Posted on 02/19/2006 5:04:55 AM PST by mcg2000
In a lot of ways, this question is both subjective and qualatative.
Fill in your own criteria ... here are a few to keep in mind along the way ...
Scandals - Elections - Crime Rates - Educational Standings - Tax Programs - Income Per Capita - Population Growth - Construction - etc.
Given demographic trends, aren't they almost all gonna look like Newark and DC someday?
Baltimore
We keep hearing how horrible Herenton is. I get the impression that "Memphis" must be a lot like the formerly great city of New Orleans - All of the prosperous people live outside the city limits and the population that is left keeps electing one of their own, no matter how corrupt. Why do they do this?
Yes. It seems like New York is the only place left where all the rich and powerful people live in the center of the city, and the poor are in the outer boroughs and suburbs.
Old data. I'd have agreed with you during the Marion Barry era. Anthony Williams has done a pretty good job. We are still dealing with legacy issues and have a disastrous school situation to address, but D.C. is headed in the right direction.
The next mayoralty election is important. Williams isn't running. The new guy will be a risk factor until he proves himself.
Every city that is large enough to house a lot of the very poor who have the vote are going to be horrid in crime and easy prey for the bread and circus mentality of corrupt politics, where the maintained become useful mostly for their votes. Happened in the Subura in Rome, happened in every big city that I can think of where the poor could vote.
Why should we be surprised that Detroit, New Orleans, D.C., Balitmore and so on are like that? It was like that before the welfare system got very big, too, with the local political machine directly dealing out the goodies more often and taking care of their voters. It's not new in this country at all...but because of the politics of race, it's easier to see, perhaps.
Do you mean cities with the most "diversity"??
You are good to point this out. WBAL TV is doing an aggressive investigation on the shenanigans of Martin O'Malley.
Have to say Baltimordor too.
"the population that is left keeps electing one of their own, no matter how corrupt. Why do they do this?"
It is the PLANTATION mentality.
I can only speak on what I have experience with: Durham, NC.
(But they have a first-rate police department, below the administrative level.)
AGreed. Another vote for Memphis.
In 1998 & 1999, I drove a bus for an extradition company out of Nashville. We frequently would stop in Memphis to either drop someone off at the jail or pick someone up from the jail that was going to another state.
Crack whores would be walking up and down the street across from the jail. My co-driver and I were both propostioned many times by these "ladies", even though we were in full uniform and on a bus with bars on the windows.
But then, that wasn't unusual as that happened in lots of big cities. The "girls" being released needed money for a rock and didn't care who or what they got it from.
YUP! And out of wedlock percentages too!
Baltimore is probably right.
Yup. Seems the boy wonder's amazing reduction in crime rates has everything to do with cooking the books. He's the star of the Rat party.
D e t r o i t
without question, doubt or competition. Makes nawlins and DC look like pikers.
More than Greenwich? New Canaan? Darien?
Reedurban,Ohio
Couldn't we just sell it to Canada. For one-dollar maybe.
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