Do you think Philly is getting better or worse?

[Toure]

How can Philly attract more jobs? What does the city have to do? Is it just because the taxes?

[jtom605]

Originally Posted by pman

germantown may or may not be worse but it began its decline in the 60's not 25 years ago. the corrupt political leadership and non-profits certainly haven't helped but I don't know that you can say it's gotten worse in the last ten years. no matter how you slice it, germantown was awful, teachers beaten, girls raped in stairwells, etc. it wasnt turning around any time soon, shutting it down is progress.
test score wise it did hit rock bottom 12 years ago, financially it's today. the district has been bleeding students or decades and not shutting schools fast enough so I don't think your doubts are well founded. it's possible that it will stay at rock bottom but it isn't getting worse. in fact, there are more schools people want to send their kids to now than ten years ago.

"Shutting it down is progress." No. The kids who did the horrible things you mention are still around. All of them will become angels by switching to a different school? This is a convoluted sense of progress that would be admired by the most skillful propagandist.

You're saying Germantown HS couldn't be turned around. Why not just shut down all of the schools in poor neighborhoods because they can't be turned around? In fact, why not just shut down the whole district because so many schools have been deemed violent, academically poor, and physically decrepit? All in the name of progress of course!

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by jtom605

You're saying Germantown HS couldn't be turned around. Why not just shut down all of the schools in poor neighborhoods because they can't be turned around? In fact, why not just shut down the whole district because so many schools have been deemed violent, academically poor, and physically decrepit? All in the name of progress of course!

I know you're being facetious but this is exactly what is happening. Look at New Orleans-In the immediate aftermath of Katrina the school district was dismantled and Government contracts were handed out to privatize the schools. Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" documents this practice of privatization all across the globe.

Not saying I agree with it in anyway shape or form, but privatization is The American Way (heavily subsidized by unlimited cashflow from the common taxpayer of course) and Education as we have begun to see is no exception. Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, War, Prisons, Airport Security. Hell, Governor Corbett wanted to make the Lottery privatized. (And to think these drones in Government stole the original idea for the lottery or "numbers" from the Italian Mafia when they made the practice illegal).
Capitalism breeds Collusion.

I just hope air and water rights are never fully privatized.
The Race to Buy Up the World's Water - Newsweek and The Daily Beast

[foo cities]

Downtown is getting better along with some of the neighborhoods. Alot of neighborhoods are getting worse, especially if all its schools in a particular neighborhood are ordered to close down.