Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Nebraska ranks in the top ten best states for unemployment, cost of living, high school graduation rate, teen pregnancy, livability, well-being, etc. There are far worse places to live in this country than Nebraska.
Nebraska ranks in the top ten best states for unemployment, cost of living, high school graduation rate, teen pregnancy, livability, well-being, etc. There are far worse places to live in this country than Nebraska.
I agree that there are far worse places to live, but there are also far better places to live.
I'm retired so unemployment rates don't mean much to me. Cost of living is good. High school graduation rates are much lower now then they were 10 years ago or 30 years ago. When I graduated from high school in 71 we had a 100% graduation rate. I don't know about livability, it's getting tougher and tougher to live here. Well-being is OK here.
I agree that there are far worse places to live, but there are also far better places to live.
I'm retired so unemployment rates don't mean much to me. Cost of living is good. High school graduation rates are much lower now then they were 10 years ago or 30 years ago. When I graduated from high school in 71 we had a 100% graduation rate. I don't know about livability, it's getting tougher and tougher to live here. Well-being is OK here.
I've looked at moving to Nebraska in the past and I thought the taxes were high overall. If I'm going to pay higher taxes and live in the Midwest I would pick Minnesota and Wisconsin every time due to the outdoor amenities and lakes alone.
Nebraska is becoming a horrible state to live in. The legislature voted down minimum wage, Equality in the workplace and Medicaid expansion to name a few things.
I recently heard that Nebraska has one of the country's lowest unemployment rates. That seems to make it a great state to live in.
You know what happens when you have a low unemployment rate? The same thing that happened in Williston, North Dakota. The baseline wages for everything go up regardless of the minimum wage, as companies compete for the workers that are available. Do your research. See my attached picture, for one example. $17/hour starting wage at Wal-Mart in Williston. North Dakota's minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Seems that minimum wage is irrelevant when demand exceeds supply, and the only time it ever comes into play is when supply exceeds demand! Minimum wages violate Economics 101 and that's why any politician with half a brain won't support a minimum wage hike.
Equality in the workplace? As a previous poster said, approving that would open up the state and its businesses to more lawsuits... and that's never good for business. The better idea is for people to leave their lifestyles at home and never bring them up in an employment setting. Let's face it... certain lifestyles will skeeve certain people. That has been and will always be the case. Putting more rules and regulations on employers will make them not want to be in business anymore... which will not be good for Nebraska and its legislators know this. There are employers out there, in this country, and probably in Nebraska too, who don't give a rip about your lifestyle. You can be gay, straight, bestial, transgender, a cross-dresser, polygamous, etc. and they won't care - you'll still have a job. If you lead an "alternative lifestyle" and you work for an employer who can't stand "alternative lifestyles", do you REALLY want to be working for that person? I doubt you would. Therefore, consider it a good thing that they haven't put in more equality laws.
After all, here's a hypothetical. Let's say that you're gay, and there's an employer in Nebraska who hates gay people. You work for this person, he finds out you're gay at the same time as you find out that he hates gay people, and he fires you. In Nebraska, you can easily find another job because that state has very low unemployment. But what if he couldn't fire you for being gay? Now you're working for a guy whom you have discovered hates gay people, but he can't fire you for being gay. Since he hates gay people, wouldn't you quit of your own volition? I know I would if I were in that situation. The end result is still that you don't work for this person and would ultimately go to work for an employer who is more gay-friendly. So why complain?
Medicaid expansion? Yeah, a WONDERFUL idea. Let's provide more free healthcare for people who can't afford healthcare. That is NOT the answer and Nebraska knows it. The answer is to MAKE HEALTHCARE AFFORDABLE. Medicaid expansion says "You can't pay $900 to have that diseased tooth removed? We'll pay that bill for you". Instead what should happen is that the system should be changed such that it doesn't cost almost a thousand freaking dollars to get a tooth removed. Get the government and the lawyers out of healthcare and I guarantee you that you will see the prices for health care treatments of all kinds plummet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Garthur
I just heard that Nebraska is the second highest taxed state in the country. That's saying something with California and New York out there.
The plan was to move out of Nebraska when I retired, well, I retired and I'm still here. Duh!
Nebraska is nowhere near the second-highest taxed state in the country. That honor belongs to either New York or New Jersey, depending upon whose survey you read.
That little chart there is why I'm hesitant to move from my present location in Eastern South Dakota to Nebraska or Iowa, though the property taxes are a bit lower where I'm looking at in Iowa, the state income tax and car registration fees take a huge chunk away.
Basically the taxes keep me in South Dakota, and South Dakota requires a 2/3 legislative majority to pass a tax increase, so I'm fairly certain there will be no state income tax in the state for a while.
I haven't driven through Nebraska much to see if you can see where the tax money from the state income tax is going, but having driven through Iowa, I can tell you all the tax money goes to Des Moines, it's not spread out to the rest of the state much. Lots of run down towns and beat up roads in the rural parts of the state, in fact I'd argue South Dakota's rural roads are in BETTER shape from what I've seen. Seems like in Iowa towns must depend on their property tax revenue, and towns that have a good job base and manage to maintain somewhat of a growth rate can be nice, such as Spencer which is a nice town.
On the other hand, Minnesota's small towns and rural roads are quite a bit nicer even if they are just really small with not much growth.. I can see that the state income tax money there gets a little better distributed. Same with Wisconsin.
Nebraska is nowhere near the second-highest taxed state in the country. That honor belongs to either New York or New Jersey, depending upon whose survey you read.
Sorry, I corrected myself in a previous post. Nebraska isn't the 2nd highest taxed state, Nebraska is the third highest taxed state. Only California and New York state are higher. New Jersey has lower taxes.
I haven't driven through Nebraska much to see if you can see where the tax money from the state income tax is going, but having driven through Iowa, I can tell you all the tax money goes to Des Moines, it's not spread out to the rest of the state much. Lots of run down towns and beat up roads in the rural parts of the state, in fact I'd argue South Dakota's rural roads are in BETTER shape from what I've seen. Seems like in Iowa towns must depend on their property tax revenue, and towns that have a good job base and manage to maintain somewhat of a growth rate can be nice, such as Spencer which is a nice town.
I have lived in Nebraska my whole life (60 years) and I have no idea where they spend all that tax revenue money. Last year, the state posted the highest surplus of money in the state coffers then ever before. The governor had said that he wanted to kick back some of it to the tax payers, but it never happened.
On the bright side the state won't be going bankrupt anytime soon.
Sorry, I corrected myself in a previous post. Nebraska isn't the 2nd highest taxed state, Nebraska is the third highest taxed state. Only California and New York state are higher. New Jersey has lower taxes.
However, consider that if you're making this study's average income of $65,596 and has a $174,600 home, you're living like a king in Nebraska whereas you're probably barely getting by in any area of New York where you're going to be able to make that kind of money. When adjusted for wages and cost of living, Nebraska doesn't come close.
If Nebraska was that bad, Warren Buffett would've moved out long ago. Surely he can afford to do so. Yet he doesn't. What does that tell you?
I recently heard that Nebraska has one of the country's lowest unemployment rates. That seems to make it a great state to live in.
You know what happens when you have a low unemployment rate? The same thing that happened in Williston, North Dakota. The baseline wages for everything go up regardless of the minimum wage, as companies compete for the workers that are available. Do your research. See my attached picture, for one example. $17/hour starting wage at Wal-Mart in Williston. North Dakota's minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Seems that minimum wage is irrelevant when demand exceeds supply, and the only time it ever comes into play is when supply exceeds demand! Minimum wages violate Economics 101 and that's why any politician with half a brain won't support a minimum wage hike.
Equality in the workplace? As a previous poster said, approving that would open up the state and its businesses to more lawsuits... and that's never good for business. The better idea is for people to leave their lifestyles at home and never bring them up in an employment setting. Let's face it... certain lifestyles will skeeve certain people. That has been and will always be the case. Putting more rules and regulations on employers will make them not want to be in business anymore... which will not be good for Nebraska and its legislators know this. There are employers out there, in this country, and probably in Nebraska too, who don't give a rip about your lifestyle. You can be gay, straight, bestial, transgender, a cross-dresser, polygamous, etc. and they won't care - you'll still have a job. If you lead an "alternative lifestyle" and you work for an employer who can't stand "alternative lifestyles", do you REALLY want to be working for that person? I doubt you would. Therefore, consider it a good thing that they haven't put in more equality laws.
After all, here's a hypothetical. Let's say that you're gay, and there's an employer in Nebraska who hates gay people. You work for this person, he finds out you're gay at the same time as you find out that he hates gay people, and he fires you. In Nebraska, you can easily find another job because that state has very low unemployment. But what if he couldn't fire you for being gay? Now you're working for a guy whom you have discovered hates gay people, but he can't fire you for being gay. Since he hates gay people, wouldn't you quit of your own volition? I know I would if I were in that situation. The end result is still that you don't work for this person and would ultimately go to work for an employer who is more gay-friendly. So why complain?
Medicaid expansion? Yeah, a WONDERFUL idea. Let's provide more free healthcare for people who can't afford healthcare. That is NOT the answer and Nebraska knows it. The answer is to MAKE HEALTHCARE AFFORDABLE. Medicaid expansion says "You can't pay $900 to have that diseased tooth removed? We'll pay that bill for you". Instead what should happen is that the system should be changed such that it doesn't cost almost a thousand freaking dollars to get a tooth removed. Get the government and the lawyers out of healthcare and I guarantee you that you will see the prices for health care treatments of all kinds plummet.
Nebraska is nowhere near the second-highest taxed state in the country. That honor belongs to either New York or New Jersey, depending upon whose survey you read.
Your whole comment about Williston is just utterly clueless. North Dakota's current wages in the Bakken area have to do with the fact that they are DEVELOPING a major economic resource, it has nothing to do with a low unemployment. Such Libertarian minded BS. What Nebraska needs to do is development its resources, WIND, SOLAR, LEGAL MARIJUANA, TOURISM and fit them into Nebraska's economy in such a way that would increase the state's TAX REVENUE.
Now, if you don't adjust for average wages, you might find it to be #3:
]
However, consider that if you're making this study's average income of $65,596 and has a $174,600 home, you're living like a king in Nebraska whereas you're probably barely getting by in any area of New York where you're going to be able to make that kind of money. When adjusted for wages and cost of living, Nebraska doesn't come close.
If Nebraska was that bad, Warren Buffett would've moved out long ago. Surely he can afford to do so. Yet he doesn't. What does that tell you?
I thought we were talking about taxes, not income and living standard. Living standard here in Nebraska is one of the best in the country, but our taxes are still one of the highest in the country.
Warren Buffett only declares 100K earnings a year. Most people don't know this, He doesn't make any more then I do. Only declared income is taxed and net worth is not income. Net worth is not taxed. The truly rich pay very little taxes, it's the high income earners that pay taxes. Every time I hear some uninformed person say we need to tax the 1%'s it's just a laugh a min.
I personally know 3 other people that live here in Nebraska that show their home state as South Dakota to escape the taxes. It's easy to do, just buy some property up there and have all you're mail sent there, after 6 months it's your state.
The question is why are you defending Nebraska? If you live here, you know I'm right.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
