america before ther nanny state

Discussion in 'Economics' started by zdreg, Nov 19, 2011.

was america a better place to live before the nanny state?

  1. yes it was

    31 vote(s)
    75.6%
  2. no it was not

    5 vote(s)
    12.2%
  3. not sure

    5 vote(s)
    12.2%
  1. By the way, I live in Manhattan, so I don't need to ride the train from anywhere.

    Just the latest essay on the breakdown of the "blue state model" being chronicled by Mead, prompted by the "ticket fixing" scandal going on and a police protest outside a Bronx courtroom. Sounds like a scene out of Tacitus describing Rome in its decadence.

    http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/11/06/occupy-blue-wall-street/

    "Meanwhile, the Times was deeply shocked and troubled by what it saw. Policemen booing and cursing prosecutors and officers of the court? Open solidarity with lawbreakers? But it was even worse. Across the street from the courthouse is a “benefits center.” When the crowd lined up to collect welfare payments started chanting “Fix our tickets!” at the protesting cops, the cops responded with derisory chants of “EBT! EBT” (electric benefits transfer, a popular method of making social support payments here in the blue paradise of the northeast). As if heckling poor people wasn’t enough, the Times dismally notes, the taunting, chanting cops failed to pick up after themselves, leaving litter on the streets as the protest broke up.

    No doubt the Times reporters involved are more knowledgeable and experienced than this, but the piece sometimes reads as if it was written by a couple of upper middle class college boys shocked and frightened at their first encounter with the rough edges of the urban male working class: dewy cheeked and candy bottomed political studies majors at their first Teamster rally.

    The police rally against law enforcement was one of those rare moments that illuminate the life of a great city in crisis. Between the good government, pro-minority Times reporters, the angry crowd of police rallying to protect their privileges and perks against the background of a city facing financial cutbacks, and the crowd of poor benefit seekers waiting in the street, resentful of the privileged police, we see can see the political and social crisis of New York in a single space.

    The good government upper middle class, the entrenched groups with a solid stake in the status quo and the marginalized working or non-working poor with no prospects for advancement apart from the patronage of the state: this is the mass base of the blue electoral coalition — and the groups in the coalition don’t seem to like each other very much."


    Yeah, the Northeast is a regular utopia. Oh, and taxes are high because the infrastructure was supposed to be supporting more people, but lots of people voted with their feet and got out, going to those states where the "stupes" are, leaving those who stayed to pay those fixed costs. Then, when you factor in the fact that so many city dwellers are basically useless and don't pay taxes, rates on those who do pay have to go higher.

    See, I support limited government not because I don't live in the city, but because I do. In fact, I've lived 22 years combined in Boston, Chicago and NYC and not a single experience I've had in any of them convinced me that big-city liberalism was anything other than the willful denial of reality.
     
    #41     Nov 20, 2011
  2. Archin

    Archin

    Unbelievable ! :D
     
    #42     Nov 20, 2011
  3. Thank you, I always wanted to give comedy writing a shot.
     
    #43     Nov 21, 2011
  4. emrglobal can you write a sentence with insulting someone and bragging about yourself ? You are too young to be such a bitter <edit>.
     
    #44     Nov 21, 2011
  5. piezoe

    piezoe

    Maybe the perfect place to split it is the North Dakota State line.
     
    #45     Nov 21, 2011
  6. GordonTheGekko

    GordonTheGekko Guest

    Welcome to the 21st century, where TV's are feared by lexicons and Huxley-obsessed authors who question the existence of the moon and believe the NFL is rigged...
     
    #46     Nov 21, 2011
  7. MKTrader

    MKTrader

    If there were a peaceful secession, the entitlement-loving masses would flock to the half of the country favoring the welfare state. Then we'd see how long Buffet, Soros, Oprah, etc. would support them before they expatriated.

    The late 1800s were the most prosperous of this nation. "Deflation" was actually a good thing, as it's supposed to be, and economic growth was very strong. Then came the Fed, the income tax and the welfare state. Now look where employment and debt levels are. And it won't get any better under the current circumstances. The poor are held down by unions and regulations worse than anyone. Many would like to start a business that doesn't require a high-skill level (e.g., a moving company), but are held back by regulations intended to keep them out.

    Among all the lies about the goodness of the welfare state, mandatory schooling (especially with Federal involvment) is one of the worst. In third grade, my son tested from 7th grade to post-high school in every subject area, and he's been educated at 1/10 to 1/2 the cost of government schools in our state. The Departments of Education and Energy are huge frauds that should've been abolished after Carter.
     
    #47     Nov 21, 2011
  8. Just because they are reading textbooks and go to college, it doesn't mean they will find a job. Another reason why they are more motivated in the NYC area is because of the high cost of living. I live in Georgia now in the Atlanta area and there are motivated people here too. I used to live in New Jersey and am glad I moved down south. The people are friendlier, home prices are lower, property taxes are lower, and we rarely get snow, and if we do get snow, it will be 1 inch at the most.
     
    #48     Dec 9, 2011
  9. Washington State is one of the bettter locations stateside. There is still some comonsense here. NY just got to be stupid. I am glad I moved about a year ago from NY. I traveled the US from East To West and saw how things really are talked to people face to and formed my own opinions. Show me different do not tell me different. The wrong priorities are being placed on top for whatever reason and this nation is falling and falling. There are other countries in the world and the global populace has more mobility. Reasons to reside somehwere are purely economically driven. If state governments can not get their act together then people leave. Look at the change in congressional seat to see the migration. NY lost 2 Washington picked up 1. As far as the nanny state. My best interest is my pocket book, plain and simple. If things get to bad here stateside I will just close up the position and move to another location, just like an equity trade. Cold and heartless the new world way.

    Welcome to Planet Misery,

    Akuma

    BUY GOLD!!!
     
    #49     Dec 9, 2011
  10. Unlike capitalism, globalization is zero-sum.
     
    #50     Dec 9, 2011