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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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 Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:00 pm Post subject: The Worst-Run Big City |
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Despite its good intentions, San Francisco is not leading the country in gay marriage. Despite its good intentions, it is not stopping wars. Despite its spending more money per capita on homelessness than any comparable city, its homeless problem is worse than any comparable city's. Despite its spending more money per capita, period, than almost any city in the nation, San Francisco has poorly managed, budget-busting capital projects, overlapping social programs no one is certain are working, and a transportation system where the only thing running ahead of schedule is the size of its deficit.
It's time to face facts: San Francisco is spectacularly mismanaged and arguably the worst-run big city in America. This year's city budget is an astonishing $6.6 billion � more than twice the budget for the entire state of Idaho � for roughly 800,000 residents. Yet despite that stratospheric amount, San Francisco can't point to progress on many of the social issues it spends liberally to tackle � and no one is made to answer when the city comes up short.
The city's ineptitude is no secret. "I have never heard anyone, even among liberals, say, 'If only [our city] could be run like San Francisco,'" says urbanologist Joel Kotkin. "Even other liberal places wouldn't put up with the degree of dysfunction they have in San Francisco. In Houston, the exact opposite of San Francisco, I assume you'd get shot."
Who is to blame for this city's wretched state of affairs? Yomi Agunbiade, that's who. Metaphorically, that is. |
http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-12-16/news/the-worst-run-big-city-in-the-u-s/1
The above is just a small chunk of the whole article. It is excellent. Surprisingly well done.
SF has unions, NGOs, more unions, more NGO's, no middle class and unions. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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San Fran sure looked like a great place to live the times I was there.
I guess if I had to pay property taxes in the city I'd worry about what City Hall is doing about trash collection, road signage and the like.
For the rest of us, including those who can afford to pay rent there, WHO CARES about the local politics? It's a cool city.
(Why post a S.F-bashing article mises? are you into municipal politics too?)
Last edited by VanIslander on Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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CA is also the worst-run state. I mean its residents have one of the highest tax burdens in the country, yet a report today came out saying it has the 2nd worst roads in the country. Its schools are only above a couple other states (MS and LA i think). It really is disgusting.
MA also has high taxes but at least it has excellent schools, decent roads, etc. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
San Fran sure looked like a great place to live the times I was there.
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Yes, due to the scenery right? And some of the architecture? Kinda distracts (some) people from the homeless, potholes, and whatnot.
And it has the best food in the country IMO, on par with even NY. Just a shame it has such a crappy local gov't. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
(Why post a S.F-bashing article mises? are you into municipal politics too?) |
I don't think it is bashing SF. Just the government. I posted the article because it was so well written/researched. And I'm conservative. SF's mix of NGO's, unions, limo-liberals and the rest is fun to read about. I didn't know how utterly dysfunctional it is. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:42 pm Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| VanIslander wrote: |
(Why post a S.F-bashing article mises? are you into municipal politics too?) |
I don't think it is bashing SF. Just the government. I posted the article because it was so well written/researched. And I'm conservative. SF's mix of NGO's, unions, limo-liberals and the rest is fun to read about. I didn't know how utterly dysfunctional it is. |
Mayor Gavin Newsom is all image and no substance. In the Fall, he went AWOL for like a week after his campaign to be governor imploded.
Then you got morons like Supervisor Chris Daly who seem to push the worst of liberal ideas (such as rent control) and embrace unions. The irony, of course, is thanks to supporting PUBLIC sector unions, the politicans are driving away the middle class and the working class (ie those likely to be in private sector unions).
Then again, as an Oakland native, I should be somewhat happy because Oakland is gaining due to SF's ineptitude. Last time I was home I was shocked how many 20something people lived in my parents' neighborhood. There has been a wave of art gallery openings, and there is actually a music venue or two within walking distance of my parents place. One of the best new restaurants in the entire bay area is there too. Why? Because it is a lot more affordable than SF for both housing and labor, while only being a short subway ride away.
Of course Oakland itself has its problems (massive crime in certain parts plus a brain dead mayor) but after reading that article, I am feeling a bit better about my hometown. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| California has a high state income tax and admin taxes (registering cars etc) are very high. Does SF have a city tax (like NYC/Chicago)? |
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Koveras
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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An article I read the other day shows where the mayor's head is at.
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Newsom said he's headed to Washington, D.C. next week to lobby House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for an extension of the money and to include people without children. He said he wants to see 2,500 or even more San Franciscans hired, and that the majority of California's $1.8 billion pot is still sitting waiting to be grabbed by cities since so few are participating.
"This is limitless. It's just a matter of who draws down the money fastest," Newsom said. "We discovered a pot of gold in the stimulus money." |
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=53313&tsp=1 |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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| That's nice. I'm sure they'll use it to stimulate manufacturing and entrepreneurial activity. Miami built kayak launches. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| California has a high state income tax and admin taxes (registering cars etc) are very high. Does SF have a city tax (like NYC/Chicago)? |
It has a health-care tax on all restaurants that have wait-staff (so places like Mickey D's and taco trucks are excluded). I think it is a dollar/customer or something like that. Plus the state sales tax is apparently 8.25% but in SF it is 9.25% (but most counties in the Bay Area are around the same as SF). |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Koveras wrote: |
An article I read the other day shows where the mayor's head is at.
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Newsom said he's headed to Washington, D.C. next week to lobby House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for an extension of the money and to include people without children. He said he wants to see 2,500 or even more San Franciscans hired, and that the majority of California's $1.8 billion pot is still sitting waiting to be grabbed by cities since so few are participating.
"This is limitless. It's just a matter of who draws down the money fastest," Newsom said. "We discovered a pot of gold in the stimulus money." |
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=53313&tsp=1 |
You might also want to google "San Francisco Chinatown subway" for a perfect example of gov't waste, compliments of Pelosi and Newsom. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Must be hard to get ahead in Cali. The wealth consulting arm of the firm that I work for has very consistent advice for California and New York based clients: Leave. They suggest Nevada, Florida, Texas and Tennessee. But mostly Texas. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:12 pm Post subject: |
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California's top tax bracket starts at 44k?
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| In California, for instance, the rate for a single person begins at 1% at $6,622 in income and rises to 9.3% over $44,814 |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax
A progressive tax isn't supposed to tax like that. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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Last week when I told my boss that I was moving from VA to DC, he said, "ohhh, higher taxes!" Given my salary, the difference is a couple hundred bucks a year. Not a huge heart breaker.
After I figured that out, I thought I would see how DC and VA compared to CA. Well if I were in CA, I'd pay a couple thousand more in taxes each year. Ouch. And like I said earlier, worse roads and infrastructure (well compared to VA, not so much DC). |
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DIsbell
Joined: 15 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I'd nominate Phoenix metro area for this. Ridiculous sprawl, awful pollution, major lack of transportation (it got it's first commuter rail last year), meth mecca, crime... and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Budget problems as well. |
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