[JayCT]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Err... The affluent suburbs of Nashville have some of the best school systems in the country. Franklin, Brentwood, Belle Meade, and Hendersonville are stuffed full of rich people. Vanderbilt is a top-10 university like Duke and Johns Hopkins.

The rest of the state? Sure. It's a real backwater.

I'll bet special ed isn't very good in Hartford, Bridgeport, or New Haven. My frame of reference is the Massachusetts failed mill cities but there, everybody is special needs. None of those places have the $50K per student budget to fund all that one-on-one. If you have special needs, you move to a leafy suburb where the school system doesn't have many special needs students. Doesn't matter whether it's Lexington, Ma, Franklin, TN, or Greenwich, CT. You're going to get great services. Memphis, Springfield MA, or Hartford? Not so much.

I have lots of techie friends in Texas. There are rich suburbs in Texas, too. They have top school systems. A couple miles away, the schools are a disaster just like in the Blue states.


Near as I can tell, the Connecticut problem is union public sector bloat. The unfunded pension liability is crushing the state. That's not commie. That's unchecked special interests.

Of course affluent suburbs of major cities have good schools there. That is true in almost any state. But it is beyond that where things really change and that is the key difference. As for your comments on special education in cities, I know that the City of Meriden offers a very good program for their special education students and Meriden is considered an poor urban area. Jay

[East of the River]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Err... The affluent suburbs of Nashville have some of the best school systems in the country. Franklin, Brentwood, Belle Meade, and Hendersonville are stuffed full of rich people. Vanderbilt is a top-10 university like Duke and Johns Hopkins.

The rest of the state? Sure. It's a real backwater.

I'll bet special ed isn't very good in Hartford, Bridgeport, or New Haven. My frame of reference is the Massachusetts failed mill cities but there, everybody is special needs. None of those places have the $50K per student budget to fund all that one-on-one. If you have special needs, you move to a leafy suburb where the school system doesn't have many special needs students. Doesn't matter whether it's Lexington, Ma, Franklin, TN, or Greenwich, CT. You're going to get great services. Memphis, Springfield MA, or Hartford? Not so much.

I have lots of techie friends in Texas. There are rich suburbs in Texas, too. They have top school systems. A couple miles away, the schools are a disaster just like in the Blue states.


Near as I can tell, the Connecticut problem is union public sector bloat. The unfunded pension liability is crushing the state. That's not commie. That's unchecked special interests.

The issue is the number of good schools. Other then about 10 towns/cities in the state most of the schools are pretty damn good by national standards. And more then half of the towns in the state have excellent schools. VS a couple towns in most states.

Here is High school rating but based on everything I have read it plays out with most schools in the state.
https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...states-compare

A number of years ago I ran the numbers on schools in TN when I had a job offer, Mediocre schools in CT would be considered slightly above average in TN. That said there are a few towns In TN with great schools.

[hvexpatinct]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Err... The affluent suburbs of Nashville have some of the best school systems in the country. Franklin, Brentwood, Belle Meade, and Hendersonville are stuffed full of rich people. Vanderbilt is a top-10 university like Duke and Johns Hopkins.

The rest of the state? Sure. It's a real backwater.

I'll bet special ed isn't very good in Hartford, Bridgeport, or New Haven. My frame of reference is the Massachusetts failed mill cities but there, everybody is special needs. None of those places have the $50K per student budget to fund all that one-on-one. If you have special needs, you move to a leafy suburb where the school system doesn't have many special needs students. Doesn't matter whether it's Lexington, Ma, Franklin, TN, or Greenwich, CT. You're going to get great services. Memphis, Springfield MA, or Hartford? Not so much.

I have lots of techie friends in Texas. There are rich suburbs in Texas, too. They have top school systems. A couple miles away, the schools are a disaster just like in the Blue states.


Near as I can tell, the Connecticut problem is union public sector bloat. The unfunded pension liability is crushing the state. That's not commie. That's unchecked special interests.

I wasn't exactly framing my comment on the public school system so much as the public infrastructure, but I think the general level of availability and access to quality public education is much stronger in any northeastern/northwestern state than just about anywhere else in the country. I was more referring to matters like the availability of certain medical or support services, the legislative climate around access to those services, the accessibility to non sales taxed food, and so forth. I'm well aware of the prestigious children's hospitals in TN but I'd argue that there is more benefit to more kids in better access to more comprehensive services. Schools in DFW are terribly overcrowded and municipalities can't seem to figure out how to manage their tax burden accordingly so anyone who owns a house is hit with annual property tax increases that would really grind our gears here locally.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

I wasn't exactly framing my comment on the public school system so much as the public infrastructure, but I think the general level of availability and access to quality public education is much stronger in any northeastern/northwestern state than just about anywhere else in the country. I was more referring to matters like the availability of certain medical or support services, the legislative climate around access to those services, the accessibility to non sales taxed food, and so forth. I'm well aware of the prestigious children's hospitals in TN but I'd argue that there is more benefit to more kids in better access to more comprehensive services. Schools in DFW are terribly overcrowded and municipalities can't seem to figure out how to manage their tax burden accordingly so anyone who owns a house is hit with annual property tax increases that would really grind our gears here locally.

It's a red state. The politics are driven by affluent people denying social services to white trash, brown people, and African Americans. Alabama tops the charts. Medicaid has a $3,300 per year hospitalization cap. That's like 6 hours in the ICU. The rural and poor city hospitals are all going under.

I've always lived and worked in top-10 states in terms of prosperity and the education level of the population. I agree with you 100% on red states. It's like I'm part of the Federation and they're Klingons. It's a totally different value system. I like to think I've evolved beyond FYIGM politics.

[BPt111]

Goodbye Connecticut — Darien Resident Says Gift Tax Forcing Him To Leave - Hartford Courant

[ItsStillColdUpHere]

Originally Posted by GetMe0ut0fHere

https://www.mercatus.org/statefiscalrankings

My wife and I have decided that once her residency mercifully concludes in early 2020, we're immediately gone (and likely from the communist northeast in its entirety).

Sorry you don't like it here. I had to live down south for a while, and can understand the frustration of being in a situation you don't enjoy. Many of us are here for reasons other than our wallet. We each have our priorities. But instead of wasting time and energy complaining about a place you've made your mind up to leave, why not spend better time cruising the other states' boards and exploring where you may want to live instead. No place is perfect, but I don't think you're going to persuade those who have been here (both in CT physically and on this board) for a long time that this place sucks.

I, for one, am not here for financial reasons and look at all the positives. I have lived many other places that are far worse and have learned to appreciate my surroundings.

Good luck with your search and I hope eventually you will be happy.

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by BPt111

Goodbye Connecticut — Darien Resident Says Gift Tax Forcing Him To Leave - Hartford Courant

There is so much wrong in this "editorial" I don't know where to begin. But I would say to this guy that he needs to hire a good CPA or perhaps multiple CPA's. Obviously, he can afford it. Then come back here and whine about how much taxes you are paying.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by MrGompers

There is so much wrong in this "editorial" I don't know where to begin. But I would say to this guy that he needs to hire a good CPA or perhaps multiple CPA's. Obviously, he can afford it. Then come back here and whine about how much taxes you are paying.

From a macro viewpoint, who cares if some retired multi-millionaire sticks around? Some other multi-millionaire who works in a Manhattan office tower will buy their house, telecommute from it as much as possible to avoid NY taxes, and things will continue on like usual as long as Fairfield County is tax-competitive with Westchester County. Connecticut tops out at 6.99%. Westchester County is up over 11%. Westchester County property taxes are generally higher than Fairfield County property taxes. You have to assume this guy is doing all the accounting slight of hand already to avoid state income taxes since he would already be doing those things to avoid Federal income taxes.

More likely, the guy will keep the house, buy another in Florida, and use Florida as his tax address. There's no W-2 income. Connecticut doesn't have black helicopters and drones monitoring his every movement. He'll say he slept less than 180 nights in Connecticut and avoid being a resident. Hundreds of thousands of snowbirds do that. You see Florida plates everywhere in the summer.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BPt111

Goodbye Connecticut — Darien Resident Says Gift Tax Forcing Him To Leave - Hartford Courant

What this guy fails to elaborate on is that there is a significant one time exemption from the gift tax that he has already taken so not too many tears for him/her. That said he has a point that Connecticut needs to look carefully at its tax structure to be competitive against neighboring states. That would be a significant advantage that would help retain wealthy people and the taxes they pay. Jay

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

From a macro viewpoint, who cares if some retired multi-millionaire sticks around? Some other multi-millionaire who works in a Manhattan office tower will buy their house, telecommute from it as much as possible to avoid NY taxes, and things will continue on like usual as long as Fairfield County is tax-competitive with Westchester County. Connecticut tops out at 6.99%. Westchester County is up over 11%. Westchester County property taxes are generally higher than Fairfield County property taxes. You have to assume this guy is doing all the accounting slight of hand already to avoid state income taxes since he would already be doing those things to avoid Federal income taxes.

More likely, the guy will keep the house, buy another in Florida, and use Florida as his tax address. There's no W-2 income. Connecticut doesn't have black helicopters and drones monitoring his every movement. He'll say he slept less than 180 nights in Connecticut and avoid being a resident. Hundreds of thousands of snowbirds do that. You see Florida plates everywhere in the summer.

Retired multi-millionaires are great because they pay a lot in taxes and don't use much in the way of services. The more the better. But this guy's arguments ring hollow. A good T&E lawyer (plenty of them in FFC and NYC) should be able to create an estate plan that minimizes his tax burden.