My state: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

[WileE]

Reading discussions of various subjects of the state in which we live, I thought it would be interesting to list the most definitive conditions from the people who actually experience it in their lives. A nice place to vacation doesn't necessarily mean a nice place to live. And, it may differ from some who live in a different area of the same state. So, any & all, divulge to us what it is to you that reflects the thread title in your state, and add on to others, as well.
I'll start with

New Jersey.

The good: 4 seasons of weather, doesn't get to extremes that much; the proximity to NYC & Philly, for those who like the arts/entertainment; beautiful mountain areas to the NW and the shore/beach to the SE; if you're in a good area, the nice, peaceful conditions.
The bad: and this is a HUGE bad, taxes & insurance, which will strangle you unmercifully, no matter what type of tax & which insurance, we pay an ungodly amount.
There's a lot of other bad, which I'm sure others in NJ will add, & the post could go on and on, so I expect others will add. Also, undesirable crime-ridden areas such as Camden, Paterson, Newark, etc. which you avoid. Traffic into/out of NYC is a horror show daily.
The Ugly: crooked/inept/parasite politicians, and that goes for both parties. Phony governors, over & over, just like the current baby huey who's revealed to be just another fraud. The new jersey extortionist association that runs the politics while bleeding the taxpayers.

 

[Darter6]

Southern Nevada,The good HEAT, The bad,It gets HOTTER !
Doesn't matter what state, All politicians are legal criminals ..

 

[NJRR]

Reading discussions of various subjects of the state in which we live, I thought it would be interesting to list the most definitive conditions from the people who actually experience it in their lives. A nice place to vacation doesn't necessarily mean a nice place to live. And, it may differ from some who live in a different area of the same state. So, any & all, divulge to us what it is to you that reflects the thread title in your state, and add on to others, as well. I'll start with New Jersey. The good: 4 seasons of weather, doesn't get to extremes that much; the proximity to NYC & Philly, for those who like the arts/entertainment; beautiful mountain areas to the NW and the shore/beach to the SE; if you're in a good area, the nice, peaceful conditions. The bad: and this is a HUGE bad, taxes & insurance, which will strangle you unmercifully, no matter what type of tax & which insurance, we pay an ungodly amount. There's a lot of other bad, which I'm sure others in NJ will add, & the post could go on and on, so I expect others will add. Also, undesirable crime-ridden areas such as Camden, Paterson, Newark, etc. which you avoid. Traffic into/out of NYC is a horror show daily. The Ugly: crooked/inept/parasite politicians, and that goes for both parties. Phony governors, over & over, just like the current baby huey who's revealed to be just another fraud. The new jersey extortionist association that runs the politics while bleeding the taxpayers.

I can't argue with what you wrote about our state. I will add a couple of things.

The good: Not having to get out of the car in the rain and cold to get gas (we are one of the few states where you can't pump your own.) I fill up the RR myself tho (local gas station lets me). I also live in a very beautiful suburb about 10 miles north of NYC, almost like living in the countryside.

The bad: Some of the worst gun laws in the country. Hopefully, that will change with President Trump !!

The ugly: Have you seen some of our women??????

 

[steve from staten island]

I dont think any state in the country has produced more musical talent than New Jersey. One of the nations top places to live is in New Jersey, which if i recall is Moorestown. Beautiful countryside and the shore is legendary. Some counties have top rated school systems. As stated the traffic going into and out of New Jersey into NYC is something you'd like to avoid. What people in other parts of the country dont get is thats why Bridge Gate was such a big deal. Camden is national model of urban decay, crime drugs and poverty, much like Detroit. Instead of focusing on improving Camden, the gov has more interested in focusing on his own political career. Id like very much to move to Gloucester County NJ but the real estate tax is to high. Was considering getting some chickens to obtain a farm waiver and see if that would work.
Housing is affordable in comparison to NYC. You could cross the Outerbridge into Middlesex county NJ and buy a 250,000 dollar house and that same home on the NYC part of the bridge would be double. Less real estate tax however.

 

[68gtxman]

I live in the woods and have a lot of privacy! Beautiful creek side scenery abounds and mostly quiet times. Property taxes are outrageous and though I have never had any kids and never used any schools, the portion of the property taxes that support these crappy public schools is outrageous too. I've seen our school board waste millions of dollars on a sports complex, but yet they still graduate students who can't read well or do simple math. If they can't teach basic skills in school, they shouldn't spend a dime on sports. Why do they need a daycare center in the high school?!!!

Give us school vouchers and I'll give mine to the school of my choice and it certainly won't be the local high school.

Unions have a strangle hold on the state too. Get rid of the teachers union ($90k per year for a 9th grade math teacher???) and stop mandating the use of union based contracts for all public projects. These two steps alone would go far in correcting our overcharges.

 

[steve from staten island]

I mentioned were my daughter lives to you at one time. Her property taxes are very high. I notice when the kids are grown and leave the people sell there homes. Her school system is very highly rated and that was one big attraction to living there. The teachers salary's i dont know nor do i know if there even unionized but i do know some town workers like police/fire make good wages and there associations have negative affect on negotiating salary's. Id also ask are we talking 90G as a whole package or 90 plus benefits? Thats a world of difference and not to turn this into yet another lets slam unions for all the evil and the country economy, i know its a common practice of anti union zealots to use inflated figures to draw the ire of the tax payer. Im sure however your not doing that. Ninth grade teacher or not 90G is usually a teacher with many years and a masters. Im curious to know how you arrived at the opinion that union's are responsible for the high property tax in NJ

 

[NJRR]

. Im curious to know how you arrived at the opinion that union's are responsible for the high property tax in NJ

A Star-Ledger analysis shows the average municipal cop in New Jersey is paid 80 percent more than the average resident, and three of 10 made at least $100,000 last year. In addition, police tend to be paid the best in small towns with little crime.

Among the other findings:

• The median salary for the state’s 20,525 municipal officers was $90,672 last year, meaning half earned more and half earned less.

• A total of 6,198 municipal officers made at least $100,000 last year. Ninety-nine of 466 towns that pay police have six-figure median salaries. Most are in North Jersey, primarily Bergen County.

• Suburban cops are paid the best while city officers generally make less and rural cops make the least.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/nj_police_salaries_rank_highes.html


If you read the full article, you will see some of the reasons why taxes are so high in NJ.
I live in Bergen Co, the area they discuss. We are composed of small towns with a few thousand residents each, all right next to each other, no big distances, farmland, etc,
Every town has their own police dept, fire dept, dept of public works, board of ed, town hall, municipal workers, etc etc etc. There is so much duplication of services that is totally unnecessary, but no one wants to give up their own power and independence. But, it's the town residents who have to pay for it all. All these services for the most part have union employees that negotiate large benefits, pensions, health care, etc. There was a movement to consolidate some services with just 2 neighboring towns and there was a major "war" with the merger never happening. A few towns have some regional high schools with 3 or 4 towns sending kids there. That should be duplicated with all the other services too.

The town I grew up in and where my business still is, has a mayor who is also a principal in an elementary school and also a state senator. He will collect 3 pensions when he retires. These multiple pensions have been eliminated recently by Gov. Christie, but existed for decades. All these scams, duplication of services and the high salaries those unions "negotiated" are the cause of our ridiculously high taxes.

 

[69L48Z27]

Why can't you pump your our gas? I'm sure I could google it but I've heard so many stories...

I find it incredibly annoying every time I have to get gas in NJ. I hate waiting.

 

[steve from staten island]

A co worker lived in Bergen County. Your right about the salary's and he told me similar stories. I dont know if its still the case but at one time Long Island cops were making considerably more than NYC cops. Not long ago NYC rookie cops were some of the lowest paid in the country. A veteran cop might hit six figures but thats taken into account a lot of OT, holiday and shift differential. Those cops who patrol near President elect Trump are going to clean up. Thats why the Mayor is bitching and moaning. My own thoughts are in these more localized smaller townships somebody is scratching somebody else's back.

 

[flypaper]

unions are the reason of high prices for everything in this state.
any state contract has to go thru them.
heck, they have prison guards making close to 200k with ot in my county!..lol

 

[MarPar]

Illinois (north of I-80) sucks all around. end of story.

 

[WileE]

A co worker lived in Bergen County. Your right about the salary's and he told me similar stories. I dont know if its still the case but at one time Long Island cops were making considerably more than NYC cops. Not long ago NYC rookie cops were some of the lowest paid in the country. A veteran cop might hit six figures but thats taken into account a lot of OT, holiday and shift differential. Those cops who patrol near President elect Trump are going to clean up. Thats why the Mayor is bitching and moaning. My own thoughts are in these more localized smaller townships somebody is scratching somebody else's back.

OK, Steve, but what about YOUR state ? What is the good/bad/ugly of NY, in your opinion ?

 

[cdr]

Born & raised in the great state of Texas, but now I live in Texico, if you are an illegal ,, muslem or libtard Commiefornians or just anybody that is not American you are welcome here.

 

[WileE]

Why can't you pump your our gas? I'm sure I could google it but I've heard so many stories...

I find it incredibly annoying every time I have to get gas in NJ. I hate waiting.

It's the law. I agree with NJ RR, I don't have to get my lazy *** outta my car to pump the gas ( I do, however, pump the gas into my RR ) Funny story: a couple of years ago, I pull into a Sunoco station with the Runner. I go back to pull down the license plate & remove the gas cap. The sheikh come over, pulls out the gas nozzle, stands there & points it at me literally shaking it like it's a loaded gun. With his bug eyes wide open, he starts mumbling his language I don't understand, and gestures to me to come over there to take the nozzle as he ain't gettin' any closer to my car. It's almost as if a UFO just landed on his station.

 

[steve from staten island]

I dont really know about the rest of the state, I've heard property taxes are high. Often that means a lack of commercial activity like manufacturing were those business would provide not only jobs but income for the state. Upstate NY is beautiful country much like other rural parts. Still many cities have there low income crime ridden areas. As far as NYC im no expert but our property taxes have crept upwards but we have great services like fire, police, sanitation. Are roads are plowed and salted immediately after and during snowstorms. Crime with in the city overall is way down due to increased policing. It was better before the current ultra liberal Mayor who recalled police tactics like stop and frisk which was very affective in stoping violent crime. Also he and the council speaker have reduced crimes like open alcohol consumption, public urination, turnstile jumping to petty acts which carry little or know repercussion's. The firearms laws are very restrictive and even a buisness cannot have a permit to protect themselves. The city itself is a must visit with over 60 million tourists alone in 2015. There are many many things to do and see and know city in this country has the vibe and personality of Manhattan. It is no lie when its said its the city that never sleeps. Forget about renting within the city unless its a housing rent control'ed building. The hospital many rank as some of the best anywhere. For the vast middle working class of which i am one the harder one hustles, the more driven the more you earn. Its not a place for the lazy unless your on the public dole. If you cant deal with foreigners or minorities this aint the place to live. In its own way its still the melting pot. The least expensive borough to live is Staten Island. Were a very modest older home on a 40 by 100 lot in a nice neighborhood is doable for 500,000 but expect it to need updating. I live within a few miles of were my grandparents first set foot from the poverty stricken country of southern Italy well over 100 years ago. When folks want to know why so many came here or moved here from more rural areas it was because of jobs. We had much manurfactoring ,construction, shipyards and the like. To say nothing of suit and tie jobs and city employment. Now that has changed but if you have a skill and are willing to work seven days a week and bust your *** you can still do well here. Thats why we have so many different nationalities. working so many jobs and running business's Were i grew up it was like country but the Verrazano Narrows bridge when finished in 64 changed the island forever. It opened us up to the rest of the city. Now we have 500,000 people on 54 square miles. Was very different years back. Mow were there was one home there are two or more and many times more rather then less. I would never buy another home here. I hope that answers the question and thanks for asking

 

[68gtxman]

I mentioned were my daughter lives to you at one time. Her property taxes are very high. I notice when the kids are grown and leave the people sell there homes. Her school system is very highly rated and that was one big attraction to living there. The teachers salary's i dont know nor do i know if there even unionized but i do know some town workers like police/fire make good wages and there associations have negative affect on negotiating salary's. Id also ask are we talking 90G as a whole package or 90 plus benefits? Thats a world of difference and not to turn this into yet another lets slam unions for all the evil and the country economy, i know its a common practice of anti union zealots to use inflated figures to draw the ire of the tax payer. Im sure however your not doing that. Ninth grade teacher or not 90G is usually a teacher with many years and a masters. Im curious to know how you arrived at the opinion that union's are responsible for the high property tax in NJ

It is 90K plus benefits on top, to include a sweetheart of a pension and only working 9 months of the year. Plus the teachers do not have masters degrees (one is a teacher of hair styling).

I've built three schools in this state and the cost between a full union job and an agreed to partial union job was tremendous (worked out to be double the cost). Change orders on the unions jobs made the owners cringe as they clearly saw that a simple change performed by workers earning $60 to $90 (including benefits) per hour cost them dearly.

 

[steve from staten island]

That's a tough one for sure. Id say that any teacher making that kind of money would have time and at least a Masters. But what i will tell you is NO teacher works only 9 months a year. Id suggest you talk to a few. What many dont get is the average teacher does not work a 40 hour week. There week is more closer to 60 hours plus work at home and they do not get paid OT. So when you figure the time they spend after and before there job of teaching actually begins, the time they report for work before the school year begins, the time off they due get is hours they have earned.

 

[Budnicks]

The good,
the weather usually, vast open lands, food producing agriculture
the great 7 wonders of the world in one state, Ocean & the Mountains
only a few hr's apart

The bad,
Jerry Brown, Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Watters,
Tax & Spend Liberal policies completely & a contemptuous lack of any
real representative or any true leadership,
just a blank check/open slush account off taxpayers dime etc. etc. etc.

The ugly,
extremely media bias & political rhetoric in SF & LA {even Sacramento}
areas that makes the rest of my state look really ugly,
to outsiders that don't know any better or the truth
& only believe what they see on the alphabet news networks

 

[cdr]

The good,
the weather usually, vast open lands, food producing agriculture
the great 7 wonders of the world in one state, Ocean & the Mountains
only a few hr's apart

The bad,
Jerry Brown, Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Watters,
Tax & Spend Liberal policies completely & a contemptuous lack of any
real representative or any true leadership,
just a blank check/open slush account off taxpayers dime etc. etc. etc.

The ugly,
extremely media bias & political rhetoric in SF & LA {even Sacramento}
areas that makes the rest of my state look really ugly,
to outsiders that don't know any better or the truth
& only believe what they see on the alphabet news networks

Sorry Bud, I forgot there are good people in Cali,I corrected my post to Libtard commiefornians, Texas is not much different politically than the lovely state of Cali, my area all around me has turned blue.

 

[texas69bee]

I'm going to have to do 2 states here. Texas and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin, the good... Clean air, clean water, good cheese and pizza, the Packers, good fishing and hunting, 4 seasons, good schools and family.
Wisconsin, the bad... Lack of jobs. Even though I left there 8 yrs ago I still here of jobs leaving the state.
Texas, the good... No state income tax, Good diversity with food, Mild winters, gas is usually below the national average, jobs(mostly because they are being sucked in from other states)
Texas, the bad... The Cowboys and Cowboy fans. I can actually walk out the back of the plant and see Cowboy Stadium so that gives you an idea how much I am in the middle of it all. To me a fan is a fan year round, win or lose. The ones I see only where the jersey on Monday if they won on Sunday. The traffic! The summers!