[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by ads94

I've found Jay to be realistic about most things. He just doesn't dump on the state like most of us do all the time.

A big part of the issue here is that people have very short term memories when it comes to CT history especially its political history.

Another issue is that some of the complainers where transferred to CT and did not grow up here. Even funnier is the complainers that left CT and came back.

For people who hate this place so much, you'd think they rather be homeless than live here {CT}. According to these complainers CT has nothing to offer anyone and we should nuke it from orbit.

We also have the highest taxes in the history of planet Earth.

[BPt111]

Hartford’s bond rating drops again | FOX 61

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by ads94

I've found Jay to be realistic about most things. He just doesn't dump on the state like most of us do all the time.

Thank God, if Jay was not posting some positive things about CT I would probably be so depressed (after reading this forum) I would go jump off the Sikorsky bridge.

[hvexpatinct]

We can argue the merits of Stamford vs the rest of the NY metro forever, but Henry has a very strong point regarding the nature of the labor force needed by Amazon. They need critical mass in supply chain, strategic sourcing, IT... Those functions absolutely exist in the NY metro, but Stamford is on the wrong side of the Hudson. Amazon is better off leveraging the talent pool that feeds off of sourcing-heavy companies like Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Medtronic, Jet.com, etc... in north/central Jersey.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

We can argue the merits of Stamford vs the rest of the NY metro forever, but Henry has a very strong point regarding the nature of the labor force needed by Amazon. They need critical mass in supply chain, strategic sourcing, IT... Those functions absolutely exist in the NY metro, but Stamford is on the wrong side of the Hudson. Amazon is better off leveraging the talent pool that feeds off of sourcing-heavy companies like Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Medtronic, Jet.com, etc... in north/central Jersey.

No one is arguing that other locations in metro New York are viable but so is Stamford. The idea that people in metro New York will not commute to Stamford for work is what is ridiculous. If Stamford is not viable, then how can anyone say central New Jersey is. It fits Amazons criteria less than Stamford. There is plenty of talent in metro New York so all areas have a chance. Jay

[hvexpatinct]

Originally Posted by JayCT

No one is arguing that other locations in metro New York are viable but so is Stamford. The idea that people in metro New York will not commute to Stamford for work is what is ridiculous. If Stamford is not viable, then how can anyone say central New Jersey is. It fits Amazons criteria less than Stamford. There is plenty of talent in metro New York so all areas have a chance. Jay

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I have a decent amount of experience trying to locate talent in a niche subject area as well as with commuting around the NYC metro -- Stamford doesn't benchmark well. If Amazon was entering the financial services world my thought process would be different.

[ads94]

Originally Posted by MrGompers

A big part of the issue here is that people have very short term memories when it comes to CT history especially its political history.

Another issue is that some of the complainers where transferred to CT and did not grow up here. Even funnier is the complainers that left CT and came back.

For people who hate this place so much, you'd think they rather be homeless than live here {CT}. According to these complainers CT has nothing to offer anyone and we should nuke it from orbit.

We also have the highest taxes in the history of planet Earth.

I complain a lot about the state, I hate the weather and our budget is a complete nightmare. I also recognise I am lucky and privileged to live in, honestly, one of the best states in the country. I am moving away, though mostly for climate reasons, Connecticut is a great place to be. People just like to complain and not recognise the good. I do a little bit of both, and the big problem is that most C-D folks do a ton of complaining. There are still people who refuse to recognise (here and in Connecticut in general) that this state has massive problems with our budget, and digging our head in the sand and pretending it doesn't exist (Republicans) and raising taxes constantly (Democrats) won't fix it.

[Foxx]

Originally Posted by ads94

I complain a lot about the state, I hate the weather and our budget is a complete nightmare. I also recognise I am lucky and privileged to live in, honestly, one of the best states in the country. I am moving away, though mostly for climate reasons, Connecticut is a great place to be. People just like to complain and not recognise the good. I do a little bit of both, and the big problem is that most C-D folks do a ton of complaining. There are still people who refuse to recognise (here and in Connecticut in general) that this state has massive problems with our budget, and digging our head in the sand and pretending it doesn't exist (Republicans) and raising taxes constantly (Democrats) won't fix it.

+1 well said. I'm also likely moving away at some point due to the weather and other factors.

[cttransplant85]

Is it possible that CT goes the way of the upper mid-west with so much Democrat mismanagement for so long that the people eventually get fed up and just start electing conservatives? Get rid of the unions, drastically shrink government, etc? Or are there just too many people in CT dependent on government for that ever to be possible?

[ads94]

Originally Posted by cttransplant85

Is it possible that CT goes the way of the upper mid-west with so much Democrat mismanagement for so long that the people eventually get fed up and just start electing conservatives? Get rid of the unions, drastically shrink government, etc? Or are there just too many people in CT dependent on government for that ever to be possible?

You fail to grasp how dramatic the Republican rise in Connecticut has been. When Malloy entered office, there were 97 Democrats and 54 Republicans in the House. There were 23 Democrats and 13 Republicans in the Senate.

Today, there are 79 Democrats and 72 Republicans in the House, and 18 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the Senate. 2010 was also a great year for the Republicans, they gained 17 seats in the House and 1 seat in the Senate.

This means Democrats had 114 seats in the House (75%) and 24 seats in the Senate (63%) when President Obama was first elected. Republicans are now in striking distance of taking a trifecta of the House, Senate, and Governorship in the 2018 elections. Connecticut Republicans have gone from absolute nothing to almost majority party status in a decade. It's really hard not to be impressed by the Republican Party's organisation in the state, the failure of the Democrats to do anything productive on the budget, and a reflection on Connecticut's moribund economy.