Do Wisconsin taxes affect your quality of life? (Milwaukee, Madison: condos, crime)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by ram2

And most of those youngsters move out of those places within 2-3 years due to the high cost of living.

NY is not a place for startups.

No, NY is more for finance. I didn't see the exodus at all, but nothing wrong with moving on. Good way to start a career and generate a salary floor. Boston certainly doesn't have much of an exodus by college educated people. The city is rife with them as was Chicago when I was there.

[milt14]

Originally Posted by ram2

How could you forget New York State? I have met more people who left NYS due to the high taxes and mediocre job opportunities than from any other state. NYS has been bleeding jobs for decades.

so true, but enjoying watching the crook cuomo fight with the lunar leftist de blasio over public schools.
i'm surprised cuomo isn't bowing to the teachers unions like deblasio and almost all democrats do. mebbe ol crooked cuomo is thinking of 2016 presidency? his dad came so close....ok, not but still gave great speeches.

and you're right, ny has been bleeding jobs and people for a long time, just like california. dummy democrat milwaukee mayor tom barret wouldn't sell an empty school to a charter school. talk about typical spite, but he's gotta keep the teachers/govt unions happy as they are all the legs and money behind the incessant attacking of Gov Walker.

Funny stuff, this politics, huh? but that's what makes people move to or away from some places.

[milt14]

Originally Posted by timberline742

No, NY is more for finance. I didn't see the exodus at all, but nothing wrong with moving on.

the financial industry has changed a lot. mutual funds have propped up minin wall streets in other places, though the larger trading houses will be there for deal making, plus the close proximity to washington dc for their sources of money (ours) and rulemaking (congress).

Non nyc ny will keep shedding people and their money/jobs. NYC will be the entrancepoint for immigrants still. albany will be albany like springfield is to chicago.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by timberline742

No, NY is more for finance.

New York City is the center of finance. The rest of New York State is an economic wasteland.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by timberline742

I didn't see the exodus at all, but nothing wrong with moving on.

Take a trip to Buffalo.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by ram2

Take a trip to Buffalo.

I had an interview in Buffalo last year. Nice and affordable. But when I said NY, Chicago, Boston, SF... When NY is mentioned it is pretty damn clear we're talking New York City. I think people are being purposely obtuse. When someone (non retired or non student) says they're moving to WI, they're moving to Madison or Milwaukee. If they're moving to NY, they're moving to NYC. If they're moving to Washington, it's Seattle. If they're moving to Massachusetts, its the Boston metro area. There might be a handful of minor anecdotal exceptions (generally when state government is someplace else), but not many. When I was in in Madison there were a lot of people moving to Colorado... when you heard that you asked "Boulder or Denver"? It was going to be one of those two. For good reason.

[earthlyfather]

There's a reason for Wisconsin's beautiful natural lakes. It's called ice age, glacial remnants. They are beautiful though, August 1 - 15. Once we get past the planet burning up, we'll plunge back to an ice age. You guys will be real happy, then.

Just funnin' with a bit of historical reference.

Originally Posted by TrueTimbers

Plus their are no real lakes in Texas.. Mostly all fake man made or altered low quality bodies of water...

Sorry Texas, any blue blooded Wisconsin lake connoisseur would turn their nose up at Texas right quick..

[earthlyfather]

Mk, I think there is plenty of arrogance to go around on both sides. A counterweight to Milt's alleged arrogance of growing up to her viewpoint, would be your arrogance that suburbia is unsustainable, that the world will evolve to your vision of the future. The disarmingly honest truth is somewhere between you and Milt.

Originally Posted by MKEastsider

LOL! Been to the Third Ward lately? Or Bay View? Or Lake Drive? Or Brady? Or Washington Heights? Or Sherman Park? Let me guess... you live out in the boonies and haven't actually been to Milwaukee for anything but maybe a Brewer game or Summerfest.



Pretty arrogant of you to assume that people just need to "grow up" and they'll do things exactly as you do them, don't you think? Fact is, people are starting to recognize how unsustainable and unfulfilling suburban life is. And with gas prices what they are now... which probably won't go back down anytime soon... it makes much more sense to be in the city.



Not sure what your point is, but Milwaukee is transitioning to a city that primarily serves a younger population from a city that has primarily served an older one for the past few decades. Besides, what sense would it make trying to make Milwaukee more appealing to people in Waukesha County who don't want to live in an urban environment anyway?



How DARE Milwaukee's politicians not let the fact that a business pays taxes absolve them from treating their workers like human beings!



Again, no one said Milwaukee was perfect. I could paint just as bleak a picture of where you live if I wanted to talk about a lack of culture, bigotry, heroin addiction, meth, alcoholism, obesity, diabetes, rigidity, closed-mindedness and sheltered people.

I also have a huge problem with outstaters pointing the finger at Milwaukee when it comes to race relations when Wisconsin is pretty much wall-to-wall white outside of Milwaukee. Not all of Michigan's black population lives in Detroit, not all of Illinois' black population lives in Chicago, yet aside from some small pockets in Racine, Beloit, and Madison, almost all of Wisconsin's black population lives in the City of Milwaukee.... why is that?

Lastly, regarding education, I'm a MPS product, and my high school (Riverside) consistently ranks amongst the best public schools in Wisconsin. In fact, it wasn't too long ago that another MPS school (Rufus King) was named the best public school in Wisconsin by Newsweek. Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of great magnet programs in MPS for kids who's parents actually care enough to be involved in their education.



Again, it's called BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE. Just because you and the sockpuppets in Madison might be too old and/or self-centered to see the point of building a rail system that will eventually serve the entire city doesn't make it a bad idea. Milwaukee is notoriously undeserved by public transit and is currently the densest city in the nation without a rail system. This is unacceptable for a city that needs to do whatever it can to retain the young people who are making the quality of life here greater than its been in almost half a century.

But again, because it involves tax dollars and doesn't benefit you personally, it's "wasteful."



You're the one painting a picture of Milwaukee based on little more than white hysteria and superstition. Now when those of us who actually live here are fighting back, you want to get all whiny and judgmental. Sorry, you don't get to have it both ways!

[Stone1]

To the OP; The Northerner,

Since this post is almost two months old you have likely made a job choice but I thought I would give a comparison that I have been looking at. My wife and I have lived in WI for most of our lives but are currently looking at moving to Tennessee, most likely between Chattanooga and Knoxville. We have some family in that area which has given us the chance to compare cost of living between the two states.

Housing- My home is a little smaller in WI but otherwise my family in TN has about the same set up for a home. My taxes for 2013 were $4199. The taxes for the TN home were $1202.

Income Tax (may also be called Labor tax)- in WI you will pay about 6.75% in state income taxes; on TN or Texas there is no state income tax. If you and your spouse earn $100k a year you could have $6000.+ more per year to put in you pocket but if you earn the same amount in WI the $6000.+ will go for income tax.

Sales Tax- WI does have one of the lower sales taxes at 5.5% for most areas but even with a higher sales tax like TN or TX has you would still not come close to paying as much tax as you would in WI.

Climate- We are also planning to move for a milder climate but the tax savings can really add up over a few years time or a life time.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Stone1

Climate- We are also planning to move for a milder climate but the tax savings can really add up over a few years time or a life time.

How do the wages compare? I honestly don't know. I'd rather earn more and pay more in taxes than earn less and pay less.