How’s the quality of life in Minnesota ? (Minneapolis, Evan: home, school)

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

Glenfield, do you think that life in Minneapolis itself revolves around family, church, and school? Just curious on your thoughts on that -- I always thought that was more prevalent in the suburbs (maybe just because of demographics), but I could just be out of the loop on the religious front.

Well, I don't think that all three apply to everyone and, because of the demographics of the population in the city, it might be that for many none are important, but for many of us in the city, we are here with our children and our families, and our strongest relationships are the ones made in our churches, for those are relationships that are have their foundation in shared core values and beliefs. For the state as a whole, I believe that these are the three factors that bind us as a people. And, of course, Vikings football.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by yoyoma02

What? The unemployment rate is 6.7%...check it out...

That is not the current unemployment rate but what is being suggested as the normal unemployment rate at which we have full employment. The idea is that there are always some people out of work. People quit, get laid off, look for other job, take sabbaticals, etc. The question is how many people can be out of work while we still have full employment. The non accelerating inflationary rate of employment (NAIRU) is that percent. If we dip below that number, the theory is that it causes inflationary pressures.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Woe is the life of the former corporate executive I guess (who probably got a nice severance package). Maybe s/he should have thought about the prospect of a layoff prior to purchasing the extravagant house and luxury vehicles?? I agree it would be dumb not to take UI if s/he qualifies for it, but I'm not going to be shedding any tears for them when it runs out...

To the OP: Minnesota has always, in general (but with some exceptions), had a great overall quality of life- so much so to consistently land it either at or within reach of the top of the nation. However, you'll want to take into consideration 8 years of Pawlenty and the mess that left behind, combined with the current political mess/deficit we're in and the general (insane) political tone of our state/country- give it a few years and Minnesota will look a lot more like one of the Dakotas or Texas....

Could you pay your bills and stay in your house earning minimum wage for 2+ years before you find a new job that is 1/2 your current salary???

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Well, I don't think that all three apply to everyone and, because of the demographics of the population in the city, it might be that for many none are important, but for many of us in the city, we are here with our children and our families, and our strongest relationships are the ones made in our churches, for those are relationships that are have their foundation in shared core values and beliefs. For the state as a whole, I believe that these are the three factors that bind us as a people. And, of course, Vikings football.

The reason I was asking was mostly because so few people I know in Minneapolis attend church, even the ones with children. It might just be me, but this (the city of Minneapolis, specifically, not the state as a whole) feels like one of the least religious places I've ever lived. In part that perception might be just because people don't generally talk about their religion here, though, which could very well skew things.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Woe is the life of the former corporate executive I guess (who probably got a nice severance package). Maybe s/he should have thought about the prospect of a layoff prior to purchasing the extravagant house and luxury vehicles?? I agree it would be dumb not to take UI if s/he qualifies for it, but I'm not going to be shedding any tears for them when it runs out...

To the OP: Minnesota has always, in general (but with some exceptions), had a great overall quality of life- so much so to consistently land it either at or within reach of the top of the nation. However, you'll want to take into consideration 8 years of Pawlenty and the mess that left behind, combined with the current political mess/deficit we're in and the general (insane) political tone of our state/country- give it a few years and Minnesota will look a lot more like one of the Dakotas or Texas....

And, you'll also want to take into consideration that, as in most places, just about half of us will completely agree with these political views and the other half of us will not.

[west336]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

The reason I was asking was mostly because so few people I know in Minneapolis attend church, even the ones with children. It might just be me, but this (the city of Minneapolis, specifically, not the state as a whole) feels like one of the least religious places I've ever lived. In part that perception might be just because people don't generally talk about their religion here, though, which could very well skew things.

YOU are anti-religious, not everybody else. It's your perspective because that's what you want to see. It's okay if you are not religious, but I see alot of posts by you talking about how you dislike religion and I can't say I like it very much. Politics, race and religion will always be touchy subjects -- it's better to just not bring them up. And that goes for anyone.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

The reason I was asking was mostly because so few people I know in Minneapolis attend church, even the ones with children. It might just be me, but this (the city of Minneapolis, specifically, not the state as a whole) feels like one of the least religious places I've ever lived. In part that perception might be just because people don't generally talk about their religion here, though, which could very well skew things.

We are a minority here in Minneapolis-- which I would agree is a very secular place-- but we are here and not in small numbers. Earlier, I was speaking of Minnesota as a state which is one of the more church going places in the nation. Reluctance to speak about our faith is one of the major failings of Christians today. I'll message you with where we meet. Check us out and you may be surprised at what you find.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by west336

YOU are anti-religious, not everybody else. It's your perspective because that's what you want to see. It's okay if you are not religious, but I see alot of posts by you talking about how you dislike religion and I can't say I like it very much. Politics, race and religion will always be touchy subjects -- it's better to just not bring them up. And that goes for anyone.

I don't think we always need to avoid touchy subjects. What's the point of all of this if not to express different views?

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Could you pay your bills and stay in your house earning minimum wage for 2+ years before you find a new job that is 1/2 your current salary???

I'm not saying it's not tough, and I'm not trying to be insensitive, but I'm fortunate to be pretty savvy with the job market (largely because of the field I work in), have a lot of skills transferable to a lot of different fields, and could probably set up a consulting business (or subcontract for some established consultants) if the job market wasn't working out for me. If worse came to worse, I would take 2 or 3 minimum wage jobs before my UI ran out.

But to answer your question- yes, I could still pay my bills/stay in my house, assuming my wife still had her job, by working minimum wage for 2+ years before finding a job at half my current salary.

[southernsmoke]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

However, you'll want to take into consideration 8 years of Pawlenty and the mess that left behind, combined with the current political mess/deficit we're in and the general (insane) political tone of our state/country- give it a few years and Minnesota will look a lot more like one of the Dakotas or Texas....