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Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 22 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,219 posts, read 17,091,524 times
Reputation: 15538
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It's amazing how this post has morphed from the OP's original post lamenting the lack of opportunities where she lives to everything that is wrong (and overtaxed) in NY.
You and I seem to agree on a lot of things. But a Democratic Socialist? The only issue I have with a massive social safety net is when the net gets so full it sinks the boat that cast it. Eventually it will as the cycle of dependency perpetuates to the point of no return. Why would anyone want to strive to succeed if their every need is taken care of by others? I think it was Margret Thatcher who said that "Socialism is great until you run out of other people's money".
Forced, and or assigned labor will be the only way to sustain a socialist society. Usually at the point of a gun. Someone, somehow, somewhere will have to produce something. We can't all just sit on our dead asses and say "gimme, gimme, gimme". Especially if there is no incentive to produce anything. There will be nothing to be given.
Unfortunately the money does have to come from somewhere. You think your taxes are high now? Do you really trust the government to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars by giving them even more? Or having more of a bureaucracy in control of your life? Once you become dependent on others you will eventually become a slave to your benefactors.
The issue with universal healthcare is that some bureaucrat will be making heath care decisions for you based on cost and life expectancy. Not to mention long lines at clinics and publicly run health care centers. It would become more like an assembly line rather than personalized health care. Kinda' like going to the DMV. Why would anyone even want to become a doctor?
The problem with healthcare in America is that it's too damn expensive. A lot of the costs could be contained if doctors didn't have to perform so many tests when they obviously can tell what is wrong with a patient. But the threat of a lawsuit requires that doctors cover all bases. Maybe tort reform would be a good start? Being that most politicians are lawyers out to protect their bottom line I don't see that happening anytime soon. From what I understand the cost of malpractice insurance is astronomical. The cost of which is passed along to the patients which results in higher insurance premiums.
If the cost of health care can be drastically reduced then more people could afford it without some kind of subsidy or government takeover. Then maybe there could be some type of system set up to take care of those who are truly needy without a substantial cost to taxpayers. But there has to be some kind of means testing so that everyone pays something and has some kind of skin in the game.
There should be absolutely no benefits to those who have illegally invaded this country whatsoever. We just can not afford it. We have to shut off the spigot that attracts them. It's like you've only got enough food to feed a family of four but you've now got 40 people waiting outside demanding to be fed.
They way things are going now the health care industry will eventually bankrupt the entire country. It's going to get to a point where people will just not be able to afford it and stop paying the insurance premiums altogether. Once that happens the whole system will come to a grinding halt.
I don't believe in a massive social safety net, but I am for a 6 month safety net, perhaps 1 year in recessionary times. I can see a work for welfare situation, like they passed in Maine. All able-bodied people should work and also perhaps learn a trade. And I agree that healthcare is too expensive and that is the main problem. One last thing before I bring this back to the original topic, I believe in a maximum wage tied to the minimum wage. A CEO can make up to 40x its lowest paid employee, for example. $400/hr = $10, if u want to make $500, then you gotta pay $12.50, etc. That would provide incentive to climb the ladder, while hopefully raising wages for those at the bottom. This is what I mean by democratic socialism.
Back on topic, you mentioned that you think Phoenix is a pit, so where do you go for cultural events? Museums, concerts, shows, sporting events? One thing I despise about NJ is that you have to go to NYC for EVERYTHING cultural. Or drive far to go into Philly. And obviously, NYC is a major hassle- $70 to park, overcrowded streets, need reservations at any decent restaurant. It would be nice to live in an area that has one reasonable sized city nearby for cultural events. Like a Pittsburgh or Denver sized city with major league sports, big-draw concerts, but also hillbilly type stuff that I like, like tractor pulls, drag strips, flea markets, drive-ins, etc.
It's amazing how this post has morphed from the OP's original post lamenting the lack of opportunities where she lives to everything that is wrong (and overtaxed) in NY.
Location: Westchester County, NY -> Pinellas County, FL -> Dutchess County, NY -> Denver?
348 posts, read 535,579 times
Reputation: 349
Quote:
Originally Posted by manekeniko
Where is ckhthankgod to instruct us on how great NY is?
Less worrying to me are the immigrants setting in NY and other places. Time and again, immigration has shown to add vitality to economies and boost growth, as immigrants tend to be highly entrepreneurial and self-sustaining. In the long run, new people make economies more dynamic, and the statistics bear this out.
More worrying to me is looking at the extremely lopsided income versus cost of living in NY, particular Long Island. The average salary in Nassau lines up almost exactly with the national average, while general COL is highest in the country. Blame most of this on taxes, fees and price spikes on everything from food to gas.
How much longer can people tolerate this? There are few jobs left on LI that pay Grumman wages. Wall Street has downsized many of its operations in NY, and automation means fewer employees are needed. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I foresee a a long state of decline, and no political will to right these problems.
Oh, never mind. Here comes ckhthankgod with the usual "unbiased" opinion.
I don't believe in a massive social safety net, but I am for a 6 month safety net, perhaps 1 year in recessionary times. I can see a work for welfare situation, like they passed in Maine. All able-bodied people should work and also perhaps learn a trade. And I agree that healthcare is too expensive and that is the main problem. One last thing before I bring this back to the original topic, I believe in a maximum wage tied to the minimum wage. A CEO can make up to 40x its lowest paid employee, for example. $400/hr = $10, if u want to make $500, then you gotta pay $12.50, etc. That would provide incentive to climb the ladder, while hopefully raising wages for those at the bottom. This is what I mean by democratic socialism.
Back on topic, you mentioned that you think Phoenix is a pit, so where do you go for cultural events? Museums, concerts, shows, sporting events? One thing I despise about NJ is that you have to go to NYC for EVERYTHING cultural. Or drive far to go into Philly. And obviously, NYC is a major hassle- $70 to park, overcrowded streets, need reservations at any decent restaurant. It would be nice to live in an area that has one reasonable sized city nearby for cultural events. Like a Pittsburgh or Denver sized city with major league sports, big-draw concerts, but also hillbilly type stuff that I like, like tractor pulls, drag strips, flea markets, drive-ins, etc.
It's not so much that Phoenix is a pit or it's metro area. It's typical of any city except during the summer it's hotter than hell. I just don't like cities period.
As far as cultural/sporting events, I don't go to any of them. Although they have these types of events in many communities throughout Arizona. Usually in towns/cities that have populations of 10,000 or more. Some towns have their own theaters, museums, and cultural events. For major sporting events Phoenix or Tucson. I just don't like crowds. There are towns outside those cities where you could drive to those events but not have to live there, just like the New York metro area. Then you have the tourist attractions the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the red rocks of Sedona, Old Route 66, the Verde Valley, Hoover Dam, The Apache Trail, San Francisco Peaks, Glen Canyon, I could go on and on.
Arizona is a very rural state with a lot of towns that only have a few hundred or less people separated by miles of desert, mountains and wilderness. So depending on where you live you may have to drive over an hour or more to go to these events. All of this is fine by me. The openness and rural nature of the state to me is one of it's biggest attractions.
I prefer to wander around out in the desert or just take long drives along the desert highways. The landscape around here just fascinates me. The giant Saguaro's, Joshua trees, desert vegetation, rock formations, It's a strange and mysterious place indeed. Amazing that things can survive out there. It's nothing short of spectacular. There's nothing like it anywhere in the world! There's also hiking trails in my neighborhood which is convenient if we don't feel like driving anywhere.
Ex New Yorker is a 100% loser who has nothing to do but to post for the last five years how much he hates New York. Every state on City Data has these losers. I'm sure there is a loser who left Arizona and has been bashing Arizona for the last five years. It's some sort of weird mental illness.
I considered Phoenix as a possible place to live. I decided against it after visiting. I talked to some people. There were a few NewYorkers. They were all from some place else. I got the feeling they were all trying to escape from something. I can't put my finger on it but something about the place did not seem quite right to me. Maybe it is good for families. I don't know. I find the desert calming. I really enjoyed the Grand Canyon. It was hot in December. I would probably drop dead in the summer. I can bearly handle the summer months in NYC.
I also visited Florida. The palm trees are pretty. That's about it.
I am so over NYS! It's time to leave! My union can be bothered to worry about their membership. Throwing grievances at each other. The president only speaks about his wages. No way in southern Dutchess anyone can live under 40K a year before the health benefits. 5 years as a dispatcher upfront.18.18hr BEFORE health insurance. It comes out to much less in southern dutchess. I earn 22k after everything comes out. I am worried and scared. I don't want to lose my home.
I am moving to GA on Janauary 1st. Please help me get into a job. I've not missed but one day of work in 5 years. I am so worried!
Good Luck!
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