What is so great about living in/near Orlando? Who loves or hates it & WHY? (Miami: relocating)

[A2Mich]

Yes, some statements are generalized, but there are others that would concur, based on other threads I have read. My information was that Puerto Ricans, while being US citizens, paid no SS or Medicare taxes. Personally, I don't know if they are entitled to any federal aid or assistance of any kind, even when living on the mainland. My personal feeling is that they should not be entitled to any federal programs/aid/funding until they have worked and contributed so many quarters, dollar amount, etc. Either way, the fact does remain that the state of Florida gives Spanish-speaking individuals a lot of concessions that are not made to others. If we were to truly be fair, then every person in this nation would be fluent in Spanish, French, German, Greek, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc, so that no one would be "disadvantaged." My issue was with the state of Florida allowing so much change to suit one culture. I know that things are worse in Miami-Dade area, but simply giving in to minorities is not the answer. When people from a different ethnic background/culture/language can live, work, and play in a culture "foreign" (for lack of a better term) with "seamless integration", there is something inherently wrong with that, in my opinion. I would expect that if I moved to Russia, I would need to learn to read, write, and speak Russian, learn their culture, do what they do, etc. There is generally a certain degree of culture modification when one moves to a new place. Where I live, there is a fair Asian population. These people work hard, have learned the English language to integrate into our society (though it may be broken, they have made a good attempt), and are generally courteous to everyone. and understand that we Americans may not speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc. as they do. My experience in Florida was that many (not all) of the Puerto Rican population either did not speak English, would not learn English, or would get extremely upset that you didn't speak Spanish, because they didn't speak English. Of course there are many that do read, speak, and write English, but the sheer number of them that didn't should in no way make it right to offer so much in their native language. That was my whole point. I wasn't trying to imply that they all were that way, but there is a large percentage that is.

[Keeper]

Have you ever lived in a foreign country? I have and I will tell you Americans for the most part, think everyone should speak english and never even try to learn the language of the country they are in. In France, if you don't speak perfect french, they will ignore you. In Latin American countries they at least appreciate it if you try to speak spanish

I do agree, that everyone should at least try to speak 'english' when they live in the US and we as english speaking citizens, should be tolerant, if they don't speak it perfectly.

[A2Mich]

I have never lived in a foreign country, though have spent months at a time in Central America. I spoke very little Spanish. I was very appreciative when I found a local who spoke English, but had no right to be upset if I couldn't find one--after all, it was my fault I didn't speak their language. As Americans, I think most of us expect "everyone" to speak English everywhere, especially when that place is a tourist destination. Do I think it's right? Not at all. The reverse logic is true as well. As for tolerance for those who speak broken English--absolutely--at least they are making a hearty attempt. TOlerance for those who refuse to learn English--not one bit.

We should not be foreigners in our own land....and many times living in Central FLorida, you would feel that way.

[Betsey Lane]

Originally Posted by A2Mich

I have never lived in a foreign country, though have spent months at a time in Central America. I spoke very little Spanish. I was very appreciative when I found a local who spoke English, but had no right to be upset if I couldn't find one--after all, it was my fault I didn't speak their language. As Americans, I think most of us expect "everyone" to speak English everywhere, especially when that place is a tourist destination. Do I think it's right? Not at all. The reverse logic is true as well. As for tolerance for those who speak broken English--absolutely--at least they are making a hearty attempt. TOlerance for those who refuse to learn English--not one bit.

We should not be foreigners in our own land....and many times living in Central FLorida, you would feel that way.

We all know on "whose" backbone America was built. Correct? Speak for yourself! This is what makes America-America; the fact that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, even if it means swimming the Atlantic to get here! (whether you speak french, creole, spanish, polish, broken english and/or pig-latin! "YOUR" land is only what YOU pay taxes on SIR.

[A2Mich]

Originally Posted by Betsey Lane

We all know on "whose" backbone America was built. Correct? Speak for yourself! This is what makes America-America; the fact that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, even if it means swimming the Atlantic to get here! (whether you speak french, creole, spanish, polish, broken english and/or pig-latin! "YOUR" land is only what YOU pay taxes on SIR.

Indeed...America was built on the backbone of immigrants who came here with every right to pursue happiness 100%. But, those immigrants in the past adapted to the American way of life. They didn't expect America to adapt to them simply because they came here. Obviously, you didn't read what I wrote..you read what you wanted to read. For those who can't adapt to the American way of life, are more than welcome to return to where they came from. As I had stated previously, if you move to France, you're going to learn French very quickly...move to Germany, you're going to have to learn German....move to America??? Hell, we'll change everything so that foreigners don't have to conform to our ways...

[Betsey Lane]

Originally Posted by A2Mich

Indeed...America was built on the backbone of immigrants who came here with every right to pursue happiness 100%. But, those immigrants in the past adapted to the American way of life. They didn't expect America to adapt to them simply because they came here. Obviously, you didn't read what I wrote..you read what you wanted to read. For those who can't adapt to the American way of life, are more than welcome to return to where they came from. As I had stated previously, if you move to France, you're going to learn French very quickly...move to Germany, you're going to have to learn German....move to America??? Hell, we'll change everything so that foreigners don't have to conform to our ways...

You're the one that wrote it! Two key word; (expect and past). Unwilling to learn "our" language? Who cares? It is what it is!!!!!!

[Keeper]

Immigration is an issue in many areas of the US.. This thread's purpose is regarding Orlando and not immigration in general. There is a forum to devoted solely to these issues.

Now.. back to Orlando..

[A2Mich]

Originally Posted by Keeper

Immigration is an issue in many areas of the US.. This thread's purpose is regarding Orlando and not immigration in general. There is a forum to devoted solely to these issues.

Now.. back to Orlando..

Sure. I realize that the truth hurts many people's feelings...sorry!

As for DonnaLB's question---I think that most of the suburbs will be generally safe. The parts of Orlando that I consider extremely dangerous are generally just west of downtown. Most of the suburbs will be fine, though. While you do see a lot of crime on the local news, I don't feel the crime in Orlando is worse than any other city of comparable size, except for crime in the touristy areas. Sure you see crime on the local news....don't most news programs publicize the bad news more than anything else?

[Wilshire81182]

Originally Posted by A2Mich

Sure. I realize that the truth hurts many people's feelings...sorry!

As for DonnaLB's question---I think that most of the suburbs will be generally safe. The parts of Orlando that I consider extremely dangerous are generally just west of downtown. Most of the suburbs will be fine, though. While you do see a lot of crime on the local news, I don't feel the crime in Orlando is worse than any other city of comparable size, except for crime in the touristy areas. Sure you see crime on the local news....don't most news programs publicize the bad news more than anything else?

The news does try to sensationalize everything and build a fear or paranoia that some people buy into. They warn about a bad hurricane season prematurely; they talk about crime and negative aspects of society over positive events. I was in Boca yesterday and watched the West Palm Beach news to hear the typical stories of shootings, drug peddling and prostitution and home burglaries. It was often in WPB in a predictable area. In April I went to see my family in Portland for a week and saw the same thread of news stories and I know Portland is statistically a safer city than any in Florida. I like your opinion and think you offer more than sheer negativity, so I don't think you have anything to apologize for. I think people just have to be careful living in the city and things will probably get worse in Florida in these economic times than better unfortunately.

[A2Mich]

Really, the single largest problem that I had in Orlando was the relatively high cost of living versus the pay scale. Not everyone has a high paying white-collar job, most workers in the Orlando area are blue-collar workers, many of whom struggle to make ends meet. I think that Orlando is a beautiful city, for the most part. The hurricane issue had been blown way out of proportion, as 2004 was an exceptional year for hurricanes, but people need to understand that hurricanes do not normally hit 4 in one season like that. If the relatively high cost of living would strike a better balance with the relatively low pay scale, more people would be happier in Orlando, and I may not have left, if that were the case. My family and I would have probably never been able to buy a house, or not much of one, with the housing prices the way they were in 2005 and 2006, and that was with having two decent blue-collar jobs between my wife and I. I think what happened in Orlando is that so many people were moving to Orlando when it was cheaper, homes were selling so fast to many northerners who felt housing was a bargain. Greed then took over and spun out of control, pushing housing prices so high that the only people able to afford a home were the people relocating from up north. Many locals could no longer afford to buy a house based on wages. The other issue is that wages were ridiculously low due to, in large part, corporate greed. I always pick on Disney, as a prime example, so here goes. Disney has never paid any property taxes on all of the land they own, in a deal made with Orange and Osceola counties in the 1960's to encourage Disney to build and create jobs in Central Florida. Disney did just that....only they created a large percentage of minimum wage jobs (and still do to this day). In the past years, they have consistently posted record profits, paid millions to that jerk Michael Eisner (before he left---Roy Disney should have fired his butt a long time ago), cut benefits for their employees, continually raise ticket prices, overcharge for hotel rooms, food, and merchandise, and still keep many jobs at or near the minimum wage level. They have made their money many times over from the "rich tourists" who pay attraction/tourist prices, feeling that they are somewhat reasonable, and still maintain the low wages, which keeps the local job market in a near constant state of depression. Sure there are a lot of jobs in the Orlando area, but if you can make ends meet on $8-$10 an hour. The major problem in that Disney, SeaWorld, and other attractions not only pay low, but they keep the majority of other service jobs in the low-paying category as well, which hurts the entire economy. If there was a better balance between cost of living and the pay scale, I think that Orlando would be a better place to live, if you can deal with the very hot summers.