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All I'm saying is that if the people of this sub-forum unanimously expect me to move out of Polish Hill so someone who earns thrice as much at UBER or Apple can move into my unit and walk to their office in the Strip for the "betterment of the city", then I also expect them to tell the same thing to the people of Penn Plaza, who, likewise, are in the way of letting more higher-earning Google employees walk to their office, too. Fair is fair, right?
That friend of mine still lives in the city in a safe neighborhood but now has a longer commute to work, which is a struggle for a single working parent.
I'll gladly move out of my trendy neighborhood if and when we stop making excuses as to why other people don't have to move out of THEIR trendy neighborhoods, too. Until there is parity on this matter I'm not backing down from my convictions.
Rich whites displacing poor whites can't be "progress" if rich whites displacing poor blacks is "ZOMG! Reprehensible! Must stop! MAYORRR!!!" It's a double-standard, and it's one none of the snarky people on here are going to be able to convince me is a justifiable one.
I understand what you are saying but life isn't fair. When you moved here people probably thought the same about you moving into their place for double the rent. It is hard to sympathize when you can find a place in walkable polish hill for around 50k. You have been complaining about rising prices for years but haven't made any strides to combat them. Renters don't have a right to their property. that is one of the negatives to renting. you can moan about the increasing prices because of so called uber and google but you have had a chance to take a risk on an up and coming area and choose to complain instead of take advantage.
I am so sick of hearing this response in Pittsburgh. Uber and Google are only employing a small number of workers. An education doesn't guarantee a thing in this city. College degrees are as common as High School diplomas in Pittsburgh. News flash: We are not Silicon Valley 2.0.
I don't mean Uber. I don't even necessarily mean Pittsburgh. I mean, generally, take your skills, enhance them, and ply them where they'll do the most good. There's a lot of IT and other work in the suburbs, in Southpointe, in Cranberry, and they won't expect a Carnegie Mellon degree. A lot of the new job openings I see aren't google or uber, so I don't see why people are so fixated on them.
I understand what you are saying but life isn't fair. When you moved here people probably thought the same about you moving into their place for double the rent. It is hard to sympathize when you can find a place in walkable polish hill for around 50k. You have been complaining about rising prices for years but haven't made any strides to combat them. Renters don't have a right to their property. that is one of the negatives to renting. you can moan about the increasing prices because of so called uber and google but you have had a chance to take a risk on an up and coming area and choose to complain instead of take advantage.
That wasn't the case at all. When I moved into my unit in 2010 my landlady was just beginning to rent it out, and it was $550/month. She lived in the other unit in our building, and, like most lucky people in this part of town, she never had a "mortgage" because she inherited the house years ago---long before the neighborhood became trendy. When she decided she wanted to move to Florida I moved into her non-renovated unit for, ironically, much higher rent, and then she increased the rent on the unit I was moving out of, too. Our rent has gone up again since then and likely will again this year, too.
What "strides against rising housing prices" did you have in mind? It's impossible to save for a home while making $30,000/year and having student loans, so if you're implying I should buy something I can't. Most of my friends are in the same boat, too, of being unable to save more than $100/month, tops, due to earning low salaries while paying down hundreds of dollars per month in student loans. Salaries need to RISE in this city. I work a very stressful and skilled job right now and still earn less than what I SHOULD be making. My partner can be the same as a SUPERVISOR at his current employer who makes even less than I do.
Also, addressing the veracity of my double-standard with a "life ain't fair" reply is a cop-out that I'm not accepting. Rich whites displacing poor blacks from trendy neighborhoods? "Awful, racist, white supremacy, this has to stop. Get the mayor. Get KDKA." Rich whites displacing poor whites from trendy neighborhoods? "Life ain't fair. Sucks to be you." This is one of the many double-standards that makes half the people on this sub-forum tiresome anymore.
That wasn't the case at all. When I moved into my unit in 2010 my landlady was just beginning to rent it out, and it was $550/month. She lived in the other unit in our building, and, like most lucky people in this part of town, she never had a "mortgage" because she inherited the house years ago---long before the neighborhood became trendy. When she decided she wanted to move to Florida I moved into her non-renovated unit for, ironically, much higher rent, and then she increased the rent on the unit I was moving out of, too. Our rent has gone up again since then and likely will again this year, too.
What "strides against rising housing prices" did you have in mind? It's impossible to save for a home while making $30,000/year and having student loans, so if you're implying I should buy something I can't. Most of my friends are in the same boat, too, of being unable to save more than $100/month, tops, due to earning low salaries while paying down hundreds of dollars per month in student loans. Salaries need to RISE in this city. I work a very stressful and skilled job right now and still earn less than what I SHOULD be making. My partner can be the same as a SUPERVISOR at his current employer who makes even less than I do.
Also, addressing the veracity of my double-standard with a "life ain't fair" reply is a cop-out that I'm not accepting. Rich whites displacing poor blacks from trendy neighborhoods? "Awful, racist, white supremacy, this has to stop. Get the mayor. Get KDKA." Rich whites displacing poor whites from trendy neighborhoods? "Life ain't fair. Sucks to be you." This is one of the many double-standards that makes half the people on this sub-forum tiresome anymore.
I show no sympathy for either group. 60k is more than enough for a couple to live on in pittsburgh. loan terms are 10 years so they are paid off at 32 at worst. or take advantage of the numerous loan assistance programs that are available. i was in your situation so i don't mind preaching a little. it sucks. some people have more advantages than others. pitt is 25k per year so there are probably more people in your situation than you think. what is your alternative? give everyone a higher paying job? guess what, housing will only get more expensive.
I feel like we've been over this 100 times already. No white neighorhood has experienced the mass displacement that East Liberty has. THAT is why East Liberty gentrification is such a touchy subject. SCR chooses to ignore this, because he has embraced working-class white identity politics. At the same time, he feels entitled to live in the East End, even though he has no historical roots and cannot afford it. All the while, he lives in the most affordable major cities in the country, yet he refuses to take advantage of the many safe, affordable neighborhoods, because his chosen identity tells him that he is entitled to live in the East End.
My kids know that they can't afford to buy a house in their home town because those houses have gone up so much over the last two decades. Mostly the houses they grew up in are torn down for huge $2 million trendy craftsmen homes. So the adults who grew up there have to start out buying houses in nearby neighborhoods that they can afford. And they don't sit around whining about it. It is what it is. Life happens and neighborhoods change.
Most adults around 30, who have finished college aren't making less than $30,000. Starting teachers and cops and salesmen make more than that right out of college. By age 30 they are making considerably more than $30,000. OR they've gone back to school for advanced degrees. Few college grads at age 30 are making $14 an hour.
I don't know why some of you thought this meant "Pittsburghers are stupid."
Because you equated being born and raised in Pittsburgh with not graduating from CMU with a Ph.D in Robotics or Software Engineering. In fact, you said exactly that right here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Meaning a job that someone born and raised in Pittsburgh or, in other words, someone who isn't likely to graduate from CMU with a Ph.D in Robotics or Software Engineering anytime soon
First of all, those aren't the only successful people. There are managers, planners, support people, business process/operations analysts, cost accountants, project managers, financial analysts, salespeople, and on and on that are making very good money in Pittsburgh.
Why do you think you have to be a tech person to be successful? I think that goes back to your bucketing of people. If you open your eyes, you'll be able to see that there are so many other paths to success that you don't have to have a tech skill to get there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
I've interacted with THOUSANDS of Pittsburghers since moving here in various customer-interfacing roles. You all can snark against me all you wish, but if you think most of these new positions being created in Apple, UBER, Google, etc. are going to people from Carrick, Knoxville, Troy Hill, Polish Hill, or Brighton Heights and not people from Seattle, SF Bay Area, India, Singapore, South Korea, and China, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
This right here, is an obnoxious uninformed statement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Also, contrary to popular belief, not everyone is SMART enough to "stop complaining, work hard, and get a graduate STEM degree". I'm not smart enough. Does this mean I should move out of the city once the techie transplants drive up the cost of renting to surpass the point of affordability for the working-class?
See above....so many other ways exist to be successful than being an engineer. Maybe that's all you see in your bubble but trust me....you can have a very nice life without being an engineer. I personally know literally hundreds of them.
Who is looking out for working-aged working-class whites in this city? The Penn Plaza saga shows that working-class blacks are being protected and looked out for by the mayor and numerous elected officials and civic leaders to make sure the "tecchie" types don't displace them from trendy neighborhoods. Lower-middle-class senior citizens have zillions of safety nets and housing options.
I'm just curious why a 25-year-old white UBER driver; 32-year-old white clerical worker; 27-year-old white social worker; or 36-year-old white LPN are all told "go pound sand" on this sub-forum while every other struggling <$30,000/year-earning group in this city has proponents, sympathizers, and advocates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Tell that to the mayor who is saying that the Penn Plaza residents have a "right" to live where they can't afford, then, just because they grew up in that neighborhood like my friend, who also grew up in MY neighborhood but was expected to move away when she was gentrified out. Simple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Rich whites displacing poor whites can't be "progress" if rich whites displacing poor blacks is "ZOMG! Reprehensible! Must stop! MAYORRR!!!" It's a double-standard, and it's one none of the snarky people on here are going to be able to convince me is a justifiable one.
Oh, I hear what you're saying SCR. And I certainly agree with the points you're making - pointing out the hypocrisy of the situation. The reasons above are why I wouldn't want to live in City limits, and why I'm still surprised you haven't moved to Millvale or Etna or somewhere else close by. You can have a far greater impact on local politics and policy in a small town with your passion than you ever could hope to in the City - and your tax dollars will be put to better use. My Council doesn't waste time talking about banning circus performances while the infrastructure goes to heck around them.
Politics in the City of Pittsburgh cares about the upper class, and the lower class. And through ever increasing taxes, folks like you and I are expected to support the lifestyles of both the rich-and-famous and the poor-and-downtrodden within City limits... tax incentives for more luxury condos, and more subsidized housing... but good luck buying a house of your own as the Progressives under Mayor Pedutohead are gonna be raising the real estate transfer tax so that it makes it even harder for folks like you to buy within the City.
Come to the Dark Side - the suburbs
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireboy12
You will never convince the posters otherwise on this thread. To them Pittsburgh is perfect and world revolves around them.
That's not just the posters on this thread, or this board though. That is just the parochial mindset of Pittsburgh in general.
You will never convince the posters otherwise on this thread. To them Pittsburgh is perfect and world revolves around them.
That's not just the posters on this thread, or this board though. That is just the parochial mindset of Pittsburgh in general.
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Yes, I totally agree with this statement. Some people in Pittsburgh do not like to be challenged or questioned about their behavior even when they are totally wrong.
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