Trip through Upper N.Y. state. Sad

Miles of towns and villages of empty store fronts. County roads with boarded up restaurants, gas stations and motels. Almost every town has a Dollar General....... and

a few Trump signs.

Gotta keep America Great.


Its urban areas and well-to-do suburbs like NYC and M/SO that generates our nations wealth.

Trump supporters living in red states and in upstate NY areas like you described live off us. Their many social benefits are primarily paid for by us. 

Yet, they despise us.


Its often hard to say how many of those empty store fronts are due to malaise and how many are due to the rise of Walmart which has gutted down towns in small cities and towns throughout America.


I don't think its primarily the big box stores.

There are two large Walmarts within a 10 mile radius in Freehold and Howell Townships. You go 10 miles north of the Freehold one and you'll find two more. You go 10 miles east and south of Howell and you'll find another two. The area is loaded with Walmarts. There are also Target's.

But the strip malls are loaded with busy shops, no vacancies.

Even if Walmart and/or Target causes empty storefronts, can you really put the primary blame on them when its consumers who decide to buy at big box just as they do when buying at Amazon?


Speaking of upstate NY, looks like "welfare fraud" is on the rise.

https://www.wwnytv.com/2019/06...

https://www.timesunion.com/new...


BG9 said:

Its urban areas and well-to-do suburbs like NYC and M/SO that generates our nations wealth.

Trump supporters living in red states and in upstate NY areas like you described live off us. Their many social benefits are primarily paid for by us. 

Yet, they despise us.

 Sounds like unintended screed against progressive taxation.  And, also a POV that does not take into account effects of NAFTA on the hinterlands over the last 25 or so years.  In the hinterlands, NAFTA is still a four letter word.

=================================================

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Progressive tax

A progressive tax is a tax in which the average tax rate (taxes paid ÷ personal income) increases as the taxable amount increases.[1][2][3][4][5] The term "progressive" refers to the way the tax rate progresses from low to high, with the result that a taxpayer's average tax rate is less than the person's marginal tax rate.[6][7] The term can be applied to individual taxes or to a tax system as a whole; a year, multi-year, or lifetime. Progressive taxes are imposed in an attempt to reduce the tax incidence of people with a lower ability to pay, as such taxes shift the incidence increasingly to those with a higher ability-to-pay. The opposite of a progressive tax is a regressive tax, where the average tax rate or burden decreases as an individual's ability to pay increases.[5]

The term is frequently applied in reference to personal income taxes, in which people with lower income pay a lower percentage of that income in tax than do those with higher income. It can also apply to adjustments of the tax base by using tax exemptions, tax credits, or selective taxation that creates progressive distribution effects. For example, a wealth or property tax,[8] a sales tax on luxury goods, or the exemption of sales taxes on basic necessities, may be described as having progressive effects as it increases the tax burden of higher income families and reduces it on lower income families.[9][10][11]

Progressive taxation is often suggested as a way to mitigate the societal ills associated with higher income inequality,[12] as the tax structure reduces inequality,[13] but economists disagree on the tax policy's economic and long-term effects.[14][15][16] One study suggests progressive taxation can be positively associated with happiness, the subjective well-being of nations and citizen satisfaction with public goods, such as education and transportation.[17]


phenixrising said:

Speaking of upstate NY, looks like "welfare fraud" is on the rise.

https://www.wwnytv.com/2019/06...

https://www.timesunion.com/new...

Thirteen ("13") people in St. Lawrence County NY were arrested for welfare fraud.  St. Lawrence County has a population of approximately 110,000 people.  These thirteen ("13") represent approximately eleven point eight THOUSANDTHS of a percent ("0.0118%").  

My conclusion:  some are struggling  in St. Lawrence County NY.  About the same poverty percentages for St. Lawrence County as for Essex County NJ (however, median household income is substantially lower in St. Lawrence .when compared with Essex Cty.).  

=========================================================

Excerpt from Wikipedia regarding St. Lawrence County NY:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

The median income for a household in the county was $30,356, and the median income for a family was $34,510. Males had a median income of $30,135 versus $24,253 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,728. About 12.30% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.30% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over [emphasis added].

========================================

Excerpt from Wikipedia regarding Essex County NJ:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

The median income for a household in the county was $44,944, and the median income for a family was $54,818. Males had a median income of $41,374 versus $32,052 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,943. About 12.8% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over [emphasis added].




Looks like you missed the other county (Rensselaer County), where 19 were arrested recently for welfare fraud.


Rural upstate NY has been in decline for many many decades. 

This is an interesting article from last year.  It looks like if you want job security, healthcare is the right field.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2018/09/03/new-york-top-employers/1156576002/

 


phenixrising said:

Looks like you missed the other county (Rensselaer County), where 19 were arrested recently for welfare fraud.

 I did not miss Rensselaer Cty news.  Rensselaer is just a replay of the St. Lawrence report (but obviously a different county).  Both St Lawrence and Rensselaer have many struggling in an area with relatively low median household income.  

What is your point?


(pssst. did he really post a definition of progressive taxation?)


I spend a few weeks in Upper NY each summer. Lots of Trump fans vote against their interests. Lots of cons who detest Adirondack Park Assoc. which basically maintains their meager tourist earnings by preserving wild lands and wildlife. Sad.


Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Miles of towns and villages of empty store fronts. County roads with boarded up restaurants, gas stations and motels. Almost every town has a Dollar General....... and

a few Trump signs.

Gotta keep America Great.

 The decline of rural and small town America started at least 50 years ago.  We can't hang this on Trump.  And I don't feel too critical of from rural areas who supported Trump believing he would make a difference.  He's been conning people his entire life with above average success.



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