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I've been seeing a lot of things in the news which are real eye openers. Mayors going to jail for bribery or corruption, the ex-atty general was said to have given his ex-partner 1/4 billion dollars in funds, and all sorts of other really disturbing things. The cost of living though, given all these bad things, is like nearly the highest in the country.
What's your gas prices now? The lowest I have seen in Ct is $3.57/gallon, but I know that Mass's gas is lower.
What's the cost of a pound of hamburger in Mass? I have seen the lowest prices in CT being like $3/lb....but usually it's like $4 or more a pound.
I'm not sure why or how this state got so bad, but it's like living in hell now, unfortunately, for many reasons. People can barely get by now with today's economy as it is... but to live in a state where there are SO many corrupt public officials, yet you are taxed to the hilt, not only seems highly unfair, but downright brutal!
Does anyone else feel the same way about CT? You may not even want to consider working here in the state of CT, for we've known many people who were hurt on the job here in this state and the worker's compensation courts didn't want to pay them nothing for years for their work injuries!
This state is cruel to people in many ways! I just don't get why people would put up with this kind of abuse for years and years from the state they live in.
I'm glad to see things like Occupy Wall Street for FINALLY someone's protesting all the rich corporations who are making a killing off someone else's back, while so many families can barely get by!
If you think that CT's wages are super high and that's why the COL is so high, reconsider that notion.
We know of a very experienced college graduate who's worked for years, and applied to a major national company. They were told, even though they had worked for the company before, that they'd ONLY get minimum wage! Yes, that's right. which is what in Ct? $8/hour? and they were told their salary would NOT be increased for a whole year!
Geezus Cripeys! Yes, I DO think that there's a TON of companies in CT who are super greedy, and yet, they won't give their own employees a decent wage so they can even survive!
The property taxes are way too high too, even if you wanted to own your own home, even in a shoddy or unsafe town in CT! It is just ridiculous here in CT!
Am I alone in my thinking? I doubt it, but for some reason, people won't even SPEAK OUT about all the things that need to be changed in the state of CT! Why is that?
Are they so complacent now, they cannot spend the time to denounce being mistreated in a state that claims to be "constitution" state?
Most states have corruption. Look at Chicago. CT is nothing compared to that. The corruption in cities like Bridgeport has gotten better, not worse.
Cost of living is partially taxes, yes. But that's because the state spends a lot of money, including taking care of the poor. Would you argue that's a worthwhile service or do you think they should be cut off? The state also has enormous pensions to pay, pays its state workers well partly due to unionizing and is paying unemployment for all the people who don't have jobs right now. Again, if you think those things should be cut, we could start looking at much lower taxes.
Now onto the other expenses. Housing and rent. It's driven by demand. The state does not decide housing or rental prices. If people didn't want to live in CT, the prices would go down considerably. No magic entity is making land in desirable towns in lower FFC worth nearly $1 million an acre. That's demand.
Same thing with gas. Hard costs: transportation, utilities, property taxes and land lease/purchase. Of course gas prices are lower in poorer/less desirable areas, the land values are much lower, as are expenses, utilities, etc. And people are lower income.
Demand fuels a high cost of living, not some magical state entity. That's why CT, NJ, NYC, LA, San Francisco, Boulder, etc. are all expense places to live. Because a lot of people want to.
On property taxes, they could be lowered if the state subsidized education more - but that would mean higher income taxes, and something would have to give. The state already spends a lot. Or you cut services in your town, spend less on education, police, road paving, etc.
What's it gonna be? Something has to be cut.
Also - why do you think this person you know being offered a minimum wage job is unique to CT? Why would it be different anywhere else?
Our state has a pretty low poverty rate and the highest per capita income in the United States. You think the economy is bad here? Go to Michigan or California.
Another lets b**ch about Connecticut thread. Will they ever stop?
Our COL is high because the northeast is one of the most expensive parts of the country. Our gas prices are high because we chose to remove all tolls from our highways. Our state and local taxes are high because we are a state that prides itself on quality education and social services and we do not have a county level of government to offset some of the costs county taxes would cover. Yes, Connecticut is expensive but all in all it is not as bad as other states IMHO. Jay
I have lived in several other states and feel that what I pay to live in CT is worth it. I was recently in Dayton, Ohio and gas was 50 cents less per gallon, food was cheaper, and housing prices are way less. The downfall? You have to live in Dayton, Ohio.
If you don't like it, move. Life is too short to live somewhere that makes you unhappy.
Another lets b**ch about Connecticut thread. Will they ever stop?
Our COL is high because the northeast is one of the most expensive parts of the country. Our gas prices are high because we chose to remove all tolls from our highways. Our state and local taxes are high because we are a state that prides itself on quality education and social services and we do not have a county level of government to offset some of the costs county taxes would cover. Yes, Connecticut is expensive but all in all it is not as bad as other states IMHO. Jay
I agree with everything you said, except the last sentence. We're consistently ranked the most tax burdened state. We have the highest gas tax, the second highest property taxes, highest car tax, the list goes on. I'm curious to hear what states are higher.
That said, I do agree that you get what you pay for in CT when it comes to housing prices. We lived in a few other states (outside of the northeast and on both coasts) and while those states had their pluses, we longed to come back to CT.
DanaMarley"Are they so complacent now, they cannot spend the time to denounce being mistreated in a state that claims to be "constitution" state?"
I understand your anger, but this last sentence is IMO a national problem, and its not complacency alone. This recession has everyone too terrified regarding job stability, and its creating instances in which basically all standards of treatment are either non-existent, or ignored. Temp agencies and placement firms are cases in point; quite often they are used to "flout" EEOC laws. Ads looking for energetic people = no one middle aged or older need apply. The list is endless, but unless national job creation improves dramatically as in 5-10 million add'l jobs, it will not change..anywhere.
I agree with everything you said, except the last sentence. We're consistently ranked the most tax burdened state. We have the highest gas tax, the second highest property taxes, highest car tax, the list goes on. I'm curious to hear what states are higher.
That said, I do agree that you get what you pay for in CT when it comes to housing prices. We lived in a few other states (outside of the northeast and on both coasts) and while those states had their pluses, we longed to come back to CT.
There was a recent article by Yahoo Finance saying that CT now has the #1 highest tax burden. Guess what was last on the list? Mississippi lol. This furthers your point that CT is the opposite of MS. It's funny how two states can be so opposite of each other, yet equally beautiful.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,040,976 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanaMarley
I've been seeing a lot of things in the news which are real eye openers. Mayors going to jail for bribery or corruption, the ex-atty general was said to have given his ex-partner 1/4 billion dollars in funds, and all sorts of other really disturbing things. The cost of living though, given all these bad things, is like nearly the highest in the country. What's your gas prices now? The lowest I have seen in Ct is $3.57/gallon, but I know that Mass's gas is lower. What's the cost of a pound of hamburger in Mass? I have seen the lowest prices in CT being like $3/lb....but usually it's like $4 or more a pound.
I'm not sure why or how this state got so bad, but it's like living in hell now, unfortunately, for many reasons. People can barely get by now with today's economy as it is... but to live in a state where there are SO many corrupt public officials, yet you are taxed to the hilt, not only seems highly unfair, but downright brutal!
Does anyone else feel the same way about CT? You may not even want to consider working here in the state of CT, for we've known many people who were hurt on the job here in this state and the worker's compensation courts didn't want to pay them nothing for years for their work injuries!
This state is cruel to people in many ways! I just don't get why people would put up with this kind of abuse for years and years from the state they live in.
I'm glad to see things like Occupy Wall Street for FINALLY someone's protesting all the rich corporations who are making a killing off someone else's back, while so many families can barely get by!
Hi Dana,
I think that you originally posted this on the MA board and that it got moved here.
The thing is that, unless you've lived in "the other place," (the one you're comparing "the current place" to), you only have part of the details.
For example:
1. Yes, the cost of gas here in MA is lower but... we have the tolls to deal with. I didn't pay attention, but my husband told me that when he took me to the airport last month, it cost something like $15 in tolls. The airport is 40 miles from our house. That's pretty crazy. Gas, though, as I saw it this weekend, was $3.36.
2. Vehicle tax. I will say that, even though in MA we have to do a car inspection every year (at $29 a pop) instead of the every-second-year emissions test in CT, that our combined car tax was $700 LOWER here than in CT. That's where you've definitely got a point, Dana.
3. Property tax (house). Yes, again, the tax on our house is significantly lower than it was in CT but... little things add up. I haven't gotten a full quarter's water bill yet, but I think that's going to be more than it was in CT. And, here's a nickle-and-diming that we do have here in MA: There are very specific trash bags that we MUST use in order for our trash to be picked up. The cost of these bags? $7.50... for FIVE BAGS. That's pretty nutty. Do I think that, in the grand scheme of things, over the course of the year, that it will add up to make our property tax higher than it was in CT? No. But $7.50 for five trash bags? It hurts!
4. Our sales tax just went up. It's 6.25% now. I think, not too long ago, it was 5%. I wonder how much more it will increase... and how frequently.
It's funny, actually, that people who live in MA call it TAXachusetts. Coming from CT, I initially laughed, thinking that they didn't know what they were talking about. They hadn't seen hell. But, really, it's not much better here; it's really not. In some ways, it is -- vehicle tax for sure, and property tax by a bit -- but the taxes here hurt, too.
ETA: Hamburger prices are the same here. I watch those prices because I make hamburgers for my dog. $2.99/lb is the sale price here, as it was in CT.
well, at least I can speak my mind off your forum, JayCT...
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayCT
Another lets b**ch about Connecticut thread. Will they ever stop?
Our COL is high because the northeast is one of the most expensive parts of the country. Our gas prices are high because we chose to remove all tolls from our highways. Our state and local taxes are high because we are a state that prides itself on quality education and social services and we do not have a county level of government to offset some of the costs county taxes would cover. Yes, Connecticut is expensive but all in all it is not as bad as other states IMHO. Jay
Another thing that is so unpleasant in the state of CT, even though it touts itself as a "constitutional" state, is god forbid you complain about all the problems the state has caused its residents in recent years!
Oh, no, god forbid you do THAT JayCt! No offense intended here but kindly get over yourself JayCt.
People do have a right to speak their mind, especially in the United States and let's be real here. CT has become KNOWN for all its corruption... I don't care that the city of Chicago is a bad place for it too.... You've got an entire state that's being run by corrupt officials and you just want to sweep it ALL under the rug JayCT..
Not only is Connecticut a very expensive state and I must say the MOST expensive state I've ever lived in, but it's also a very very oppressive state. No one is EVER allowed to speak their mind, even if their future or their safety is at risk! What a creepy place CT has become, honestly!
But considering there's moderators who only allow the bullies to speak their mind here, that's par for the course!
Why don't you stay off my thread for a change JayCT? All you ever do is criticize me and put us down, isn't that a violation of the terms of service here?
Last edited by DanaMarley; 10-17-2011 at 01:40 PM..
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well, at least I can speak my mind off your forum, JayCT...
