Forbes has put together the most miserable U.S. cities
Economist Arthur Okun developed the original Misery Index in the 1960s. It combines unemployment and inflation (and was 10.2 last year nationally, down from an 18-year high of 12.1 in 2011).
Our look at misery is more localized, and includes unemployment, as well as other things that aggravate people.
This year we examined nine factors for the 200 largest metro areas in the U.S. The metrics include the serious: violent crime, unemployment, foreclosures, taxes (income and property) and home prices. We also include less weighty, but still important quality-of-life issues like commute times and weather.
We tweaked the methodology in this year’s list in response to feedback from readers, dropping our rankings of both pro sports team success and political corruption, since both were based on regional, rather than city-specific data. We also added a new measure—net migration—which we see as a clear gauge of whether or not residents feel a community is worth living in. Detroit, which ranked No. 2 last year, also would have finished No. 1 under the previous methodology (click here for more details about the criteria for the list).
And how’d that turn out?
- Detroit, MI
- Flint, MI
- Rockford, IL
- Chicago, IL
- Modesto, CA
- Vallejo, CA
- Warren, MI
- Stockton, CA
- Lake County, IL
- Â New York, NY
- Toledo, Ohio
- St. Louis, Mo.
- Camden, NJ
- Milwaukee, Wisc
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Cleveland, Oh
- Poughkeepsie, NY
- Gary, Ind
- Youngstown, Oh
Every single one of those cities votes overwhelmingly for Democrats. You’re saying “woah, woah, Teach, Atlanta and St. Louis are in states that vote Republican. That means you are a complete and utter liar, and how dare you make this whole story up!!!!1!!!” Ah, but Atlanta is mostly in Fulton County, which voted 64-34% for Obama over Romney. DeKalb County, which includes a tiny bit of Atlanta, voted even higher for Obama over Romney.
The city of St. Louis, considered independent of a county, voted 82.7-16% for Obama.
Every single one of these cities is a recipient of massive liberal/Democrat policies and governance. Their citizens are overwhelmingly liberal. The funny (not ha-ha) part is that liberals are abandoning these cities in droves (those that can escape), which is one of the article measurements. And where do they tend to move? Areas that aren’t practicing far left policies and ideas, then these, let’s call them…..a**holes, bring the same Leftists ideas which destroyed the cities they’ve abandoned to other cities.
That must be the reason that the number of people living in rural areas keeps growing smaller each year.
Yeah, because our rural areas are becoming more suburban.
Those who, ” bring the same Leftists ideas which destroyed the cities they’ve abandoned to other cities.”
Leftist seem to be totally unable to connect the dots. Nothing, no matter how well documented, can override their far left world-view. Most will totally ignore logic and reason and even iron-clad proof.
Whenever I try to reason with one I am reminded of something the Apostle Paul wrote in his Letter to the Roman church. They ” became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.”
To save one child’s life, we MUST wall off these cities. We must prevent the sickness from spreading. If we can just save one child’s life, then we must do it.
We can tax those cities that don’t want to build a national border, and use that unspent money to wall off their areas. Granted, it may take a county or two, but we must save our children’s lives.
Or, we can just “allow” those socialists to leave for cuba and remain there. AS that is their paradise.
[…] at Pirate’s Cove is blogging about “Most Miserable U.S. Cities Are Surprisingly All Liberal Cities.” Go check it […]
Detroit is the future of Obamee’s America. I cannot stress this enough. If you live in an urban center with a population of half a million or more, GET OUT. Work remotely as a consultant, move your family away, whatever you have to do to get out.
My son’s office recently moved to Cincinnati proper from one of the suburbs. What they didn’t tell all the workers is now everyone is subject to the city’s 2% payroll tax, even my son who lives in Indiana.
At this point between Obama’s payroll tax hike and this, any raise given out has gone straight to taxes. Needless to say, son is looking for a new company to administer databases for.
Understood.
Even with a pay raise this January, after the payroll tax increase and the switch from “head of household” to “single”, I’m paying more in taxes and bring a lot less home.
Why should there be a difference in amount of tax paid based on whether you are a father with a child who is 12 or a father with a child who is 20? Or, without children.
Few years ago, based on the tax code, I paid no extra taxes and got some money back. Now, 2 years later, I paid an extra $2000 to IRS.
I love some change about now.
Lightwave,
You’d be surprised, but a lot of places are like that. Heck, a lot of COUNTRIES are like that. For example let’s say you are a world famous tennis player. As a world famous tennis player you go and win Wimbledon. Even though you are an American citizen, England collects income taxes on your winnings there.
But it gets worse.
Now that you are a world famous tennis player who has won Wimbledon, let’s say you get paid to endorse a product that is sold in the US but not England. You tell the world that “Teach’s Widgets” are the best.
England says that you now owe them taxes on the endorsement money, even though the ads never appear in England, and “Teach’s Widgets” are not sold in England.
Their “reasoning” is that you worked on their soil and so you own them taxes on any income related to the activity or job for which you were paid in England.
I kid you not.
I grew up in Calif. They have gotten there cities wrong- Stockton, Modesto, and Vallejo,Calif., are not NEARLY as miserable from Poverty, Crime, Drugs, Urban blithe, etc, as Richmond, Oakland, San Berbardino, Southern LA, Calif. Of course, all run by liberal politicians and bureaucrats.
I know Stockton, but aren’t all three at or near bankruptcy?
[…] Pirate’s Cove: Most Miserable U.S. Cities Are Surprisingly All Liberal Cities […]
Ot of political correctness, the extremely immoral entertainment industry has successfully sold the screwy idea that its cool for white youth to emulate stupid black trash; hence, there is no longer any difference between stupid black trash and stupid white trash, all of whom are slimy Democrats and evil Obama supporters.
Monday morning links…
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