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Would they be "non-issues" to you if the government didn't allow you to get married to your significant other?
Doubt it.
No one is "not allowing" you to get married to anyone or anything. There are tax privileges and other benefits that married couples get. Civil unions give same sex couples most of those rights. But gay marriage isn't about rights its about government defining what people call marriage.
Sorry you can't make me believe two men are married no matter what law you pass.
But... this issue like global warming and the "war on women" & evil gun toting christian rednecks are just more crap you liberals drudge up to convince yourself to vote for Malloy liberals that will bankrupt the state.
You do a poor job of convincing yourself or anyone else. Met Life is leaving and it has nothing to do with gay marriage or the war on women. It has to do with taxes and stratospheric government spending.
No one is "not allowing" you to get married to anyone or anything. There are tax privileges and other benefits that married couples get. Civil unions give same sex couples most of those rights. But gay marriage isn't about rights its about government defining what people call marriage.
Sorry you can't make me believe two men are married no matter what law you pass.
But... this issue like global warming and the "war on women" & evil gun toting christian rednecks are just more crap you liberals drudge up to convince yourself to vote for Malloy liberals that will bankrupt the state.
You do a poor job of convincing yourself or anyone else. Met Life is leaving and it has nothing to do with gay marriage or the war on women. It has to do with taxes and stratospheric government spending.
Re "you liberals" - I'm far from a liberal, pal. The problem with "you" people is that should anyone disagree with you - on *ANYTHING* - they're automatically a liberal. That's why the 2013 Republican party is having trouble winning elections, and are losing in states where they rarely lost in the past two decades (NC, VA, FL).
As for gay marriage - I support civil unions, but the government had to stick its nose in it and recognize a legal bond between two people. It's, IMO, unconstitutional to pick and choose, based on gender, who should get recognized for what. Would you want to be denied that right if you lived in a predominantly-gay society but were attracted to women? No, you would feel infringed upon.
Nobody said MetLife is leaving due to social issues. You brought that up.
And taxes are dirt cheap, there is lots of land and housing will continue to be cheap as well. The city grew at about 25% over the last decade.
Not all houses have HOA dues either, just the ones that offer some kind of amenities.
I'll definitely enjoy the low taxes and cost of living, you can stick with the dictator Malloy's planned economy of buses to nowhere 2 billion dollar engineering campus and ever increasing state spending.
Oh...so naive....just so naive.
As someone who lived in NC from the mid 90s to late 2000's let me reassure you....it is not the cheap haven that so many from the northeast think it is...and this is becoming more so the case every passing year as folks from expensive places like Long Island, New Jersey, South Florida, and California flock there. Especially in towns like Cary....HOA fees ARE in virtually every neighborhood and can be over $1500/year (usually paid by the quarter, $300-$400 per quarter). Home insurance rates are much higher as well because of the increased risk of hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning. Higher taxes on gasoline, higher taxes on food, higher taxes on vehicles. NC has the 7th highest tax burden in the nation. Higher than Massachusetts! They just spread it out more. You see the lower property tax bill (typically the most "visible" and largest "chunk" of one's total tax expenses) and think "0h boy what a bargain"...but they nickel and dime you down there.
I'm not saying NC isn't a nice place to live; my family enjoyed our time down there and it has a lot to offer. But FAR, FAR too many people; especially those from the NE; think it is the land of milk and honey and then end up with quite the shock after the honeymoon phase has worn off after a few years.
Re "you liberals" - I'm far from a liberal, pal. The problem with "you" people is that should anyone disagree with you - on *ANYTHING* - they're automatically a liberal. That's why the 2013 Republican party is having trouble winning elections, and are losing in states where they rarely lost in the past two decades (NC, VA, FL).
As for gay marriage - I support civil unions, but the government had to stick its nose in it and recognize a legal bond between two people. It's, IMO, unconstitutional to pick and choose, based on gender, who should get recognized for what. Would you want to be denied that right if you lived in a predominantly-gay society but were attracted to women? No, you would feel infringed upon.
Nobody said MetLife is leaving due to social issues. You brought that up.
This is why I said earlier that we should distinguish the different types of conservatism and liberalism, and their impacts on states. Most people who know me here would probably say "liberal" belongs in the dictionary under my name (and many others). But that's almost entirely related to social issues. Socially liberal attitudes aren't necessarily bad: these are what changed people's attitudes towards things like race relations, women's rights, gay rights, environmental issues - all of which are worth supporting to a degree. But FISCAL liberalism is a different story, and I see what that's doing to this state, and it's not good atall. New York went through this in the 1960s and early '70s, and by 1975 the city nearly went broke. This attitude that we can afford to be generous and keep spending money we don't have, and continue passing the buck (no pun intended) just doesn't work. This is what made NYC look like the set of Taxi Driver for decades& I really don't want that to happen here. If things don't change we're not going to be able to rely on that quaint New England charm crap we keep priding ourselves on.
As someone who lived in NC from the mid 90s to late 2000's let me reassure you....it is not the cheap haven that so many from the northeast think it is...and this is becoming more so the case every passing year as folks from expensive places like Long Island, New Jersey, South Florida, and California flock there. Especially in towns like Cary....HOA fees ARE in virtually every neighborhood and can be over $1500/year (usually paid by the quarter, $300-$400 per quarter). Home insurance rates are much higher as well because of the increased risk of hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning. Higher taxes on gasoline, higher taxes on food, higher taxes on vehicles. NC has the 7th highest tax burden in the nation. Higher than Massachusetts! They just spread it out more. You see the lower property tax bill (typically the most "visible" and largest "chunk" of one's total tax expenses) and think "0h boy what a bargain"...but they nickel and dime you down there.
I'm not saying NC isn't a nice place to live; my family enjoyed our time down there and it has a lot to offer. But FAR, FAR too many people; especially those from the NE; think it is the land of milk and honey and then end up with quite the shock after the honeymoon phase has worn off after a few years.
Thank you, my friend. That's the message I've been trying to convey for quite some time now.
As someone who lived in NC from the mid 90s to late 2000's let me reassure you....it is not the cheap haven that so many from the northeast think it is...and this is becoming more so the case every passing year as folks from expensive places like Long Island, New Jersey, South Florida, and California flock there. Especially in towns like Cary....HOA fees ARE in virtually every neighborhood and can be over $1500/year (usually paid by the quarter, $300-$400 per quarter). Home insurance rates are much higher as well because of the increased risk of hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning. Higher taxes on gasoline, higher taxes on food, higher taxes on vehicles. NC has the 7th highest tax burden in the nation. Higher than Massachusetts! They just spread it out more. You see the lower property tax bill (typically the most "visible" and largest "chunk" of one's total tax expenses) and think "0h boy what a bargain"...but they nickel and dime you down there.
I'm not saying NC isn't a nice place to live; my family enjoyed our time down there and it has a lot to offer. But FAR, FAR too many people; especially those from the NE; think it is the land of milk and honey and then end up with quite the shock after the honeymoon phase has worn off after a few years.
Well said. If you like sitting in traffic, living around people who can't read, join us in Virginia. The weather may be sunnier in the South, the people may even be kinder, but it isn't all about sunny weather and smiling people if your children go to school where teachers don't have the resources to teach, are paid less than fast food assistant managers; where hard boiled eggs and fried pickles pass for "vegetables"; and, religion is shoved doen your throat at every opportunity. If you are Catholic, be prepared for people to ask if you are Christian or if you are Jewish to admire you only because Israel is a vehicle to Reveletions.
Oh, and here's one more thing...I'd rather grow companies and businesses locally instead of seeing the GOP give away tax dollars to poach corporations from other states and I'd rather eat at local restaurants instead of having a landscape of franchised McSame menues and ingredients that dull the senses.
If that's nirvana for you, come on down.
Last edited by urbanmyth; 03-15-2013 at 06:02 AM..
What I'm referring to is the ignorant comments about the poor quality schools to the uneducated/unmotivated workforce, the supposed NC law that requires all developments built since the 1980's require an HOA (my house was built in 1995 and we don't have an HOA), to the "we should be happy we're getting Met Life here and bringing all these superior people from CT" to show us the path to sophistication, etc.
This area is one of the most educated areas of the country (top 5) and we have plenty of good high paying professions here. Sure it's the south, but the south is just as varied as WI would be from CT. We enjoy having a good time, we enjoy the arts, we enjoy college sports (NC State, Duke and UNC) and we enjoy watching NHL hockey (Hurricanes, although I'm still an Islanders fan). Sure the weather gets somewhat hot here in the summer, but it's bearable and we have central AC everywhere. We do get a little snow (average 7 inches per year at RDU airport) and we have a wonderful spring and fall.
It is a slower pace of life in general, but it's definitely not Mayberry. There are a lot of smart and intellectually engaging people in this region and we have plenty of culture, nightlife, restaurants, etc. It's not NYC, but it's not Podunk, USA either. I'm sure there are plenty of people from CT that wouldn't like living here, but I guarantee there would be more that would absolutely love it. It's a very diverse area and the schools in most of Wake County (Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Morrisville, etc.) are very good schools, contrary to what some on this thread have posted.
Take some time to educate yourself, before you paint a broad picture of an entire region.
As someone who lived in NC from the mid 90s to late 2000's let me reassure you....it is not the cheap haven that so many from the northeast think it is...and this is becoming more so the case every passing year as folks from expensive places like Long Island, New Jersey, South Florida, and California flock there. Especially in towns like Cary....HOA fees ARE in virtually every neighborhood and can be over $1500/year (usually paid by the quarter, $300-$400 per quarter). Home insurance rates are much higher as well because of the increased risk of hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning. Higher taxes on gasoline, higher taxes on food, higher taxes on vehicles. NC has the 7th highest tax burden in the nation. Higher than Massachusetts! They just spread it out more. You see the lower property tax bill (typically the most "visible" and largest "chunk" of one's total tax expenses) and think "0h boy what a bargain"...but they nickel and dime you down there.
I'm not saying NC isn't a nice place to live; my family enjoyed our time down there and it has a lot to offer. But FAR, FAR too many people; especially those from the NE; think it is the land of milk and honey and then end up with quite the shock after the honeymoon phase has worn off after a few years.
The HOA fees you quote are definitely not the norm. We're just about ready to close on a brand new 3,100 sq. ft. house in Apex (in a mostly custom built n'hood) and our HOA dues are $900 a year ($225 a quarter). This pays for a new Jr. Olympic size pool, clubhouse, playgrounds and tennis courts and maintenance to the neighborhood. You want to guess what my Home Owners insurance is....$697 a year through USAA. The new home discount knocks off over $200, but even without that, it would be easily under $1,000. Where in CT can you buy a $3,000+ sq. ft. home and have hazard insurance under $1,000?
My cousins in Long Island pay over $8,000 in property taxes for their 1,100 sq. ft. 100 year old home. My aunts and uncles there pay even more. I'll be paying slightly over $3k a year in property taxes for my huge brand new home. So what they don't pay in HOA dues they pay 5-fold in taxes. Sure we'll face more issues as we grow, but I sure hope we never turn into a CT, Long Island or NJ as far as taxes go.
The HOA fees you quote are definitely not the norm. We're just about ready to close on a brand new 3,100 sq. ft. house in Apex (in a mostly custom built n'hood) and our HOA dues are $900 a year ($225 a quarter). This pays for a new Jr. Olympic size pool, clubhouse, playgrounds and tennis courts and maintenance to the neighborhood. You want to guess what my Home Owners insurance is....$697 a year through USAA. The new home discount knocks off over $200, but even without that, it would be easily under $1,000. Where in CT can you buy a $3,000+ sq. ft. home and have hazard insurance under $1,000?
My cousins in Long Island pay over $8,000 in property taxes for their 1,100 sq. ft. 100 year old home. My aunts and uncles there pay even more. I'll be paying slightly over $3k a year in property taxes for my huge brand new home. So what they don't pay in HOA dues they pay 5-fold in taxes. Sure we'll face more issues as we grow, but I sure hope we never turn into a CT, Long Island or NJ as far as taxes go.
And I hope that for you too...but again, it's a tad naive to think that if so many people from these high-cost areas keep moving to the triangle; that it won't eventually reach the same levels of taxation/COL. Look at South Florida for example.
Back in the 90's if you would have suggested to anyone in Raleigh or really any RTP commuter that there would eventually be a toll road in Wake County you'd get scoffed at and people would say "that's a northern thing, we left that behind in NY!". Low and behold; now you get 540. Sure it's starting out as a relatively low toll. So did all of the toll roads in NY.
The culture/policies/government of an area don't just "pop up" and certainly aren't static for very long periods of time. If those things in Connecticut, New York or any other state changed to become something that people feel the need to flee....how is it at all unreasonable to believe that those same things won't develop in the areas they flee to? If CT/LI was affordable/thriving back in the 80's and now has these "plagues"....what's to stop NC from having the same "plagues" in 20 years?
And I hope that for you too...but again, it's a tad naive to think that if so many people from these high-cost areas keep moving to the triangle; that it won't eventually reach the same levels of taxation/COL. Look at South Florida for example.
Back in the 90's if you would have suggested to anyone in Raleigh or really any RTP commuter that there would eventually be a toll road in Wake County you'd get scoffed at and people would say "that's a northern thing, we left that behind in NY!". Low and behold; now you get 540. Sure it's starting out as a relatively low toll. So did all of the toll roads in NY.
The culture/policies/government of an area don't just "pop up" and certainly aren't static for very long periods of time. If those things in Connecticut, New York or any other state changed to become something that people feel the need to flee....how is it at all unreasonable to believe that those same things won't develop in the areas they flee to? If CT/LI was affordable/thriving back in the 80's and now has these "plagues"....what's to stop NC from having the same "plagues" in 20 years?
I moved here from Northern VA (Fairfax County & City). That county did the majority of it's growing between the 60's to 90's and the tax rates there are actually lower than Durham and only a tiny bit higher than Wake), albeit the housing values are much more expensive, so they still collect more $$. With new comers to the area, I think we can keep the tax rate relatively steady. We don't have the public unions down here that really exploded the tax rates in Long Island. Not so sure about CT, but again we don't have the same public structure down here to blow taxes up like happened in Long Island.
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