Bedroom community? For who? For what?
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Bedroom community? For who? For what?
There's a new report out today about the state of Center City (h/t Atrios) and here's what I don't get:
-- Philadelphia is becoming more of a bedroom community, and more dependent on college, hospital, nonprofit and tourism jobs.
A bedroom community...but for what? It seems to me that if your local economy doesn't actually make anything, then it's all a big Ponzi scheme that's going to collapse eventually. I spent a couple of days in Pittsburgh this past winter for a chapter in my book, and I couldn't help but notice that everyone I talked to worked either a) in the local hospitals, which are just huge, especially with the older population in western Pennsylvania or b) local government services like fire or police. We have to start making something -- not the Wal-Mart trinkets they make in China -- but some kind of high-tech high-end products or something. Our whole economy is cops protecting nurses treating people injured at a slots parlor. Good luck with that.
And good luck this weekend -- remember, tomorrow's a Halladay.
Comments (91)
"I'm not in the least bit "outraged" by lunacy or extremism" What a crock. Then why the constant demands for repudiation? And weren't you all wound up about sedition the other week?— RG- --snip-- A New York Times/CBS News poll released on Wednesday found that only 1 percent of Tea Party supporters are black and only 1 percent are Hispanic. --snip-- Wow! Hey, boyz. Let's see some more of your posts about how blacks and Hispanics aren't aware enough to realize that it is their best interest to join up with the Tea Partiers.— Talking point sleuth
- ---}}} Then why the constant demands for repudiation? {{{--- Heh! Demands? Hardly, RG. I've invited you to repudiate the extremists and then sat back an laughed at how you just can't bring yourself to do it. (What's also funny is your notion that somehow one person on a blog could "demand" anything in particular out of another person on a blog.) Oh, and btw, RG, anytime you feel like repudiating the clearly racist and or violent and or lunatic extremists, feel free to do so. It shouldn't be hard. You could start with the lunatic keynote speakers at the Tea Party convention and their supporters that gave then standing ovations, or the John Birch Society that co-sponsored CPAC, or Michelle Bachmann or Glenn Beck for running around claiming that Obama is creating detention camps, or the myriad birthers carrying signs at Tea Party rallies, or the loons carrying posters equating Obama to Hitler or depicting him as an African witchdoctor. There's plenty to choose from, RG. The first step towards recovery is the hardest - but it will get easier from that point out.— Talking point sleuth
- "I've invited you to repudiate the extremists and then sat back an laughed at how you just can't bring yourself to do it." So my inaction makes you laugh? Combine this with your obsessive need to post links about the TPers and we can see what a real hoot you must be.— RG
- ---}}} And weren't you all wound up about sedition the other week? {{{--- Actually, I do think that the violent extremists are a pretty serious threat. We've already seen in Oklahoma the scale of destruction that rightwing terrorist extremists can do. And with the shooting of "liberals" in that Tennessee church, we can see how rightwing extremists are destructive on a smaller scale as well. The peaceful lunatics within the Tea Party are harmless enough. But what is telling is that "conservatives" such as yourself can't acknowledge the overlap between the non-violent racism and extremism amidst the Tea Party with the racist and extremist beliefs of the violent loons. That's why it was so amusing to watch you have a meltdown as you freaked out about that article that correctly focused on obvious overlap.— Talking point sleuth
- ---}}} So my inaction makes you laugh? {{{--- Absolutely. It is hilarious how you just can't bring yourself to repudiate the loons.— Talking point sleuth
- "It is hilarious how you just can't bring yourself to repudiate the loons." It is wacky that I think others are entitled to their opinion and that I realize what an exercise in futility it would be to "repudiate" them. But since futility's your middle name, have at it.— RG
- "But what is telling is that "conservatives" such as yourself" Now I'm a conservative. Good to know.— RG
- ---}}} Now I'm a conservative. Good to know. {{{--- I assumed you had no problem with that label since the views you've expressed - at least with respect to economic issues if not social issues - are pretty much in line with the opinions of most people that call themselves "conservative." Sorry if I mischaracterized you. What is beyond any doubt is that you're a libertarian extremist. You know, like believing that we'd all have been better off if hundreds of millions of American schoolchildren had not had access to a free education, or believing that it is a bad thing that the government plays a role in monitoring workplace safety. You know, extremist views such as those.— Talking point sleuth
- ---}}} It is wacky that I think others are entitled to their opinion {{{--- Heh! It's always hilarious when you pull out this lame excuse. I never questioned the "entitlement" to opinions, RG. You can fully respect that right while still correctly identifying some views as extremist or lunatic. I'd say that the opinion that Obama is the anti-Christ fits the lunatic category, for example. It's hilarious that you just can't bring yourself to criticize the significant percentage of Tea Partiers who hold such a belief. It really isn't that hard, RG. Here, I'll give you another example. The people carrying around Bush = Hitler signs were lunatic extremists. See? Not difficult at all. Well, as long as you aren't in a libertarian stupor, that is.— Talking point sleuth
- "What is beyond any doubt is that you're a libertarian extremist." So I'm a conservative libertarian extremist. Gotcha.— RG
- ---}}} I realize what an exercise in futility it would be to "repudiate" them. {{{--- Once again, RG (it seems that you really do need to have some very simple concepts explained repeatedly), you repudiating lunatics on this blog would, obviously, not have any significant effect on world events. Nonetheless, your inability to simply acknowledge the significant number of loons and extremists among the Tea Partiers speaks volumes. Volumes. As does the Republican Party's willingness to pander to the loons and extremists.— Talking point sleuth
- ---}}} So I'm a conservative libertarian extremist. Gotcha. {{{--- Once again, RG, if you don't identify with the conservative label, then I apologize for my mistake. However, there is no doubt that you are an extremist libertarian. The views you've posted on this board over and over make that plainly obvious.— Talking point sleuth
- City wage tax and the tax abatement for new condos is what happened. I used to work in Center City--the business moved to Conshohocken--free parking, no wage tax and relatively little fear of getting shot, raped, or robbed.— joyful1
In my experience, Philly is turning into a bedroom community for "urban inversion". People work in suburban office parks, but still choose to live in the city. As the affluent areas of the city continue to grow, the poor will continue to be pushed out, and eventually they'll figure out that they can buy a townhouse in an exurban development for the same price as a rowhouse in a bad part of the city. It's something that has already happened in western europe, and is in advances stages in some american cities like New York, Boston, and San Franscisco. The poor will keep being forced further out of the city, and all the suburbanites burying their heads in the sand will start to see it soon. If Philly declines, it takes their nice safe McMansions and strip malls with it.— Pelti
View comments: « PREVIOUS |
6
|
7
Popular Posts
Search this blog:
Blog Roll
- Andrew Sullivan
- Blinq
- Blogorrhea
- Blonde Sagacity
- Free Republic
- Instapundit
- James Taranto
- ScrappleFace
- The Corner
- Buzzmachine
- Eat the Press
- Editor and Publisher
- Media (Huffington Post)
- Media Bloodhound
- Mickey Kaus
- Pressthink
- Romenesko
- The Inksniffer
- A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago
- Above Average Jane
- BlankBaby
- Citizen Mom
- Keystone Blog
- Metroblogging Philadelphia
- Phawker
- Philadelphia - America's Hometown
- Philadelphia Will Do
- Philebrity
- Philly Future
- Phillyblog
- Phillyist
- The Clog
- The Next Mayor
- Welcome to Phillyville
- Young Philly Politics
- Afro-Netizen
- All-Spin Zone
- Atrios
- Bad Attitudes
- Billmon
- Booman Tribune
- CorrenteWire
- Fables of the Reconstruction
- iFlipFlop
- Kiko's House
- MyDD
- Philly (Dragonballyee)
- Rowhouse Logic
- Slacktivist
- Suburban Guerilla
- Tattered Coat
- upyernoz
- AmericaBlog
- Andy Borowitz
- BuzzFlash
- Crooks and Liars
- Cursor
- Daily Kos
- David Sirota
- Drudge Report
- Echidne of the Snakes
- Fire Dog Lake
- Glenn Greenwald
- Hullabaloo
- Jesus' General
- Jon Swift
- Josh Marshall
- Juan Cole
- Kevin Drum
- Mad Kane
- Majikthise
- Matthew Yglesias
- Oliver Willis
- Raw Story
- Swing State Project
- Talk Left
- Taylor Marsh
- TBogg
- The Carpetbagger Report
- Think Progress
- War and Piece
- Wonkette
- A Citizen's Blog
- Balls, Sticks and Stuff
- Beer Leaguer
- Dick Polman
- Phillies Nation
- Philling Station
- Shallow Center
- The 700 Level
- The Good Phight
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners: