There has been very little discussionin the past 5 or so years on this forum. Nayboobs whine, Someone disagrees with the Nayboobs -- the Nayboobs attack the person who disagrees.
This thread for discussion about the downtown.
Most of downtown has been paid for by the homeowners, the taxpayers in the neighborhoods.
In the neighborhoods in the city, homes sit for a year or more unsold. In the neighborhoods, there are record numbers of homes seized for non-payment of taxes. These aren’t so much homes owned by slumlords, but rather homes that used to be owned for a long time by fine, upstanding, owner occupants who used to take care of their homes but the burden of paying for downtown was too much. So there are many foreclosed homes. In the neighborhoods there are many abandoned and boarded up homes, burned out homes and blight.
Is downtown helping the homeowners, the taxpayers, and the neighborhoods? How?
What are the homeowners getting IN RETURN for their “investment” in downtown?
What are the neighborhoods getting in return?
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Most of downtown has been paid for by the homeowners, the taxpayers in the neighborhoods.
In the neighborhoods in the city, homes sit for a year or more unsold. In the neighborhoods, there are record numbers of homes seized for non-payment of taxes. These aren’t so much homes owned by slumlords, but rather homes that used to be owned for a long time by fine, upstanding, owner occupants who used to take care of their homes but the burden of paying for downtown was too much. So there are many foreclosed homes. In the neighborhoods there are many abandoned and boarded up homes, burned out homes and blight.
Is downtown helping the homeowners, the taxpayers, and the neighborhoods? How?
What are the homeowners getting IN RETURN for their “investment” in downtown?
What are the neighborhoods getting in return?
I will play devil's advocate a bit, though I agree with you a lot ... Let's say downtown was not aided at all ... It would become Detroit. So police costs would go up ... Sure, do the locals eat at Mexican Radio a lot or see a lot of shows at Proctors? ... And the YMCA is expensive if you are not connected or a felon who gets a free ride. I'm not 100% against subsidies for downtown and do think it is symbolic of the city as a whole helping perception from outsiders. Is there a city sales tax? Maybe adding 1% to the sales downtown would offset?
I will play devil's advocate a bit, though I agree with you a lot ... Let's say downtown was not aided at all ... It would become Detroit. So police costs would go up ... Sure, do the locals eat at Mexican Radio a lot or see a lot of shows at Proctors? ... And the YMCA is expensive if you are not connected or a felon who gets a free ride. I'm not 100% against subsidies for downtown and do think it is symbolic of the city as a whole helping perception from outsiders. Is there a city sales tax? Maybe adding 1% to the sales downtown would offset?
I think most of the business at restaurants comes from outsiders who just happen to be state workers transferred to downtown. Sure, there are some upper income people in the city that have the financial means to pay $100 for a show at Proctors, pay $25 a head for a dinner plus tax plus gratuity and maybe some drinks afterward. Probably doctors and lawyers who live in Niskayuna. But the city has the highest poverty rate around, parents cannot afford to provide their children with three meals a day, thus the school breakfasts and lunches, and the summer lunch sites. These people for sure are not eating meals downtown (unless it's Burger King). These families are certainly not going to shows at Proctors. Annie is a great show, but what family can afford to spend a week's worth of income to attend? Alright, they can get nose bleed seats in the last row and squint to see.
Surely people from outside of the capital district come to shows at Proctors. Are they choosing to buy houses in the city?
And why can't these millionaires pay for the renovating or rebuilding their buildings downtown exclusively out of their own pocket? Typical families in the city have total household incomes of under $40,000 and they cannot afford to make necessary repairs to their homes, and certainly can't afford to shell out a year's worth of pay to put in a new kitchen. Since homeowners can't afford to pay to fix up their own homes, why should they have to pay to fix up properties owned by millionaires? In other words, what are the homeowners getting in return for paying for the buildings and taxes of the millionaires?
And why is the sales tax in the county falling?
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Downtown needs attention, it needs taxpayer money being spent in it, but there needs to be balance. EVEYTHING can't go to downtown, while the neighborhoods that people live in get nothing. What money has been spent on revitalizing Crane St? Or The Bellevue section of Broadway? Or Albany St, Brandywine, etc. etc.
The neighborhoods have been so neglected that no one wants to move here. Even with high taxes people would move here if they were getting something for those taxes.
Everything should be subsidized through government. It's the only way anything can be fixed.
Not everything, no one but the people downtown want everything subsidized. The rest of us just want roads, parks, libraries, sewer and water lines, garbage pick up, schools...you know, the items that government was designed to take care, to actually be taken care of.
Not everything, no one but the people downtown want everything subsidized. The rest of us just want roads, parks, libraries, sewer and water lines, garbage pick up, schools...you know, the items that government was designed to take care, to actually be taken care of.
You do realize, those things you believe are government functions are not? Libraries? Garbage pick up? Parks? Schools? If you believe that, then if the government closed tomorrow, you would be helpless. I would want to live in that world.
You do realize, those things you believe are government functions are not? Libraries? Garbage pick up? Parks? Schools? If you believe that, then if the government closed tomorrow, you would be helpless. I would want to live in that world.
No, not helpless...just living in a third world country. There are plenty of them out there, just try one out and see how much you like it.
Whether you like it or not the better the access to government run services, the better the quality of life.
No, not helpless...just living in a third world country. There are plenty of them out there, just try one out and see how much you like it.
Whether you like it or not the better the access to government run services, the better the quality of life.
Really? Third world countries are third world BECAUSE if their despotic government. Go look at Detroit. That's a third world city. Shutting off water to residents that don't pay their water bill, while they pay government workers large salaries and pensions. Go to Detroit, tell me how great those first world services are.
And thank you for the lively debate...I must go now and spend some time with the kids...they want me to battle them in Pokemon awhich requires mustering everything within me to pretend that I am not as miserable.
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