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I'd love to retire to somewhere cheaper and warmer, LOL.
Then I remember how my husband, before we married, lived in roughly a half dozen states in his 20s and 30s. He never thought he'd return to New England but when his then-job sent him here, he didn't want to leave. His reason? "Once you live elsewhere you thank your lucky stars you live here. We can ***** about taxes all you want but those taxes afford us a very different lifestyle than what many people in this country can't fathom."
I still cannot argue with that because I've never lived anywhere else than here.
Well keep on drinking the cool ade. MA has a lot to offer, but it's certainly not due to its high taxes. Most of those high taxes go towards a bloated welfare program that does nothing but attract the wrong people to the state and drive up the costs for everyone else. MA would be much better and stronger if it had some fiscal conservatism in place.
Interesting post. I'm an older person and I live on Cape Cod but we're out of here every winter by Christmas. Older people in Florida look happier and healthier than MA oldsters. And about the addiction on Cape Cod... I'm here through late December and I don't see it. It's here, like it is everywhere, but it's not a horror show like you make it out to be. If I could only have one house, it would be in Florida, and I'd visit MA. There's truth to what OP says. MA has a certain drudgery.
Well keep on drinking the cool ade. MA has a lot to offer, but it's certainly not due to its high taxes. Most of those high taxes go towards a bloated welfare program that does nothing but attract the wrong people to the state and drive up the costs for everyone else. MA would be much better and stronger if it had some fiscal conservatism in place.
We have some definite budgetary issues here in MA. Welfare being one of the major burdens. It's a system that needs significant overhauling and, in many aspects, more oversight. I don't disagree on that front. However, we're not THAT bad on a national level as our tax burden is middle of the pack. We are better off than places like Mississippi, West Virginia, Nebraska, Arkansas, Maine, etc. on that front and I think we have more to show for what we put in than most of those places (i.e. great schools, extensive road network, good public services, etc.). I think on some levels fiscal conservatism could help (particularly some welfare programs), but I'd also like to see increased investment in public transportation and some other areas. We could have world class public transit with a few projects and upgrades to the existing network. I think some conservatism in other areas of the budget would help in conjunction with some increased revenue (I think a slight increase in the gas tax so that we're on par with neighbors would be all we'd need) would do the trick.
I also think we should make significant efforts to make Massachusetts more business-friendly. When you look at what we have in terms of infrastructure and services vs. the states I mentioned above, the reason for that is obvious. We may have similar (slightly lower, actually) tax burdens, but we have more and wealthier residents and more businesses paying into the system. So we get more back. If we made it easier for businesses to located and grow here, we'd have even more entities paying into the system and we'd get more back as a result. MA seems to fight new business and development at every turn. It would be smart (fiscally speaking) to remove some of the red tape.
My retired next door neighbors in Vermont ski every day in the winter and are at their summer place in Chatham all summer. I telecommute so midweek skiing is sneaking out for an hour or two if I have the time. If you're sitting around indoors all winter sucking down alcohol and hating life, you're doing it wrong.
I wonder what he's referring to specifically. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in a few other regions of the country and spent significant amounts of time in even more. I'd rather live here in New England (specifically Eastern MA) than anywhere else too.* However, when it comes to taxes; aside from a few things (we have great public schools, better public transportation than all but 4 or so other cities in the U.S., and some great public spaces) I'm not sure what our taxes afford us that other people couldn't "fathom." Transit is a big factor for me. I like our parks, but they don't really beat what you'd find in many other places. Schools are irrelevant to me at this point, but they're definitely important for families. But other than that, the appeal of New England (again, specifically Eastern MA) to me is about far more than what out tax dollars get us.
I love Boston. I think it's one of the best all-round American cities. It's safe, clean, walkable, attractive, vibrant, has great transit, great food, and a ton of charm. I've yet to grow even a little tired of this town. To me, it's the perfect size. It's just big enough not to feel suffocating or small (I lived in Portland ME for years, and it was suffocating, insular, and small after just a short time which drove me nuts), but it's small enough that it's not hard to escape for a day or a weekend. New York is America's greatest city, but it's hard to leave because it's so massive. Washington D.C. isn't much bigger than Boston, but its suburbs are sprawling and the region is far more congested (over a greater area) than Boston which makes it tough to get out. San Francisco? Same- the highways are choked up for miles. Boston has traffic too, but it's not as bad as others have it.
I love it here because outside of Boston there are SO many interesting towns and villages to explore. Seriously, there are enough for a lifetime. I think people here take this for granted because it's just the way life is here. We live in such a cool region for exploring. I also think Boston is the capital of the weekend getaway. We have the Maine coast, the White Mountains, Cape Cod and the Islands, Newport and Rhode Island, the Berkshires, Vermont and the Green Mountains, New York City, Montreal, etc. all close enough to enjoy for a quick weekend getaway by car/bus/train. What other major metro area has access to as much, so close? You could argue New York, but give me Maine, Newport, or the Cape over Long Island, and the Whites/Greens over the Catskills (Adirondacks are closer to Boston than New York), and factor in the ease of getting in/out of the city and it's a no brainer. San Francisco and LA are the only two I consider to be close as they have great beach and mountain access, but they don't have anything that rivals the multitude of small towns and villages surrounding the city that we have here.
Then there's access beyond New England. Boston is a terminus of the country's only high speed rail network which gives easy access to NY, Philly, DC, Baltimore, and places in between. We're a relatively easy drive from all of these places too. Our airport is easily accessible from downtown which means I can leave work at 5 for a 6:30 flight. We're the closest major city to Europe which is why you can fly from Boston to Dublin or London faster than you can fly from Boston to San Francisco or LA (seriously), and now you can do it for less money a lot of the time. Last year I did a weekend trip to London for $250 r/t. You can't do that from most of this country.
So no, Boston isn't for everyone, but there are opportunities here that make it an incredibly unique place to live. And if you don't take advantage of at least a few of those opportunities, you're not getting the most out of the city and region that you can.
*I can't rule out the Pacific NW. I've been, but I haven't spent enough time there to confidently say I prefer to live here in NE. I'd definitely give it a shot out there if an opportunity came along.
Great post.
Yes, the Pacific Northwest is great, but it lacks many of the major-league sports teams that we have. Not of iinterest to some, but I'd like to have all the major sports in my city even if I don't follow them all.
Plus, a quick getaway is Saratoga Springs and Lake George which I enjoyed for a couple of days a few summers ago. Plus, Ottawa and Quebec City aren't much more than seven hours for a long weekend escape.
We have some definite budgetary issues here in MA. Welfare being one of the major burdens. It's a system that needs significant overhauling and, in many aspects, more oversight. I don't disagree on that front. However, we're not THAT bad on a national level as our tax burden is middle of the pack. We are better off than places like Mississippi, West Virginia, Nebraska, Arkansas, Maine, etc. on that front and I think we have more to show for what we put in than most of those places (i.e. great schools, extensive road network, good public services, etc.). I think on some levels fiscal conservatism could help (particularly some welfare programs), but I'd also like to see increased investment in public transportation and some other areas. We could have world class public transit with a few projects and upgrades to the existing network. I think some conservatism in other areas of the budget would help in conjunction with some increased revenue (I think a slight increase in the gas tax so that we're on par with neighbors would be all we'd need) would do the trick.
I also think we should make significant efforts to make Massachusetts more business-friendly. When you look at what we have in terms of infrastructure and services vs. the states I mentioned above, the reason for that is obvious. We may have similar (slightly lower, actually) tax burdens, but we have more and wealthier residents and more businesses paying into the system. So we get more back. If we made it easier for businesses to located and grow here, we'd have even more entities paying into the system and we'd get more back as a result. MA seems to fight new business and development at every turn. It would be smart (fiscally speaking) to remove some of the red tape.
Overall that is the pint I am trying to make, given the rate of taxation and tax base MA enjoys it should be offering a lot more. The states you mention are just not comparable, their much smaller economies combined with sparser and needier populations makes funding services a challenge and justifiable that a higher rate of taxation would be needed (although I have not found the taxes in ME to be any worse). MA still generates far more revenue per capita, and you would think our roads would be paved in gold and have 200 mph rail out to Pittsfield and down to New Bedford and the Cape. The infrastructure is probably the most neglected thing in MA, but there are other underfunded areas as well. The state parks and the courts come into mind. I do not think the above necessarily need higher taxes to be addressed, but with serious welfare reform and reforms to transportation (MA pays something like 3X the amount NH does to pave a mile of roadway) much more could be done with the current budget.
And to the other part of my point...
MA scores very high in education, it's not disputable. What's also not disputable is the much greater correlation between demographics and school performance than per capita spending. WV could spend twice as much (adjusted per COL) per pupil as MA and it still would not produce better test scores. Even the "ordinary" towns (the Weymouths and Framinghams) have far more parents with college degrees and other wealth measures than some of the "nicer" suburbs elsewhere in the country. Apples to apples I really do not see MA shining, Windham and Exeter, NH and Fairfax or Loudoun County, VA and also Williamson County, TN have schools that can match up to the better ones in MA. Is MA impressive, yes...but to say that it's the be all end all and that it's a result of higher taxes is a bit of a stretch. Some other states seem to get far more bang for their buck (even adjusted for COL). VA, NC, MN, TX, WA, CO, etc. (and yes, NH).
MA is considered a wealthy state due to the average income and what Irfox said upthread.
Yes, of course there's always room for improvement. No one place is Nirvana. Budgeting, overhauling, etc., usually butts heads with politics (see massnative's reply). Ibostonguy1960 points out the particulars to which I alluded in my OP.
Despite all that, we offer a lifestyle here that isn't easily replicated elsewhere. The places where my husband lived prior to our courtship were sparsely-settled compared to here. Less taxable base = less infrastructure. "Out in the middle of nowhere" type places where one would have to drive minimum an hour for medical services. Places where schooling was obviously not a priority. People barely making a living. Yes, he loved the fact that all those places were very affordable, but outside of that, friends he made, and a few restaurants/venues, there was nothing else there.
I admit, we here in MA tend to forget that we're spoiled compared to other areas of the country. Sometimes it helps to be reminded, and a bit humbled because of that.
The Massachusetts budget is 50% safety net between health care and social services. Medicaid is the heaviest hitter. It's only going to get worse as the aging Boomers tap Medicaid to pay for nursing homes. Another 21% is education with half of it grants to the failed cities to prop up their public school system funding. Pensions & debt service are another 13%.
Unless you hike taxes, there isn't any money to throw at infrastructure. With the sales tax and a flat (for everybody who isn't earning a million dollars) state income tax, everybody pushes back any time there is a hint of a tax hike. Lots of tough choices.
Unless you hike taxes, there isn't any money to throw at infrastructure. With the sales tax and a flat (for everybody who isn't earning a million dollars) state income tax, everybody pushes back any time there is a hint of a tax hike. Lots of tough choices.
Nope, you found the money right here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffD
The Massachusetts budget is 50% safety net between health care and social services.
We are the second most generous state in the country for welfare payouts after Hawaii. Just cut it to the national average (COL adjusted), and that will free up $1b a year to be spent on transportation. Get rid of the prevailing wage laws, and our transportation money will go FAR further.
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