Comments on: a view of a grim economic future: Braddock http://www.bripblap.com/a-view-of-a-grim-economic-future-braddock/ thoughtful personal finance, career and health advice Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:46:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chad @ Sentient Money http://www.bripblap.com/a-view-of-a-grim-economic-future-braddock/comment-page-1/#comment-29646 Chad @ Sentient Money Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:15:08 +0000 http://www.bripblap.com/?p=1089#comment-29646 Not shocking at all. I grew up in western Pennsylvania. Half of the western side of the state looks like that, along with good portions of Ohio. It has looked like that for 20 years...this isn't new. <br /><br />Curmudgeon is dead on. The only ones left are old people and the young, with no real choices or at least believe they have no real choices.<br /><br />Now with the auto industry toast, and it is, all of Ohio and Detroit will look this way. Essentially, there will be almost two entire states in this condition. This will happen in other parts of the country and eventually it will get bad enough that it will be cheaper to make stuff in the U.S. again. <br /><br />The cost of labor world wide is equalizing during this depression. China and India won't be the only ones with millions of workers at subsistance wages. Not shocking at all. I grew up in western Pennsylvania. Half of the western side of the state looks like that, along with good portions of Ohio. It has looked like that for 20 years…this isn't new.

Curmudgeon is dead on. The only ones left are old people and the young, with no real choices or at least believe they have no real choices.

Now with the auto industry toast, and it is, all of Ohio and Detroit will look this way. Essentially, there will be almost two entire states in this condition. This will happen in other parts of the country and eventually it will get bad enough that it will be cheaper to make stuff in the U.S. again.

The cost of labor world wide is equalizing during this depression. China and India won't be the only ones with millions of workers at subsistance wages.

]]> By: Chad @ Sentient Money http://www.bripblap.com/a-view-of-a-grim-economic-future-braddock/comment-page-1/#comment-27213 Chad @ Sentient Money Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:15:08 +0000 http://www.bripblap.com/?p=1089#comment-27213 Not shocking at all. I grew up in western Pennsylvania. Half of the western side of the state looks like that, along with good portions of Ohio. It has looked like that for 20 years...this isn't new. <br /><br />Curmudgeon is dead on. The only ones left are old people and the young, with no real choices or at least believe they have no real choices.<br /><br />Now with the auto industry toast, and it is, all of Ohio and Detroit will look this way. Essentially, there will be almost two entire states in this condition. This will happen in other parts of the country and eventually it will get bad enough that it will be cheaper to make stuff in the U.S. again. <br /><br />The cost of labor world wide is equalizing during this depression. China and India won't be the only ones with millions of workers at subsistance wages. Not shocking at all. I grew up in western Pennsylvania. Half of the western side of the state looks like that, along with good portions of Ohio. It has looked like that for 20 years…this isn't new.

Curmudgeon is dead on. The only ones left are old people and the young, with no real choices or at least believe they have no real choices.

Now with the auto industry toast, and it is, all of Ohio and Detroit will look this way. Essentially, there will be almost two entire states in this condition. This will happen in other parts of the country and eventually it will get bad enough that it will be cheaper to make stuff in the U.S. again.

The cost of labor world wide is equalizing during this depression. China and India won't be the only ones with millions of workers at subsistance wages.

]]> By: Curmudgeon http://www.bripblap.com/a-view-of-a-grim-economic-future-braddock/comment-page-1/#comment-27162 Curmudgeon Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:16:57 +0000 http://www.bripblap.com/?p=1089#comment-27162 I grew up in Aliquippa, not far from Braddock. It was a company town; in 1906, the steel company came in, built a mill, and built a town for its workers to live in. I'm not quite sure when the mill closed; my father's job disappeared in the late 1970s. I overflew the area on changing planes in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s; to my shock, the entire mill had been torn down (and sold for scrap metal), leaving a six-mile long sand bar along the Ohio River.<br><br>Aliquippa was always gritty; a product at least in part of having the main street end at the gates of the steel mill (these were really dirty places back then). After the mill closed, it was not only gritty, but dying. The only ones left were old people with nowhere else to go, and the young without a good choice in the matter. I grew up in Aliquippa, not far from Braddock. It was a company town; in 1906, the steel company came in, built a mill, and built a town for its workers to live in. I'm not quite sure when the mill closed; my father's job disappeared in the late 1970s. I overflew the area on changing planes in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s; to my shock, the entire mill had been torn down (and sold for scrap metal), leaving a six-mile long sand bar along the Ohio River.

Aliquippa was always gritty; a product at least in part of having the main street end at the gates of the steel mill (these were really dirty places back then). After the mill closed, it was not only gritty, but dying. The only ones left were old people with nowhere else to go, and the young without a good choice in the matter.

]]> By: stretchydollar http://www.bripblap.com/a-view-of-a-grim-economic-future-braddock/comment-page-1/#comment-27157 stretchydollar Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:16:43 +0000 http://www.bripblap.com/?p=1089#comment-27157 I agree, no one wants their hometown to look like that.It's such a rough situation because there are so many different ways to look at these 'stimulus packages.' If we do do them, someone's gotta pay it back, if we don't towns like this just go under and fade away - I think the one thing that people need to take away from this (which, unfortunately I think most won't) is that sound financial principles win out over most anything else any day. I agree, no one wants their hometown to look like that.It's such a rough situation because there are so many different ways to look at these 'stimulus packages.' If we do do them, someone's gotta pay it back, if we don't towns like this just go under and fade away – I think the one thing that people need to take away from this (which, unfortunately I think most won't) is that sound financial principles win out over most anything else any day.

]]> By: Writer's Coin http://www.bripblap.com/a-view-of-a-grim-economic-future-braddock/comment-page-1/#comment-27156 Writer's Coin Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:42:45 +0000 http://www.bripblap.com/?p=1089#comment-27156 Wow, good stuff. Thanks for highlighting this article and the video too. It's spooky and the first place it made me think of is Detroit. Steel industry back then and the auto industry now. I sure hope not because I know a lot of good people over there and that would be terrible. Wow, good stuff. Thanks for highlighting this article and the video too. It's spooky and the first place it made me think of is Detroit. Steel industry back then and the auto industry now. I sure hope not because I know a lot of good people over there and that would be terrible.

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