Why does Baltimore get treated like the "red-headed stepchild" of the East Coast? (Columbia: credit, neighborhood)

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by SouthjettyBill

Yeah, it's the African American, leftist politics that doomed Baltimore. Yeah, liberalism devestated San Francisco, CA, Austin TX, and other similiar places, too. Yo dude, keep that ridiculous conservative nonsense to your half-retarded pundits.

Not too many Black people in San Francisco and Austin, it's the combination Black and Dem.

To the others:

Philly actually suffers from being sandwiched between NY(financial) and DC (politics) more than Baltimore. Philly used to be THE CITY in the country. Philly has the inferiority complex. Lets face it, Baltimore was never a premier city for anything. I mean no disrespect, but it never had the status of Boston, Philly, New York and Washington.......or even Charleston, SC

I don't know what you are talking about. Your emotion is immaterial do you have any evidence anecdotal or otherwise to back up your claim. Philadelphia was for the longest time the third largest city in America and is in its own right a thriving metro area since the founding of this country. Baltimore used to enjoy this status as well, not any longer. Last I checked the downtown office vacancy rate was 20% in Downtown Baltimore.

And.......Philly is WAY WORSE than Baltimore.... Take a drive through West and East Baltimore and then come on up to Philly and drive through THE WHOLE DAMN CITY......and compare notes.

I disagree, Philly's downtown is a lot more vibrant. It pales to DC and NYC but it's better than Baltimore's downtown.

Philly's population has been declining for decades. I haven't seen these 2010 census stats, but if they say there is population growth in Philly, ha, then something fishy happened there. People run from Philly, and please don't any Psuedo, New Age, Center City, Philadelphia types wax poetic about the two block stretch that they feel safe on.....Please.....

.

How can you comment on something you haven't seen? You sound silly. Philly gained population as did DC and New York. Baltimore has lost population. These are facts.

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by rfp

Apparently most Bostonians and New Yorkers subscribe to far left politics as well:

• The last Republican mayor of Boston was elected in 1926. Every mayor of Boston since 1926 has been a Democrat.
• New York has had just two Republican mayors since 1914 (Fiorello H. La Guardia and Giuliani). Bloomberg last ran as an independent.

So Baltimore's problems are due to the Democratic party? Get real.

In Boston's case the sober state citizens outside of Boston were able to save Boston from itself. Otherwise the picture would be much worse than Baltimore.

Yes the Dems are to blame for Baltimore's problems. However it has more to do with the dominant ideology of local Dems than the mere fact they are Dems.

As for NYC it turned around precisely when it kicked out Dem mayors and adopted more common sense leadership that didn't pander to the rabble.

How Property Taxes and the 'Curley Effect' Are Killing Baltimore - WSJ.com

But Baltimore's high property taxes have repelled investment in physical capital for decades. As that capital decayed and became scarce, labor became less productive and less prosperous. In 1950, the city's median family income was 7% above the national average. Today it is 22% below it. And it won't be easy to undo this damage as long as City Hall remains in the hands of politicos who are committed to a fatally flawed business plan.

Other noteworthy victims of the "Curley effect" have been rescued via statewide referenda. Boston, for example, was in worse shape than Baltimore back in 1980: Its population had fallen more in the preceding three decades (30% as opposed to 17%), its per capita income was 2% lower, and its crime rate was 42% higher. Then, in 1980, Massachusetts voters adopted Proposition 2½, forcing Boston to cut property taxes by an estimated 75% within two years and capping future annual increases at 2.5%.

It was the kind of reform Boston needed but wouldn't have chosen itself (akin to California's earlier Prop 13, which revived cities like San Francisco and Oakland). Businesses and residents flocked back to Beantown. Its population rose 10% between 1980 and today, while its per capita income is now 43% higher and its crime rate 25% lower than Baltimore's.

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by PhenomenalAJ

Yes compared to those strong bastions of conservatism DC, NYC, Philly and Boston

There's not a single major city in America that is not liberal. Baltimore is on the way up because of people priced out of DC moving in.

Dems and Black that's the key. Dems in a non-Black environment maybe able to thrive somewhat since the population isn't too far gone. They tend to be more educated and still have a firm belief in free enterprise. Many non-Black Dems are simply liberals for social reasons.

Black Dems hold too many grievances and perceive themselves to be victims of nefarious white people. It's very poisoned thinking and makes the community susceptible to charlatans and the Curley effect I posted above. Listen to the Larry Young show sometime and hear the callers who call in.

Sorry it is what it is. The liberal cities you cite have seen their black populations drop btw.

[PhenomenalAJ]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

Dems and Black that's the key. Dems in a non-Black environment maybe able to thrive somewhat since the population isn't too far gone. They tend to be more educated and still have a firm belief in free enterprise. Many non-Black Dems are simply liberals for social reasons.

Black Dems hold too many grievances and perceive themselves to be victims of nefarious white people. It's very poisoned thinking and makes the community susceptible to charlatans and the Curley effect I posted above. Listen to the Larry Young show sometime and hear the callers who call in.

Sorry it is what it is. The liberal cities you cite have seen their black populations drop btw.

Yea that's not condescending to black people

[InvaderBryce]

Originally Posted by PhenomenalAJ

Yes compared to those strong bastions of conservatism DC, NYC, Philly and Boston

There's not a single major city in America that is not liberal. Baltimore is on the way up because of people priced out of DC moving in.

Jacksonville is pretty conservative for a city of 821,000 people.

[InvaderBryce]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

Dems and Black that's the key. Dems in a non-Black environment maybe able to thrive somewhat since the population isn't too far gone. They tend to be more educated and still have a firm belief in free enterprise. Many non-Black Dems are simply liberals for social reasons.

Black Dems hold too many grievances and perceive themselves to be victims of nefarious white people. It's very poisoned thinking and makes the community susceptible to charlatans and the Curley effect I posted above. Listen to the Larry Young show sometime and hear the callers who call in.

Sorry it is what it is. The liberal cities you cite have seen their black populations drop btw.

Not all of us feel victimized by white people or hate laissez-faire economics and free enterprise.

Just Sayin

[MidValleyDad]

Originally Posted by barante

I think the freight and tariff changes had a major impact, combined with the fact that Baltimore lost whatever advantage it used to enjoy when its inadequate tunnels became bottlenecks. (Dad, do you have any references to something written about this?)

I remember something written in a newspaper (I think the Wall Street Journal but not sure) about the advantage that Baltimore had because of location. This would have been back in the early 80s. After that I've continued to be interested and watched traffic drop off and seen the emphasis change to 'specialized cargo' and made some conclusions of my own that appear to be backed up by looking at the time lines of the growth of ports with short channels to the open sea. As the size of container ships have grown the concept of the 'Land Bridge' with large ships unloading on the West Coast and not transiting the Panama Canal has also affected east coast ports. The book 'The Box' about the growth of the container revolution helps explain how the difference in labor negotiations between the east and west coast unions also affected this

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

Dems and Black that's the key. Dems in a non-Black environment maybe able to thrive somewhat since the population isn't too far gone. They tend to be more educated and still have a firm belief in free enterprise. Many non-Black Dems are simply liberals for social reasons.

Black Dems hold too many grievances and perceive themselves to be victims of nefarious white people. It's very poisoned thinking and makes the community susceptible to charlatans and the Curley effect I posted above. Listen to the Larry Young show sometime and hear the callers who call in.

Sorry it is what it is. The liberal cities you cite have seen their black populations drop btw.

What are you trying to say? Are you trying to say that Blacks don't have the ability to be Democrats without being destroyed? What are you trying to convey?

[goodlife36]

I think it is because Baltimore has a large black population.

I visited Mount Vernon this weekend and I loved it. It actually reminds me of Brooklyn Heights. There is so much history, culture, beauty and diversity. It is the pedestrian community that I have been looking for. There is just not enough time to take advantage of what Baltimore has to offer. I am sure it has its problems but I hope to make it my home in the near future. You can actually get a nice apartment with amenities and walk to museums, shops and get food from all over the world. It is also within walking distance of University of Baltimore and transportation. I guess on the downside, I did notice panhandlers but we have them in NYC too.

There were lots of tourists in the Inner Harbor area and they seemed to be having a good time.

[rfp]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

As for NYC it turned around precisely when it kicked out Dem mayors and adopted more common sense leadership that didn't pander to the rabble.

You are joking, right? I presume you are referring to New York's mayor John Lindsay and New York City's financial meltdown in the early 1970s. You do know (or do you)? that Lindsay was successively followed by Beame, Koch, and Dinkins, all Democrats. The New York banker and financial advisor to NYC who was most instrumental in getting NYC back on its feet at that time was Felix Rohatyn (Goggle him if his name is unfamiliar to you), an ardent supporter of the Democratic party.

I'm pretty tired of hearing "lower taxes and they (the job creators) will come." Historically, federal taxes have never been lower, and the "job creators" are still sending their money to Aruba, et. al., where return on investment is greater than in the US. Meanwhile, corporations are busy playing off one state against the other, promising to stay in a state if they are given financial remuneration. The remuneration goes directly into the pockets of share holders, and few or no jobs are created.

If I were working class and living in Baltimore (white or black), you could be dam sure I would vote a straight Democratic ticket. I admit there are many things I find wrong with the current Democratic administration in Baltimore. But would I find anything positive about a republican administration? I don't think so.

Case in point vis-à-vis Democrats and Republicans: Congress is currently arguing an extension of the Farm Bill. It won't be brought for vote in this session, because Boehner does not want the Repubs to look bad. The Democrats propose reducing farm subsidies; the Republicans propose reducing the number of people eligible for food stamps, as well as the number of children eligible for free meals in schools. There you go — the Democratic approach versus the Republican approach.

Actually, I think blacks in Baltimore are smart in voting Democratic. They are voting their own economic interests. Why would they trust Republicans?

Unfortunately, working class Appalachian and Southern whites are not as smart in voting their religious beliefs and homophobic fears. They always vote against their own best economic interests, for which I give the Republican propaganda machine and its super PAC's credit.