Louisville perception (Frankfort: crime, living in, law)

[basinstblues]

Two points to make: First off, I don't and assume most others don't have a ingrained congenital problem with rural folks. You live where you live. I have farmers in my family. I just happen to prefer cities. However...when 54 out of 120 counties in Kentucky are dry (where in the rest of the U.S. is that the case other than maybe Arkansas, enough said), when a socially conservative city like Louisville (with progressive notions) is considered big city freakoville by many in the rest of the state, when someone like Ernie Fletcher can be elected, well...maybe many of these particular rural folks have it coming to them and frankly are holding the state back.
Secondly, I should probably have rated the city rather than generalizing (isn't that what all this is, generalizing) about the people of Louisville but ultimately was what I said any different from what Abramson says/does, except that his tone is a cheerleading one. Why do you think that he spends time in Chicago trying to bring ex-Louisvillians back here? Why do you think he is encouraging employers to have employees go back to and complete college? It's apparent that he knows that for Louisville to thrive, the city needs more people of the type that employers are seeking, that having more people in Louisville who know what is and is not quality is a good thing, and that having more educated people is necessary going forward.
The subject was "perceptions" and I've only attempted to portray one perspective, albeit bluntly. Sometimes I get the impression that the mayor, the Browns, and some others have to lead this city kicking and screaming into being more than it presently is. That frustrates me. Now is the time to aim higher instead of being content to aim for the feet.

[basinstblues]

Oh, and anyone who says that I should leave if I don't like it (here's looking at you missymomof17) has to do a performance art show at 21C for the next trolley hop. With Annie Sprinkle. Take that.
Side note: In looking at the Welp column comments in the other forum, I find it so curious that San Francisco is almost always the whipping boy. It is a city with housing incredibly expensive because so many people want to live there, they have light rail, there are tech companies and innovative people galore, etc. San Francisco is business-wise what the rest of America wishes it could be. I always get a kick out of those who live in areas with job loss, low education, high out of wedlock birth, high domestic abuse, (not referring to Louisville here, overally sensitive types) etc when they rail against the lib'rul San Francisco and how they'd never set foot there.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by basinstblues

Oh, and anyone who says that I should leave if I don't like it (here's looking at you missymomof17) has to do a performance art show at 21C for the next trolley hop. With Annie Sprinkle.

I amguessing that is supposed to be an insult but I have no idea who you are talking about but ok. I am guessing that is a cool thing and I wish you good luck in your performance.

[emanresu]

Originally Posted by basinstblues

Oh, and anyone who says that I should leave if I don't like it (here's looking at you missymomof17) has to do a performance art show at 21C for the next trolley hop. With Annie Sprinkle. Take that.
Side note: In looking at the Welp column comments in the other forum, I find it so curious that San Francisco is almost always the whipping boy. It is a city with housing incredibly expensive because so many people want to live there, they have light rail, there are tech companies and innovative people galore, etc. San Francisco is business-wise what the rest of America wishes it could be. I always get a kick out of those who live in areas with job loss, low education, high out of wedlock birth, high domestic abuse, (not referring to Louisville here, overally sensitive types) etc when they rail against the lib'rul San Francisco and how they'd never set foot there.

I'm pretty sure you've never set foot in SF. While they do have light rail (primarily their street car system), they most importantly have rapid transit. While they had incredible job growth in the 90's, it's been stagnant for the past few years. But, I'm not surprised at your lack of knowledge. You compared New Orleans with Chicago and SF. Maybe you do need to leave Louisville. Not because you don't find this city worthy of yourself, but because you have no clue what is really out there in different cities. I hope you can find your A people to rub elbows with during your explorations.

[basinstblues]

>>emanresu: I'm pretty sure you've never set foot in SF. While they do have light rail (primarily their street car system), they most importantly have rapid transit. While they had incredible job growth in the 90's, it's been stagnant for the past few years. But, I'm not surprised at your lack of knowledge. You compared New Orleans with Chicago and SF. Maybe you do need to leave Louisville. Not because you don't find this city worthy of yourself, but because you have no clue what is really out there in different cities.


I'm absolutely sure you're wrong. I've been there and when I say light rail, I mean light rail. Yes, they also have street cars and a bus system that, at the stops, electronically lets you know how much time you have before the bus arrives. Sure, some tech companies have bombed, but the San Francisco economy (and that of New York and Chicago, other cities that get slammed by the same kind of folks) is still more than fine, despite the Bush era downturn. I compared the vibrancy of the people downtown in the cities of New Orleans and Chicago and SF. That can't be denied. Of course New Orleans and Louisiana have major problems, but the people are lively and full of character. And, by the way, since you invoked "don't like it, leave it" with different language, I'm just curious? What will you be doing with Annie Sprinkle at 21C?

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by Visvaldis

Meeting groups online is much different than meeting people in person. Having to seek people online indicates there isn't enough local interest. I'm sure that Louisville has a variety of people (I've met some that are out of the ordinary), but certain groups will never form because their numbers are insignificantly low.

Huh? every major city has meetup.com groups. if you are a witch in chicago where n the hell do you go meet witches in person? i lived there and do not know. you are entirely too hard on louisville. it is a midized city with lots of culture...it is not trying to be a top 10 city bc it isnt.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by basinstblues

>>emanresu: I'm pretty sure you've never set foot in SF. While they do have light rail (primarily their street car system), they most importantly have rapid transit. While they had incredible job growth in the 90's, it's been stagnant for the past few years. But, I'm not surprised at your lack of knowledge. You compared New Orleans with Chicago and SF. Maybe you do need to leave Louisville. Not because you don't find this city worthy of yourself, but because you have no clue what is really out there in different cities.


I'm absolutely sure you're wrong. I've been there and when I say light rail, I mean light rail. Yes, they also have street cars and a bus system that, at the stops, electronically lets you know how much time you have before the bus arrives. Sure, some tech companies have bombed, but the San Francisco economy (and that of New York and Chicago, other cities that get slammed by the same kind of folks) is still more than fine, despite the Bush era downturn. I compared the vibrancy of the people downtown in the cities of New Orleans and Chicago and SF. That can't be denied. Of course New Orleans and Louisiana have major problems, but the people are lively and full of character. And, by the way, since you invoked "don't like it, leave it" with different language, I'm just curious? What will you be doing with Annie Sprinkle at 21C?

I must ask, who is Annie Sprinkle? I like her name!

[pmkeating]

Originally Posted by rnc76

I am almost in disbelief that someone would write that. I would give you an F just for rating the quality of people. How pompous.

He wrote that because he's a board troll. Is there an "ignore user" button on these forums?

[Visvaldis]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Huh? every major city has meetup.com groups. if you are a witch in chicago where n the hell do you go meet witches in person? i lived there and do not know. you are entirely too hard on louisville. it is a midized city with lots of culture...it is not trying to be a top 10 city bc it isnt.

It's easy to meet witches. I would wait until midnite, then put a lighted candle on a real skull, burn the magic potion (a mixture of dried rats' ears, cockroaches, and spider eyeballs). That will flame up, produce a thick cloud of smoke. Once the smoke clears a witch will appear.
I'll agree that it isn't easy to meet people in Chicago. It's even tougher for those over 35. Many don't even return a greeting to a stranger. For a while I was involved with the artists of Wicker Park, but, as the relationships could have been intensified, I departed and came to your town! (Maybe invaded is a better term). At first I was happy about the move because everything was different. One of the first people I met was a local student, who later moved to Frisco to study for a law degree. During one of our conversations he remarked that "Louisville is a cultural cesspool". I didn't reply because I had not yet checked out the cultural scene in Louisville. I made some connections, especially to the Artswatch Gallery on Frankfort Avenue, but they had to close.
Meeting people in Louisville is not difficult, but seldom does anything go beyond the superficial. I can patiently listen to comments about the weather or sports, but not all the time.
As for being hard on Louisville. Am I that hard? I really don't want to change other people to suit me. But rather, I would like to see enhancement. For example, I don't care for the programming on WFPK. It's not my desire to change it. I would like to see that the U of L could have an FM station with a range of 10-15 miles for those who appreciate indie rock and experimental music. As an e-mail I sent this suggestion for a story to LEO. No reply.
So, if you're happy with WFPK, that's fine. A college station would merely provide an alternative for those who have an interest in something different.
There are things I like about Louisville. The preservation of Old Louisville, the beautiful (although sinfully expensive) homes around Cherokee Park, and I hope that the interesting facades on Main Street, east of Second, are preserved instead of wrecked. Louisville is within a two hour drive of some very fascinating nature areas. I appreciate the rivers, forests, and hills of Kentucky for camping and relaxing. Otherwise I go for daily walk in Iroqois Park, a refreshing area.
It might be noteworthy to state that I don't drink lattes, I drive a 10 year old economy car, and all the jobs I've had in Louisville were low paying (my first one started me at $6.50 per hour in 2002). Last year, 2007, at another job, I had moved up to a whopping $8.50 per hour! I could maybe buy the stereo sysem of a BMW, but not the entire car. I'm aware that Louisville has fine retaurants, but most are beyond my budget.
One of these days I plan to attend a concert of the Louisville Symphony and a Bats game.
Currently, I have a job at the medical center which involves public contact. I like the job, the people, and do not sneer and snarl, nor voice any negatives about Louisville.
This is lengthy, but I feel it's necessary to clear up misconceptions about me.

[pmkeating]

Originally Posted by basinstblues

>>Sure, some tech companies have bombed, but the San Francisco economy (and that of New York and Chicago, other cities that get slammed by the same kind of folks) is still more than fine, despite the Bush era downturn. I

Here's what Forbes said about S.F. in October of 2006:
It's an uphill battle for residents of San Francisco, thanks to dismal job growth and high cost of living. Real estate prices don't help--the median home price came in at $720,400 for the first quarter of this year, up from $686,200 during the same period last year, according to the National Association of Realtors. The only sunshine in the fog: sizable salaries.

Job growth was ranked 111th in the Forbes article.

The Milken Institude ranked San Fran 198th out of 200 in job growth from 2001 to 2006. (Louisville was 135)

That doesn't sound like "more than fine" to me, but you're probably right about it being Bush's fault. Or Halliburton.