Pittsburgh's real problems (Washington, Beaver, Homer City: credit, tax, live in)

[505ci]

Originally Posted by VALT

1) there are billboards with pictures of coal miners and a headline saying "we power the nation" - which is scary considering that coal burning power plants are causing something like 40% of the global warming.

There is still a big blue collar mentality around here. It will take a while yet for that to fade away. Pittsburgh is still, for the most part, living in the past. Even though the unions are all but gone and its obvious that they did nothing but hurt the area in the long run, that mentality still has a stronghold here. Stupidity takes a long time to die off.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by 505ci

There is still a big blue collar mentality around here. It will take a while yet for that to fade away. Pittsburgh is still, for the most part, living in the past. Even though the unions are all but gone and its obvious that they did nothing but hurt the area in the long run, that mentality still has a stronghold here. Stupidity takes a long time to die off.

Hurt the area in the long run? Like how -- providing money to own a home with? Feed your kids with? Pay for those kids to go to college and have a better life than you?

Listen -- Unions were a necessity back when they got started. They were a good thing for long time. Right now, not so much. But wait -- the worm will turn.... and the need for unions will come back.

I'm already hearing about unionization over "right to work" issues -- you know the ones where your boss can tap you on the shoulder and say "outenzi" for no reason?

As a business owner, I understand the need to be competitive in the market place, and that I need to give my clients good service at a very fair price. As a human being, I also understand that I can't pay dirt to workers and expect them to do a good job.... but I can't tell you the janitorial companies that do that, because there's always more grunts out there to hire if this batch of grunts don't work out.

Trust me -- I've seen a few industries fall (steel and logging) -- if you're going to toss around the potshots, throw some at the greedy management, too -- just like in marriage -- when an industry fails it takes two to tango.

[vwscottie]

Originally Posted by VALT

I was a Pittsburgh booster before our move from VT, and remain one now that we are here, enjoying it very much and finding myself overwhelmed with things to do, but -

1) there are billboards with pictures of coal miners and a headline saying "we power the nation" - which is scary considering that coal burning power plants are causing something like 40% of the global warming

2) a related problem is the litter which the city does not seem to take as seriously as it could, given the fact that this would be the cheapest way to attract businesses and people to underdeveloped areas and show off its many parks, trees and historical buildings

Other problems like ethnic relations or lack of, might be worth noting, but the good seems to outweigh the bad.

What do you think?

I moved her last October, and in my near year here, some of my observations are:

1. Trash indeed. East Liberty is one of the best examples, especially on a weekend.

2. Traffic tie ups: at the most unbelievable times of the day, on the most unbelievable times of the week. I see more people just plain not paying attention in traffic holding things up than I do people driving out of control. I see people coming to a complete stop for no reason at all, particularly when there is construction and two lanes merge into one. People ignore the merge signs, stay in the lane untill the can't, come to a complete stop, which makes everyone else do so, and then merge. Half the time I'm in a tie up, I get to the point where everyone else was tied up and can't even begin to see why everyone was jammed up to begin with.

[jinxd_13]

Originally Posted by vwscottie

I moved her last October, and in my near year here, some of my observations are:

1. Trash indeed. East Liberty is one of the best examples, especially on a weekend.

2. Traffic tie ups: at the most unbelievable times of the day, on the most unbelievable times of the week. I see more people just plain not paying attention in traffic holding things up than I do people driving out of control. I see people coming to a complete stop for no reason at all, particularly when there is construction and two lanes merge into one. People ignore the merge signs, stay in the lane untill the can't, come to a complete stop, which makes everyone else do so, and then merge. Half the time I'm in a tie up, I get to the point where everyone else was tied up and can't even begin to see why everyone was jammed up to begin with.

Stopping is not good. My gast likes to goooooo.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by vwscottie

I moved her last October, and in my near year here, some of my observations are:

1. Trash indeed. East Liberty is one of the best examples, especially on a weekend.

2. Traffic tie ups: at the most unbelievable times of the day, on the most unbelievable times of the week. I see more people just plain not paying attention in traffic holding things up than I do people driving out of control. I see people coming to a complete stop for no reason at all, particularly when there is construction and two lanes merge into one. People ignore the merge signs, stay in the lane untill the can't, come to a complete stop, which makes everyone else do so, and then merge. Half the time I'm in a tie up, I get to the point where everyone else was tied up and can't even begin to see why everyone was jammed up to begin with.

LOL, it's called being polite. Seriously, when I have driven around Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, people stop like that usually to let someone else go ahead! If yo have your blinker on, people wave you over. I think Pittsburgh has some of the most polite and nicest drivers around. It took me some getting used to. Now I just add 5 minutes to my drive, turn up the music and enjoy!

[505ci]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Trust me -- I've seen a few industries fall (steel and logging) -- if you're going to toss around the potshots, throw some at the greedy management, too -- just like in marriage -- when an industry fails it takes two to tango.

I'm not trying to make potshots. Let me try to clarify how I feel. Yesterday I was having a conversation with my grandmother who's 78, pro-union, and a blue-blood Pittsburgher through and through. God bless her, but I just don't agree with her. Anyways, here's what she said that just about sums up my argument:

"So you think it's right that these CEO's make five hundred thousand dollars a year, and the workers make so much less?" My response: YES!

Greed is good. It prompts and promotes progress. Sorry, but that's just what I believe.

[505ci]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

LOL, it's called being polite. Seriously, when I have driven around Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, people stop like that usually to let someone else go ahead! If yo have your blinker on, people wave you over. I think Pittsburgh has some of the most polite and nicest drivers around. It took me some getting used to. Now I just add 5 minutes to my drive, turn up the music and enjoy!

I agree. Pittsburgh somehow gets a bad rep for driving. I get a kick out of so many locals ******ing about the traffic. It's not bad, it's not dangerous, the drivers are pretty polite. Pittsburgh drivers are the most over-cautious drivers I've ever seen. Try driving in Chicago, Jacksonville FL, or NYC. It makes driving in Pittsburgh seem like driving down your driveway.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by 505ci

"So you think it's right that these CEO's make five hundred thousand dollars a year, and the workers make so much less?" My response: YES!

Greed is good. It prompts and promotes progress. Sorry, but that's just what I believe.

I have no problem with CEO's making as much money as possible as long as the employees get their pensions. My husband lost his pension because the president drained the pension fund. All too often, top executives still get their money, but employees have to wait in line with other debt collectors for pensions that are rightfully theirs.

Bottom line: greed is good as long as it stays within the law.

[505ci]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Bottom line: greed is good as long as it stays within the law.

My point exactly. But that also applies to workers as well, and IMO many tactics used by unions to muscle companies borders on being illegal, at best.

I'm glad this stuff doesn't directly effect me, or I would go crazy living here. I've been in business for myself since I was 18 so I have no idea what it's like working for someone else. However, seems like every time I turn around I'm hearing people arguing about unions. Sure, unions have their place..but not here, and not now. If anything, time has taught us that they were detrimental to the region. Maybe if the unions didn't get so greedy around here, the industry that once was here wouldn't have gone down south, then to Mexico, and finally to China.

You can't blame the companies either. If you were in business you'd do the same thing. They had a choice to stay here and lose money, or lower their overhead and outsource, which made them more profits and allowed them to compete better.

If there's one thing I've learned from being in business, it's that you can't let anyone or anything get in the way of your bottom line. At the end of the day, it's all about profits. The unions couldn't / wouldn't play ball with the companies, so the companies said "eph you, we're going elsewhere". Sad, but true. That's just the nature of Capitalism. Business is business so they say, and nobody's entitled to anything.

[Hopes]

My father was an upper level executive for one of Pittsburgh's major corporations.

He believed it was important to treat employees fairly to keep unions out.

Originally Posted by 505ci

That's just the nature of Capitalism. Business is business so they say, and nobody's entitled to anything.

People are entitled to the money they paid into their own pensions and the profits that resulted from their investment too.