R.I. exodus: Losing the young, ambitious

The Providence Journal ^ | Tuesday, January 2, 2007 | Mark Arsenault

[goldstategop]

Rhodaschusetts. Bled dry by big government and higher taxes.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Lancey Howard]

Is it my imagination or does it seem that every time there's a thread about declining population, it always concerns a liberal state? I have seen recent threads about New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, and now Rhode Island. All are losing population.

My concern is that these "people leaving" are Democrats who have fouled their own nests and now are migrating to other states where they will continue to vote Democrat and screw up those states for everybody else.

[BradyLS]

California is losing people? That's news to me!

[dasboot]

I'm on the border of the two. They lose population and tax-base....so they increase taxes to cover the loss...which drives taxpayers out...which makes more leave....

Of my wife's family of eight siblings...born in RI, five now live in NC, FL, AZ, and PA.

It's all about taxes and liberalism. Unfriendly to business, opportunity, wealth.

[dasboot]

"My concern is that these "people leaving" are Democrats who have fouled their own nests and now are migrating to other states where they will continue to vote Democrat and screw up those states for everybody else."

Not what I'm seeing. The libs, mostly gubmint employees, stay and bitch..and get salary increases. Or get phat pensions...or go on SSDI. The sibs in wife's family are not libs. They got out to escape the libs. And the taxes. Especially the property taxes.

[Lancey Howard]

I swear I saw a thread recently that claimed that California's population declined for the first time ever. I could be mistaken. A search did turn up this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1739400/posts

[Lancey Howard]

Thanks for the post. That's encouraging.

[MinorityRepublican]

The absolute numbers of American citizens are decreasing in California. But the population in California is increasing due to immigration.

[dasboot]

My mother-in-law has operated a guest house in Newport for 30 years, maintaining the 'summer cottage' with proceeds from the business. The state is forcing her into bankruptsy. New fire code (Station House fire fallout....$100,000+ for sprinklers...that don't ruin the historic pinache of the place), building code restrictions that force her into highest-cost restoration, fuel taxes, and property taxes that are, annually, more than the appraised value of my home. The property is valuable...but there's a slim profit margin. Then there's the scammers who claimed injury...insurance cancelled after settlement...new policy at twice the cost. The planning board says she's gotta paint the place every three years.

She's selling, and moving to FL. Some corporation that needs to lose money will buy it. Or a public organization...that pays no taxes, and is covered by state indemnity...or something. More base-loss. Bigger demand on those rubes who remain.

An example of the madness.

[dasboot]

Oh yeah, Lancy...

I worked in Newport last night. I play music in bars.

Newport ...the once party, night-life capitol,...is a ghost-town. Bartenders, waiters, waitresses being laid-off; restaurants closing; just folding in on itself.

No smoking in bars (except state-run places like the dog track...they exempted themselves from their own regs) and zealous enforcement of noise ordinances and no permitting of 2am licensing is just killing everything. The resort town is dying. No fun allowed. Not much to go there for, anymore.

[meyer]

“With our budget deficits, the fact that our population is declining and the fact that we know our tax and cost structure is not competitive, Rhode Island needs to reinvent itself. This is not the time for piecemeal answers.”

Time to cut taxes, it seems.

It appears, at least as inferred in the article, that Rhode Island is a high-cost state with little to offer.

[meyer]

California is losing people? That's news to me!

Probably losing Americans as they get displaced by illegals.

[SueRae]

As someone who spent many wonderful summers in Southern RI (Pt. Judith, Narragansett), I find that news very sad. I was zipping thru thr real estate section yesterday, my grandmother's shack of a cottage is up for sale...again. It looks like the last vestages of a once wonderful seashore are going to be sold to developers. Taxes and corruption have ruined the Ocean State.

[JoeGar]

Rhode Island has for decades lost retired people to warmer climates

They are all moving into my eastern North Carolina neighborhood!

[tkathy]

Must be a democrat run state.

[dasboot]

:^) Narragansett? Used to be quite a fantastic night club scene there back in the late 70's....Schillers, Bon View, Frat parties on the URI campus. Geez...those were the days. Do you go that far back? (I was the guitar player:^)

I recently spent a month in FL...Cocoa Beach. Reminds me of the RI coast back in the day. The party has moved....south! Thinking of making the move , myself. MA is not much better than RI.

I think there's a significant coorelation between the health of a restaurant/club economy and the general economic health of any given location. The cave canary, sort of.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

I might be moving to Southeast Georgia with my brother in a year (the St. Mary's area) when he starts working at his new company. I understand Florida is one of the top five markets for new jobs. That area seems to be today what California was in the Seventies.

[Hardastarboard]

New England is kind of sitting this decade out.

Thanks to the wonderful religion of socialism, New England will be sitting out the next century, unless they change. Doubt they'll do that.

[dasboot]

Hardastarboard (Hey! What happened to my tagline?)

Fell over the rail to port?

Cheers