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That's because people don't go to the state for money, they go to churches. And, because Christianity has instilled a feeling of guilt, most of the neighbors think they're obligated to help.
Might you be confusing Christian guilt with Christian charity? Regardless, it would seem to belie the notion that ND is unfriendly.
You're right about that, no question... but you also have to realize that ND as a whole is a welfare state... if NJ's taxes were reduced by half and ND's were doubled (NJ gets about 60 cents on the dollar for money paid to the US Gov't, ND gets over 2 dollars back for every dollar), would the cultures change? While I don't think they'd necessarily flip flop... it's a lot easier to be generous when money's available, a lot harder to complain when you aren't being squeezed for every penny.
Again though, I tend to agree, the midwest as a whole has far less of an entitlement attitude when compared to either coast... drives me bonkers here in NJ honestly.
so I've noticed that from time to time, you and others have given an amount that ranges from $1.30-something to over $2. so I finally had enough and looked it up. You're dead-on with NJ but since the mid 80's, ND averages around $1.60-something and rarely drops out of the top 5.
I doubt the cultures would change. ND is very image-based. Most of the people I know try to hide that they need assistance. Shaking down your community for money via donations is ok, but getting it from a govt source is looked down on (god forbid you're unpopular and no one donates). But many people here ARE on some sort of assistance. They're usually just too ashamed to admit to it or their assistance is through a private institution (the food shelters in the FM area are regularly begging for donations because they can barely keep up with need).
If things did switch, ND would just become too poor to maintain itself and its citizens would just keep working 2-3 part-time jobs and putting everything on credit cards (that are hiding the EBT card) just like some of them already do. ND definitely doesn't have an entitlement issue, but it does have an issue with admitting when something isn't right.
so I've noticed that from time to time, you and others have given an amount that ranges from $1.30-something to over $2. so I finally had enough and looked it up. You're dead-on with NJ but since the mid 80's, ND averages around $1.60-something and rarely drops out of the top 5.
I doubt the cultures would change. ND is very image-based. Most of the people I know try to hide that they need assistance. Shaking down your community for money via donations is ok, but getting it from a govt source is looked down on (god forbid you're unpopular and no one donates). But many people here ARE on some sort of assistance. They're usually just too ashamed to admit to it or their assistance is through a private institution (the food shelters in the FM area are regularly begging for donations because they can barely keep up with need).
If things did switch, ND would just become too poor to maintain itself and its citizens would just keep working 2-3 part-time jobs and putting everything on credit cards (that are hiding the EBT card) just like some of them already do. ND definitely doesn't have an entitlement issue, but it does have an issue with admitting when something isn't right.
I wonder what the figures would be without farm subsidies and the reservations?
Now, South Dakota and Arizona have much more rez land, and a higher native population, than ND. Heck, MN has more of both and its one of the top losers (#5 giver). SD gets just a little less than ND. AZ is somewhere in the middle. Reservations, in the amount that we have, are not the problem.
Subsidies are possibly part of it. ND isn't even in the top 5 agriculture states, but its two most valuable crops are wheat and sugarbeets. Corn, also heavily subsidized, gained much popularity with the ethanol craze. But Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska are three of the top five Ag states (after Texas and California) and rely heavily on crops and are not even in the top 10 receivers.
So if we can't blame the natives, and we can't really blame the farms, why are we getting so much money? Heck, ND is one of the only states with a growing surplus and it doesn't even want to fix the roads or build permanent dikes to prevent flooding. Its the top state for underemployment and the lowest for teacher-pay. Maybe north dakotans need a little more sense of entitlement.
Wasn't saying that the reservations or agriculture was the culprit, I was just speculating. The Corps of Engineers aspect is interesting. I suspect having 2 military bases in a sparsely populated state is also a factor.
In a town of 450 people that already had a cafe/coffeeshop, these guys decided to start another one. A town that size is lucky to be able to keep a cafe going, but no way would there be enough business to keep 2 going.
The problem is there was enough business. One ( the friend of the mayor) just wanted more. And. the pop if around 600 at last count, but falling. The city makes things hard for anyone moving in. There seems to be some thing going on with the city government. Whenever any position opens within the city government, it is fillede by a relative of the mayor or a very close family friend. I can see favortizisn, but it is very obvious that the total control is important for some reason.
I wonder what the figures would be without farm subsidies and the reservations?
Highway funding is a HUGE one, too. We get back many times more than what we contribute because of our large number of miles of state & federal highways. Trucks pay a fee per mile travelled in the states they drive thru...it comes from the registration fees & fuel taxes.
Military spending is another area where we receive quite a lot of federal dollars.
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