Monday, December 04, 2017

Interesting Read

This is an interesting take on the current situation, aggravated by the previous administration and possibly un-addressed by the current:
  • The revival of America’s core cities is one of the most celebrated narratives of our time—yet, perhaps paradoxically, urban progress has also created a growing problem of increasing inequality and middle-class flight. Once exemplars of middle-class advancement, most major American cities are now typified by a “barbell economy,” divided between well-paid professionals and lower-paid service workers. As early as the 1970s, notes the Brookings Institution, middle-income neighborhoods began to shrink more dramatically in inner cities than anywhere else—and the phenomenon has continued. Today, in virtually all U.S. metro areas, the inner cores are more unequal than their corresponding suburbs, observes geographer Daniel Herz.

    Signs of this gap are visible. Homelessness has been on the rise in virtually all large cities, including Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, even as it declines elsewhere. Despite numerous exposés on the growth of suburban poverty, the poverty rate in core cities remains twice as high; according to the 2010 census, more than 80 percent of all urban-core population growth in the previous decade was among the poor. For all the talk about inner-city gentrification, concentrated urban poverty remains a persistent problem, with 75 percent of high-poverty neighborhoods in 1970 still classified that way four decades later.

    Clearly, then, the urban renaissance has not lifted all, or even most, boats. San Francisco, arguably the nation’s top urban hot spot, is seeing the most rapid increase in income inequality of any metropolitan area in the nation, according to a Bloomberg study. The ranks of the country’s most bifurcated cities include such celebrated urban areas as San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where the poverty rate is higher now than before the 1992 riots, both in the city proper and in the riot zone.
We realize many readers come here for the lighter fare. But some like the heavier reading and this is a short piece, probably three pages, expounding on things that directly affect the working middle class - something most city workers aspire to.

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41 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Recently I was talking to a couple at a suburban McDonald's who told me the moved to the burbs because the were worried about their safety as well as their new borns safety-- So they goes your future tax payer moving out of the city Rham. Hopefully you have a few millennials line up who are expecting a kid or twins. cause you might not be getting no more taxes or chillin attending them schools there Rham. Maybe some will import in to the USA illegally

12/04/2017 12:08:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Every Blue democratic city is on decline... even democrat.. Honolulu has homeless, panhandlers, hookers walking the streets trying to jack money

Chicago ,Baltimore, Newark, Detroit, LA are hopeless gone for decent living conditions for taxpayers

12/04/2017 12:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I work the north east part of town and can't believe the number people who can afford 1 million + housing. I realize the effect of the prolonged low interest rate environment and that I'm on the wrong side of the income gap but wtf. North of Lawrence, west of western every 4th house is listed at +/- a million ? Either this is a bubble I need to avoid or a trend I need to get on the right side of.

12/04/2017 01:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Keep raising taxes on the Taxpaying Middle Class and they will leave to.

Oh! That's right! They already are leaving!

12/04/2017 01:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good read.

Sad but true, "the Midwest’s new basket case, Chicago."

12/04/2017 02:30:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OK, am I the only one who had to look up the word bifurcate?

12/04/2017 02:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Elected officials need to formulate common sense public policies to transfer wealth from the haves to the have nots. In the name of equality political leaders must redistribute to provide sustinence for all. This is not America when the winners of life's lottery drive luxurious Lexuses while homeless are forced to ride broken down low speed trains all night to stay warm. The homeless are stigmatized and have been forgotten. Its time to subsidize high speed trains and get those big name investors lined up in the name of the homeless, Mr Mayor.

12/04/2017 05:45:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All democrat cities? Hummmmmmmm!!!!!!

12/04/2017 06:16:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

*****Anonymous said...

I work the north east part of town and can't believe the number people who can afford 1 million + housing. I realize the effect of the prolonged low interest rate environment and that I'm on the wrong side of the income gap but wtf. North of Lawrence, west of western every 4th house is listed at +/- a million ? Either this is a bubble I need to avoid or a trend I need to get on the right side of.

12/04/2017 01:02:00 AM*****

...a bubble to avoid...

12/04/2017 06:29:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Isn't it interesting the big towns run by progressives have the biggest income inequality problems.

Its time to create more food pantries to combat the problem. Use religious based organizations funded by public money in the name of progressive leaders. Use compassion in action to feed the poor!

Progressives use this to their political, moral and social advantage. The religious organizations love the funding or income stream. Progressives can use these religious leaders to advance their agenda. If you don't advance the progressive message or endorse progressive politicians, the funding will dry up.

Who is better to get your progressive message out. A religious leader portrays morality and the progressives love the optic. Well most religious leaders with the exception of the millionaire Jesse Jackson Sr. with all his baby mamas matters and public funding accountability snafus. Use public money and religion to your advantage.

12/04/2017 06:39:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

.......everyone I know is talking about the carjackings. Fed up doesn't begin to describe it.

12/04/2017 06:40:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Either this is a bubble I need to avoid or a trend I need to get on the right side of.

12/04/2017 01:02:00 AM


Six zeroes....and a number to the left of the comma to the left of them.

For what?

A container within which you eat, drink and sleep.....followed by shiting, pissing and rubbing the sleep sand out of your eyes.....

The property taxes.....yikes....

The monthly nut....98%+ all interest those first ten years or so....

And your future being wagered on.....someone else buying from you at a price at least however greater than you paid....plus those damn taxes....plus whatever actual gain you'd be satisfied with.....IF you don't find that your best option is foreclosure......

The ponzi scheme is real.....no matter how within the law it is played.......

12/04/2017 06:41:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually, a lot of your readers like the heavier, meaty fare. Please keep it up!

12/04/2017 06:54:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
OK, am I the only one who had to look up the word bifurcate?

12/04/2017 02:53:00 AM

Guilty here too, ha. And eliminating the middle class is all by design from these Democrat-run cities. It’s unfortunate but a lot of misinformed people continue to vote in favor of their own demise.

12/04/2017 07:17:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What everyone fails to mention is the major factor of illegal narcotics, its distribution thru gangs, and the fact that drugs make for the second largest economy in these urban areas. Without the drug economy there would be riots and without the sanctuary treatment there would be no drugs. Democrats will never crack down too hard on any of this unless their well-to-do enablers start becoming casualties.

12/04/2017 07:45:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A very good read ! I could not find anything I would disagree with. SCC, the lighter fare is fine , but I enjoy reading the "Heavier Stuff"also.

12/04/2017 07:52:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The proven numbers with the high cost of living in Chicago are good to present during contact negotiations to an arbitrator who will more than likely decide the next contract

12/04/2017 08:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Something that ALL DEMOCRAT CITIES have in common.

Keep voting Dem-o-crat.

12/04/2017 08:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

First, I wish the media would stop talking about “income inequality” as if the fact that there are rich people and poor people in the same city means that situation is bad and must be corrected. Second, the middle class has left most big cities as the crime rates have gone up and school quality has declined. Even middle class blacks leave the urban areas for a better life, so it isn’t just “white flight.” Third, middle class people can’t afford to live in the nicer areas of Chicago. I don’t know who those people are who have the multimillion dollar condos along the lakeshore, but there sure seem to be a lot of them. Apartments are super expensive as well. My nephew pays 40% of his salary for a studio in the Loop.

It’s amazing that reporters are so stupid they can’t even figure out those simple facts of life.

12/04/2017 08:47:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

OK, am I the only one who had to look up the word bifurcate?

12/04/2017 02:53:00 AM

Sounds like something the the horndogs at Cook County Jail resort to when handcuffed.

12/04/2017 08:57:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So, after 53 years and fifteen trillion dollars can we finally declare the “War on Poverty” a failure? Conditions look the same today as they did in the early 70s when I pushed a beat car on the south side. All the administrations of Chicago all fit the definition for the insane. They keep doing the same thing and expect a different result each time. Or, is it that they really want to keep things as they are? Now that’s a question for investigation.

12/04/2017 09:27:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1:02, it’s another bubble. PPO,s buying $50k Jeep’s and unlimited funds if you have decent credit. Mortgage, car, credit card, and student loan debt through the roof again. Get ready for the bust. It’s going to be ugly

12/04/2017 09:28:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I work the north east part of town and can't believe the number people who can afford 1 million + housing. I realize the effect of the prolonged low interest rate environment and that I'm on the wrong side of the income gap but wtf. North of Lawrence, west of western every 4th house is listed at +/- a million ? Either this is a bubble I need to avoid or a trend I need to get on the right side of.

12/04/2017 01:02:00 AM

When i was in construction back in 06, i was saying the same thing when all the building was going up, who can afford a 3 to 4 thousand dollar mortgage payment, there are only so many doctors and lawyers or CEO's in the city, then wallop goes the econonmy ! Look now at all the construction in the city, allot of big projects going up by me this time though all rentals with around 3k rental price tags , who seriously has that kind of money especially with college kids coming out already thousands in debt ???
Also another point, how are we hurting for tax revenue ? My neighborhood just had some large vacant lots get built up with $800,000 town homes when once there was no tax rev and now the county/city is gonna make thousands ! Past 5 yrs since the last crash ive seen areas where there was nothing and now they should be raking in millions in revenue ! Where is it going ?

12/04/2017 09:29:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

12/04/2017 12:43:00 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I work the north east part of town and can't believe the number people who can afford 1 million + housing. I realize the effect of the prolonged low interest rate environment and that I'm on the wrong side of the income gap but wtf. North of Lawrence, west of western every 4th house is listed at +/- a million ? Either this is a bubble I need to avoid or a trend I need to get on the right side of.

12/04/2017 01:02:00 AM

This can’t be happening. All I read here is Chicago is like Detroit and we are going to file bankruptcy like Detroit

12/04/2017 09:38:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The poor get poorer and the rich get richer. How many times have we heard that? Well if you sit on your ass all day and do nothing your income will never advance from anything more then what welfare give you, keeping you loyal to the political party that hands out the freebies.

12/04/2017 09:38:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Recently I was talking to a couple at a suburban McDonald's who told me the moved to the burbs because the were worried about their safety as well as their new borns safety-- So they goes your future tax payer moving out of the city Rham. Hopefully you have a few millennials line up who are expecting a kid or twins. cause you might not be getting no more taxes or chillin attending them schools there Rham. Maybe some will import in to the USA illegally

Sounds like the city is lost. A couple with a few kids move to the suburbs
Read the comment below about all the million dollar properties north of Lawrence and west of Western taxes on those properties will more than make up the suburban couples lost tax revenue

12/04/2017 09:44:00 AM  
Blogger Anonymous said...

Very good article. I like their phrase, "the midwests' newest basket case, Chicago". How true!

12/04/2017 10:05:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't know about the lighter fare stuff, but even
Yogi Berra would agree that when you come to a
bifurcation in the road, you should take it

12/04/2017 10:18:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have relatives who live in San Francisco. they have repeatedly stated how high the rents were in Frisco. In addition to the high rents the cost of living there is outrageous.

12/04/2017 11:37:00 AM  
Blogger Birds&Blooms said...

The question is, do Americans want to work or not?
ICE has been busy deporting illegals. Some liberal states are banning officers from arresting and/or informing ICE; in the meantime illegals are pouring in their states.
If Americans are willing to take jobs, and illegals deported, the economy will grow again.
Companies hiring illegals should be fined. Period.

Also, why are there so many needless people 'working' in government. Assistant to this or that, making 100,000.00 plus, is ridiculous. What on earth do they do? Twiddle their thumbs, push pencils?

Taxes will continue rising as long as there are billions on welfare, getting freebies. Nothing is free.

12/04/2017 11:38:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When voting for the democratic dictatorship in all of these large, urban hell holes, those findings are the results, and also the desired outcome of the democratic dictatorship!

12/04/2017 11:51:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How is this for interesting reading:

After Steinle verdict, rep unveils bill to imprison officials who shelter illegal immigrants

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/04/after-steinle-verdict-rep-unveils-bill-to-imprison-officials-who-shelter-illegal-immigrants.html

Friend is a supervisor in HSI (homeland security investigations) she told me they are here just outside this city waiting fro orders to do their jobs,and the elected need to be worried,wonder if this is why rahm is talking of stepping down soon? have his detail guys found "spots" yet? will lisa madigan be the next mayor? Bet on that!! But then again she is also involved with protecting illegals,that bus will be loaded,get the best seats democrats!

12/04/2017 01:37:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

IRS says Illinois has 42,000 less 1040 fillings in 2016.... compared to 2015 ......more people ,money leaving broke Illinois

That a way Madigan , Illinois Dimms ...keep on raising taxes

12/04/2017 02:15:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

“...urban progress has also created a growing problem of increasing inequality and middle-class flight...”

Since the early seventies the elected politicians and liberal EPA, forced factories and the jobs out to China.
China grew as did the portfolios of many politicians and Wall Street.
Not so much Japan and the Trans Pacific anymore, but now they’d like back what they once had that was glommed by Washington China investors.

No EPA regulation for Europe and Asia, factories running 24/7 for pennies a hour wages, with no shortage of slave labor or any complaints.
This wasn’t about global warming or pollution but money for greedy insiders.
Hopefully this shit is going to stop with the MAGA plan.

As our own factories shuttered and strip malls sprouted, Democrats upped the entitlements to placate the jobless.
They created a dependency and now there’s no longer unskilled manual labor, just clerks and foodservice workers demanding $15 hour on top of the entitlements.

As for urban progress...who’s getting rich again?
Land deals and tax incentives arranged by whom?
Obtaining govmint grants and packing up 2-3 years later to China or folding the company and start anew.
Elon Muskrat, now here’s a winner that can’t make a dime but can get the Democrat govmint grants.
Digging tunnels to nowhere, especially in earthquake prone California and is on tap to shovel another money tunnel for Rahm.

The big cities are going backwards, back to joblessness and begging for handouts without any prosperity just like 1930 all over again.
It a Democrat thing and fixing Democrat stupid doesn’t happen.

12/04/2017 03:43:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

a lot of the middle class was built upon factory jobs, which most big city had a lot of. But Clinton NAFTA killed those jobs as they fled across the borders with a lot lower salaries. Once the factories closed a lot of people took to low paying service jobs. They told you to find and learn computer jobs. Another good middle class job. Low and behold those are gone to. Outsourced to India and Philippines.One of the many reasons the middle class has almost disappeared.

12/04/2017 03:55:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
OK, am I the only one who had to look up the word bifurcate?
12/04/2017 02:53:00 AM

Yes.

12/04/2017 04:05:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

According to wordcounter(dot)net, it comes in at just under 2000 words (1986), or almost 4 pages, single-spaced. Reading time of 7 minutes and 13 seconds at the level of college graduate.

A handy and free web tool (I don't work for them - promise)

https://wordcounter.net/

12/04/2017 04:36:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Urban decay and decline actually started in the 1960s with LBJ's War on "Poverty"(more accurately, "the Middle Class"). HUD/FHA, busing, block-busting, forced integration, then re-segregation. Bankers, realtors, all getting rich off white flight, paid off with government funds from LBJ's Vietnam war machine. 50,000 + dead, thousands more wounded and mentally scarred. But Hey! Look at the GDP and all the under-class democrat voters. The left has been trying to deify that Texas shit-bag just because he passed the Civil Rights Act. Truth is those lower and middle class GIs were chewed up in southeast Asia while their families were thrown into conflict at home so that the rich got richer.
Johnson was the worst President in my lifetime, beating out Immaculata Obama only by body count.

12/04/2017 05:00:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When the "will not works" clamber upon the backs of the "have to works", the second group gets sick of the first group and leaves. Don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure it out.

(But the first group will always have democrats telling them its not their fault they're oppressed. And as usual, the democrats are wrong, they're not oppressed, they're despised!)

J.J.

12/04/2017 08:37:00 PM  
Blogger Transmaster said...

The homeless bum problem is so bad in San Fransico they have an app, website and a speed dial phone number "311" that reports to it. What magical thing does "311" using the GPS system on a smartphone do you ask. It reports to a website (Human)Wasteland the GSP coordinates of the latest homeless Hominded hoe-hoe deposited on the street. That way the person engrossed in the screen of his or her smartphone doesn't step in it.

One wonders if the Navy when they first started to orbit GPS satellites for pinpoint ocean navigation imagined that in a future time it would be used to record the GPS location of the latest "loaf" steaming on a San Fransisco sidewalk.

http://mochimachine.org/wasteland/

12/04/2017 10:26:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

son went to LA to watch the cubs playoff's in'16

said the amount of homeless was insane...

said LA proper was a dirty shithole...

he felt as if he was in Mexico, not America...

the media in this country is hiding so much...

said if he ever go's back, northern cali only...


12/07/2017 05:15:00 PM  

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