[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by HumpDay

[/b]

I wish Christie was the governor of CT. I mean he's ok but better than Malloy. I don't want to get into in a political battle but Malloy only won because of Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport. He only wanted to keep the Hartford polls open because that's where he knows he can get those votes. I agree CT does deserve better because we've had decades of bad governance and just when it seems like it's getting better...it's actually getting worse.

I could substitute any governor for Christie, and all would be better than Malloy. The scary thing is DM wasn't even aware of a long overdue corporate revolt of proportions never before seen in his own state.

That was Ted Baxter-esque.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

A leader who vetoes budgets with tax hikes, unless severe cuts were made in advance, to the full extent possible.

NJ just had a 10,100 net new job creation month, but with unemp like Ct > US, even with projections showing we'll be the best in the Northeast at job growth the rest of year, Christie has announced he will veto the Democrats tax-raising budget. They lack the votes to override him. BRAVO!!

Good leaders use the bully pulpit, just as good pitchers are not averse to brushing back batters.

Malloy either adores tax hikes or is a perpetual follower IMO. Neither trait makes for a good leader. Ct deserves better.

The unemployment rate in New Jersey is 6.5 percent while Connecticut's is 6 percent. How is Christie doing better than Malloy??? Don't get me wrong I am not pleased with what Malloy has done here but I am not seeing it being much better in New Jersey either. Actually it is worse. Jay

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by Mr_250

What I didn't like is how conceded, for lack of a better word, they seemed to be.

I mean, this was essentially a start up company with big money. Instead of starting in a garage or small office, grow a little, take use of some incentives offered, grow a little more, move into new office and be self sufficient; these guys went from napkin to hanging motorcycles on the wall and sitting amongst waterfalls. It's like a rich kid who took over his family business and used it as a personal shrine to himself (themselves). They did not work yet reaped the reward.

Sad to see 80 people out of a job and 140 investors stuck, but that's life.

I don't disagree your premise. These folks were arrogant, leveraged connections and back office deals were done. It's disgusting.

However--
A broadcast network isn't the type of startup that can be done "lean". Kind of like pharma research, and large scale manufacturing , the upfront investment to get it off the ground is very significant and the benefits if successful are significant.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The unemployment rate in New Jersey is 6.5 percent while Connecticut's is 6 percent. How is Christie doing better than Malloy??? Don't get me wrong I am not pleased with what Malloy has done here but I am not seeing it being much better in New Jersey either. Actually it is worse. Jay

By vetoing tax hikes, NJ will continue having months like May (+10,100 jobs). DM, best case scenario just looking at insurance mergers plus Sikorsky not even adding GE issue, will see net job reduction for the rest of Malloy's term. .5% is hardly much to make up, as in a 1.9 mill workforce like Ct, .5% is 9,500 jobs.

NJ just added 3,700 more than Ct in May, and we have no GE threats, no AETNA press releases, no Travelers same, no Stanley Black&Decker, and no Sikorsky up for sale.

Christie could have voided our momentum by doing a Malloy and singing the tax hike tune. Instead, he led.

New job figures raise economic hopes in NJ (We're +181k private sector jobs during Christie's 5 years, Malloy's self reported #, during primary, was "nearly" + 70k). The unemp rate DM inherited was .4% LOWER than what Christie was handed. And we both know the trendline.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by nep321

The economic climate in CT is atrocious. I am looking forward to moving to a state with low unemployment, a $2 billion budget surplus, low taxes and superb GDP growth.

2 facts stand out: 2 Ohio offers in 3 weeks, and as you indicated on the work forum, your Ct employer had a replacement for you in starting 1.5 weeks from the day you gave notice. That should tell you why you had no Ct offers, and a lot of success in 3.8% unemployment Columbus. (Your replacement is no doubt an unemployed Ct professional, as they could not have given proper notice otherwise).

Stamford used to have an unemployment rate similar to Columbus. Pre Malloy, of course.

[Mr_250]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

I don't disagree your premise. These folks were arrogant, leveraged connections and back office deals were done. It's disgusting.

However--
A broadcast network isn't the type of startup that can be done "lean". Kind of like pharma research, and large scale manufacturing , the upfront investment to get it off the ground is very significant and the benefits if successful are significant.

Of course and the equipment is expensive and so is the start up. I could see the need for investors.

But, cmon back9. All they have is a hot girl on YouTube and not even a deal yet and they are living large. Maybe they should have not installed an indoor driving range and put that money towards a business developer.

You can't blame them for trying. If it took off it would have done wonders for the hartford area.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by Lalalally

Yep nep! And don't ever ruin that by voting the way you're usually inclined to! JK.......well maybe not really kidding at all!! Lol! Kudos to Ohio for turning itself around -- a former dismal rust belt state, to one that's now redefining & reinventing itself and whopping the crap out of us!! Hey - also, I just read an article today on the CT post: Ohio is one of the top summer road place destinations in the country this year, while CT is dead freaking last -- Number 50!! LOL! Good choice and good luck again!!!! When do you leave? Soon, right?

Yeah I'm officially leaving on Monday. I'm happy and sad at the same time.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

By vetoing tax hikes, NJ will continue having months like May (+10,100 jobs). DM, best case scenario just looking at insurance mergers plus Sikorsky not even adding GE issue, will see net job reduction for the rest of Malloy's term. .5% is hardly much to make up, as in a 1.9 mill workforce like Ct, .5% is 9,500 jobs.

NJ just added 3,700 more than Ct in May, and we have no GE threats, no AETNA press releases, no Travelers same, no Stanley Black&Decker, and no Sikorsky up for sale.

Christie could have voided our momentum by doing a Malloy and singing the tax hike tune. Instead, he led.

New job figures raise economic hopes in NJ (We're +181k private sector jobs during Christie's 5 years, Malloy's self reported #, during primary, was "nearly" + 70k). The unemp rate DM inherited was .4% LOWER than what Christie was handed. And we both know the trendline.

New Jersey has nearly 2.5 time the population of Connecticut so of course their employment numbers will be higher. Connecticut added 6,400 jobs in May, New Jersey added 10,100. For the job growth rate in NJ to be the same last month as Connecticut, they should have added 15,800 jobs, not just 10,100. Even by that measure, Connecticut is doing better.

You keep pointing to GE's threat to leave as an issue, yet New Jersey has already lost a major corporation with Mercedes Benz moving over 1,000 corporate jobs to Atlanta. Taxes in New Jersey are even more than they are here when you consider that there are state, county and municipal taxes to be paid. Add in that even though Connecticut is divided up into 169 municipalities which is a lot, New Jersey has 565 and the state is not much bigger in area than Connecticut.

One more thing I will note is that when it comes to transportation, Malloy has a MUCH better policy than Christie. Malloy has proposed a massive $100 billion 30-year program to upgrade transportation throughout the state including highway reconstruction and mass-transit improvements. Christie canceled one of the most important transportation projects in New Jersey history, the additional transit tunnel under the Hudson River, a couple of years back. That tunnel would have helped make it easier for New Jersey commuters to get in and out of Manhattan. Today commuters must take a train to Hoboken and then switch to another train to get into the city. The added tunnel would have eliminated the need to switch trains. Christie claimed that the tunnel deal was bad for New Jersey because the state had to pay for cost overruns. That may be true but the clear benefit in this was for residents of New Jersey so why shouldn't they be responsible for the costs. Still instead of canceling the project completely, he should have tried to renegotiate the deal to minimize the costs to the state. So now commuters in New Jersey are still having problems commuting into Manhattan AND there is no solution in sight for how to deal with it. Not good IMHO. Even my Republican friends in NJ think the guy is an idiot.

Again, I am not saying Malloy and the taxes are acceptable but you can't point to a state and say they are better without facts to back them up. And those facts show that New Jersey is in an arguably worse position under Christie. Jay

[nep321]

RANKED: The 50 US State Economies - Business Insider

According to this article/list, CT has the 7th best economy in the nation, among all 50 states. I find this hard to believe.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by nep321

RANKED: The 50 US State Economies - Business Insider

According to this article/list, CT has the 7th best economy in the nation, among all 50 states. I find this hard to believe.

Its an odd list no doubt. Some of the touted high growth states like SC and FL are at the bottom, while CT and VT are near the top. Although TX and ND are 2 and 1, respectively, so that seems to be consistent with the conventional wisdom.