new development based upon future projections would simply create more opportunity. Now, however, with Developers not being able to get loans and the State actually losing jobs, eventually the population growth wiill slow bringing the ponzi scheme to a halt. Michigans economic performance would be greatly enhanced if the all of a sudden 100,000 residents were projected to move there, each year, for the next 10 years. There would be all kinds of construction jobs to create residence, expanded retail opportunities and all the expanded services needed for a growing population base. Without strong population growth….georgias economy will shrivel up. Growth is an industry in and of itself…..but its not a REAL ECONOMY!
The northeast aint dreary or decaying. Its actually renewing quite nicely. There's a great renaissance going on that the South isn't even paying attention to. Not like you people even visit in any real numbers anyway.
I grew up in the northeast and recently moved to GA. You don't think that the northeast is dreary or decaying. Hmmm starting with MA, Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke, Lowell, Worcester, Lemonister, Newton, just to name a few. I do remember when some of these cities were beautiful and booming but that is a thing of the past. When I think of these cities now I think of abandoned mills and factories, crime, and urban decay.
Let's look at CT. Hartford, Bridgeport, Waterbury, New Haven. There is absolutely nothing bringing big business into these cities. In fact many of the corporations have been leaving CT to move to the south. Crime is out of control in many of these cities. Many of these cities have been overrun by corrupt politicians and run into the ground. Local college graduates can't leave the state fast enough. Hartford is no longer the insurance capital of the world but is now known for one of the most crime ridden cities in the country.
I can't speak for all of the Northeast because I am most familiar with these two states. I for one am glad that I got out of the Northeast and moved south.
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