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Imagine the state you live in is loosing population at such a rate, the only way to stop the loss, is you're forced to be a sanctuary state for illegals. That's how you keep your population up.
Imagine your property taxes just TRIPLED! example: You were paying $1000 a year, and now you're paying $3000 a year.
Imagine you have the worst roads and bridges in the Country. (Manhole covers 4" below grade, pot holes everywhere.) plus you pay more per mile for road maintenance than anywhere in the Country.
Imagine your state is run by unions, and still you have the worst schools and infrastructure in the region.
Imagine you pay more for fire protection than anywhere in the Country by double, a Fireman can easily earn $100,000 in over time pay!
Imagine your state has double the state workers as a neighboring state, that is 8 times the size, and double the population.
This what Progressive Democratic control has brought us. We are little Greece.
I've been to Arizona many times, some of you have no idea what you have.
Wow Rhode Island has really gone downhill, I grew up in Boston but left the area when I was 25 and moved to Florida because housing was so expensive in that area. I remember getting my tattoo in Rhode Island when I was 14 because tatoos were illegal in Massachusetts.
Cmon down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We're near the bottom of many quality of life metrics (education quality, child poverty, poverty in general, educational attainment). We make negative national news often because of our politics. We almost lost the Super Bowl because of the legislature and our "conservative politics." We lost numerous conventions and numerous people boycotted our state because of our "conservative politics." Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
"(education quality, child poverty, poverty in general, educational attainment)"
Well, if you discount Arizona's high Illegal population, which has the highest teen birth rate of any group, Arizona would be doing fantastic wrt education, child poverty and welfare. Teen pregnancies=High drop out rate=Poverty
As an Independent I would prefer to have a state that has enough Red to cancel out the blue. The last thing we need is to become a Baltimore, Detroit, St. Luis or some other Democrat success story.
"(education quality, child poverty, poverty in general, educational attainment)"
Well, if you discount Arizona's high Illegal population, which has the highest teen birth rate of any group, Arizona would be doing fantastic wrt education, child poverty and welfare. Teen pregnancies=High drop out rate=Poverty
As an Independent I would prefer to have a state that has enough Red to cancel out the blue. The last thing we need is to become a Baltimore, Detroit, St. Luis or some other Democrat success story.
Fantastic isn't a word I would use, maybe middling or mediocre? Sure.
As it stands we spend around 7k/pupil here in Arizona placing us 49/50 ahead of only Idaho who spends around 6500/pupil. Given that we have greater educational concerns than a lot of states due to the need for a ESL program, 7k doesn't scratch the surface like it might in Idaho. With Louisiana being the median state in spending/pupil at around 10500 we are underfunding our schools while as you mentioned our schools face some unique pressures
As for university education, which contrary so some opinion here is an important tool for diversifying an economy.
We stand only with Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Washington and Nevada for states that have more than doubled the cost of average instate tuition for public universities in the last ten years. Amongst that group only Washington has a higher tuition rate for their Universities. Tuition and Fees by Sector and State over Time - Trends in Higher Education - The College Board
According to the report below, Arizona consistently ranks between terrible and below average in every quanitifiable measure when it comes to education, to push it away like we don't have a problem is the apathy that has created the problem. http://arizonaindicators.org/sites/d...ol5-issue3.pdf
Quote:
Over time, Arizona’s ranks among the states have dropped significantly for educational attainment. In 1940, Arizona ranked tied for 11th on the percentage with at least a high school diploma and fourth on the share with at least a bachelor’s degree. While each of the 10 western states have experienced a deterioration in their educational attainment relative to the nation, only Nevada (and California on the measure of high school diploma or more) has had a relative
decline greater than in Arizona. Florida and Oklahoma are the only other states with a significant drop in ranks. In contrast, educational attainment relative to other states improved significantly in several states, with the greatest gain in Minnesota
Quote:
Of the seven metro areas in Arizona, Phoenix is by far the largest, ranking 12th nationally with nearly 1.6 million workers in 2011-13. Its 33.7 percent of workers with at least a bachelor’s degree was considerably less than the 41.1 percent average of the metro areas with at least 1 million workers. Of the 21 metros of this size, only Riverside and Tampa had a lower share with atleast a bachelor’s degree; Phoenix ranked 39th among the 50 largest metros.
The Tucson area is the only other sizable metro area in Arizona, with 331,000 workers in 2011-13. Its educational attainment also was below the average of metros of similar size: 33.1 percent with at least a bachelor’s degree versus 36.5 percent. The below-average shares in the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas are inconsistent with the above-average share of university students in each metro area
The most easily identifiable explanation for the bolded point above is Arizona's infamous brain drain, which is compounded with the lapse in high paying work when compared to it's peers. We have a disproportionately large share of College Students, but a low share of College Graduates, this points to 2 problems, 1. They are leaving for greener pastures or 2. They aren't graduating at all.
As for the economy, from 1990-2003 Arizona's economy was among the stronger in the nation which contrasted the cheap COL providing for a high quality of life, we have yet to see our wages and employment return to the levels we saw back then. The largest net increase in work that we have seen in Phoenix from that time period and especially since the recession has been a reduction in the Information Sector, Engineer and Professional Services with a sharp increase in Tourism, Hospitality and Food Industries.
There has to be a time when we acknowledge that this state has been mismanaged for years, for those that come here and tell those who have been here longer than them that they should move are simply misinformed. And then to blame the illegal immigrant population for our ills in insincere, we have had a reduction in immigrant population
Quote:
In the city of Phoenix, the ranks of immigrant children came in at 167,000 in 2011 down from 207,000 in 2009 and 211,000 in 2007.
We have seen a decline in immigrant children, yet have seen a precipitous decline in the areas identified as the culprits of our declining quality of life. Strangely from 2000-2012 we have actually lost a chunk of per capita immigrant population relative to other states. In 2000 we went from the State with the 9th most immigrants to the State with the 11th most in 2012 with evidence pointing to a severe slowdown of immigrants choosing to call Arizona home. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Rises in 7 States, Falls in 14 | Pew Research Center
At the end of the day we need to call a spade a spade, our State leaderships (regardless of political ideology) has let us down, this is evident across the State. Your individual political beliefs aren't impacted by this, it's simply a fact that we are trailing our peer states and we deserve much better, there is nothing wrong with being a conservative state, but we aren't among the better in this category. And as I mentioned earlier, we don't even have a 'Conservative' Economy, our resources are centralized and managed, we required large amount of federal dollars to even exist in the first place (CAP, Bureau of Reclamation and the Colorado River Compact).
This braindead thread is an embarrassment for AZ, but would be perfect over in the P&OC forum. People there confuse a rant with a conservation all the time.
Location: The edge of the world and all of Western civilization
984 posts, read 1,194,119 times
Reputation: 1691
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeneR
To bad universities don't advise students majoring in such things as multiculturalism, women's studies, sociology, etc. that the market for these skills is extremely tight. However, they (colleges and universities) are also capitalists and don't want to discourage any student (customer) from spending big bucks for their product, useful or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat
I was a fresh-faced junior in high school when I decided I wanted to major in Anthropology. Sadly, my parents were not on board with that idea.
40 years later I had a chance to talk at length with two professors of anthropology at San Jose State who were my age. I got to see what my life might have been like had I gotten my wish.
Academia would not have suited me, I know now, and I would have made a poor teacher and a lousy faculty lounge politician.
Young people who are thinking of majoring in women's studies or multiculturalism should seek out their future selves and take a clear-eyed view of their lives. It could be the single most important thing they ever do.
I don't know if either of these comments could be more wrong. Sure, if someone focuses specifically on that field they'll limit themselves, but they can still use them in a more abstract yet related way. I mean, I majored in English and while in school/right after graduation it was either "you're going to be a teacher" or jokingly that I'd be managing a 7-11. I didn't graduate that long ago, but since then I've worked in education, publishing, communications and marketing... all of which I can do with my degree (plus more), and was even able to live and work internationally because of it. In general, I've earned more than the average income in any city I've worked in when in those fields too. The difference though is that I learned what to do to cast a wider net.
As I write resumes as a little side business, I can tell you, without fail, the biggest issue in people is how they see themselves. This is college educated or not, as I've worked on resumes for both. In terms of college degrees, people either identify too closely with that degree or allow others to identify them with that degree as they see it. On my end, it can be so frustrating that I limit how many resumes I'm willing to write for people (1-2 per month because I really don't need the extra income). In any case, people don't think about what else they can do with their degrees or work experience. Just recently I was working with someone who desperately wanted to change industries so he could earn more money, but the information he provided me was so narrow that it seemed he wanted to stay in that industry but work at a different company (though he really wouldn't make much more). Likewise, I know an anthropology major in the Bay Area who does quite well, but she doesn't work directly in that field, which brings me to my point: people can't or won't see transferable skills in their education or in what they already do in addition to the skills they already have, or if they'd take the time, extra skills they could learn.
This braindead thread is an embarrassment for AZ, but would be perfect over in the P&OC forum. People there confuse a rant with a conservation all the time.
This is an example of a pot calling a kettle black.
I wouldn't believe in any state study that tries to throw other places under the bus to justify its own problems and where did their information even come from.
Imagine the state you live in is loosing population at such a rate, the only way to stop the loss, is you're forced to be a sanctuary state for illegals. That's how you keep your population up.
Imagine your property taxes just TRIPLED! example: You were paying $1000 a year, and now you're paying $3000 a year.
Imagine you have the worst roads and bridges in the Country. (Manhole covers 4" below grade, pot holes everywhere.) plus you pay more per mile for road maintenance than anywhere in the Country.
Imagine your state is run by unions, and still you have the worst schools and infrastructure in the region.
Imagine you pay more for fire protection than anywhere in the Country by double, a Fireman can easily earn $100,000 in over time pay!
Imagine your state has double the state workers as a neighboring state, that is 8 times the size, and double the population.
This what Progressive Democratic control has brought us. We are little Greece.
I've been to Arizona many times, some of you have no idea what you have.
Well it depends on who the OP describes as being stupid. The Ted Nugent types think Harvard educated high income earning individuals are stooopid because they are a "bunch of dum liberuls" So sure, if you are one of those types, you will think Arizona keeps out"dumb people"
If you are like me and are educated, high earning, well traveled and well read, you will think our state is attracting the wrong type of people. It's almost designed to attract the Ted Nugent gun toting, raised truck driving, blue collar individuals. The state doesn't invest in education. They embrace anti-gay and immigrant rhetoric. They try to minimize abortion and other reproductive rights. They would rather keep property taxes low to keep cookie cutter houses cheap so they can attract call center and low wage earners than cut income tax to lure high earning white collar professionals.
The ironic thing is this could change if the voter apathy wasn't so high in this state. I know many physicians, engineers, lawyers and other professionals in this state and the vast majority of them moved from outside of Arizona. They don't vote. They don't participate in local politics. They scoff at the same things in the paper as everyone else yet do nothing about it. They are too busy to care or personally invest in the local political process. They are socially liberal. They don't endorse Arpaio or the backward 1070 and 1060 policies. If they and others voted, guys like Ducey wouldn't win the governorship.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 08-08-2015 at 08:44 AM..
Well it depends on who the OP describes as being stupid. The Ted Nugent types think Harvard educated high income earning individuals are stooopid because they are a "bunch of dum liberuls" So sure, if you are one of those types, you will think Arizona keeps out"dumb people"
If you are like me and are educated, high earning, well traveled and well read, you will think our state is attracting the wrong type of people. It's almost designed to attract the Ted Nugent gun toting, raised truck driving, blue collar individuals. The state doesn't invest in education. They embrace anti-gay and immigrant rhetoric. They try to minimize abortion and other reproductive rights. They would rather keep property taxes low to keep cookie cutter houses cheap so they can attract call center and low wage earners than cut income tax to lure high earning white collar professionals.
The ironic thing is this could change if the voter apathy wasn't so high in this state. I know many physicians, engineers, lawyers and other professionals in this state and the vast majority of them moved from outside of Arizona. They don't vote. They don't participate in local politics. They scoff at the same things in the paper as everyone else yet do nothing about it. They are too busy to care or personally invest in the local political process. They are socially liberal. They don't endorse Arpaio or the backward 1070 and 1060 policies. If they and others voted, guys like Ducey wouldn't win the governorship.
Don't see any problem with that.
Rather be in a State were my dollar goes further, than work so hard just to have the "Prestige" of working in a big city that is a Rat Race day in and day out.
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