Phoenix under a new kind of invasion - *legal* welfare recipients

4.20.2011 | Vanity

[antceecee]

One of my family members wanted to relocate to Phoenix this year and my other family member in BP told them they were crazy and putting their lives at risk.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

When I was growing up in NYC it was overwhelmingly white and really a pretty pleasant place to live despite the crowding. At that time you had to be a resident of NYC for one year to be eligible for welfare. Around 1964, a federal judge ruled that that requirement was unconstitutional (some emanation or umbra or sumptin). The result was a flood of welfare immigrants from the South. They’d get off the bus at Port Authority and march straight over to the welfare office, demanding an apartment and welfare check, and they’d get it.

Around the same time, the situation was made worse, when another nitwit judge ruled that immigration officials couldn’t round up Columbian illegals at the Jackson Heights stop on John Rocker’s infamous #7 train. The judge ruled that they could not distinguish illegal Columbians from legal Puerto Ricans. Immigration argued that since all the people they arrested were, in fact, illegals from Columbia and no Puerto Ricans had been stopped, they could distinguish the two populations by manner of dress and speech. The judge wasn’t buying it and the result is the chaos we have today.

[Realman30]

Liberals never stop! They never stop. . . what a shame!

[rightly_dividing]

Be cautious of states with no income tax. Where do they get their money from? We moved to Texas last year because my wife's job came here, we basically had no choice, stay in the bad neighborhood that we lived in and be unemployed or move and be better off. Texas has no income tax, but the property taxes are high in most decent areas, very high by our standards, about 10x our old tax. As I approach retirement age, this creates a problem. Where we were, property taxes go completely away at age 65, but here, from what I am told, they just freeze at age 65. The tax is still there and high, but income goes down upon retiring. I would prefer to pay state income tax because it is proportional, it goes down when income does, and when the property tax goes away at 65, retirement is easier. I have serious doubts about being able to retire here. We will probably have to sell and move elsewhere to live on our availible money.

Just something to think about if you are thinking of your retirement years.

[Retief]

What state were you in before? I like the idea of property taxes going away at 65.

[kerosene]

The other area I liked was Las Vegas. It actually has an advantage in that there is NO personal income tax in Nevada, unlike Arizona.

There, fixed that.

However, I could not locate any areas in Las Vegas with good schools. There might be a good elementary school, but the middle and high schools are quite poor or vice-versa.

Did you look in Henderson or Boulder City? Henderson is south and sits above the Las Vegas Valley, allowing one to avoid the smog on bad air days. Henderson has easy access to the freeways that can get you into Vegas.

There's no legal gambling within Boulder City and it's only a 15-minute drive from Henderson and the freeways. Like to shoot? There are many places within a 15-minute drive of Henderson and Boulder City where you can practice for free. Just take your empty shells with you when you leave. :-)

If you attend church, there are many churches of all sizes and denominations.

[fightinJAG]

If a state wants to pursue Socialist policies, fine. BUT they must do so without taking money from other states (via federal wealth redistribution schemes) to finance their lunacy.

[Retief]

Thanks very much for fixing my error. Yes, I did intend to write that Las Vegas has no personal income tax. I had not heard of Boulder City before. The schools look great there. There is not a lot of homes listed for sale there, but the kids must be well educated in Boulder City.

Henderson I had looked at previously and I went back and took another look after you posted your suggestion. There are a few pockets in Henderson where you can find a house close to three good schools. One of those areas is in the south east towards Boulder City.

I think the reason Phoenix has a larger housing selection is that its population is so much greater. It's between two to three times the size of Las Vegas, depending on whether you are just considering the population within the city boundaries or the greater metropolitan area.

Thanks very much for the recommendations. You've given me something to consider.

[ccmay]

I was thinking of relocating to the Phoenix area because of the wide selection of very cheap houses for sale. In particular, I am considering Glendale. I also read that Bristol Palin had recently bought a house in Phoenix. Maybe I should reconsider. No point in living someplace if it's turning into another Detroit.

You may prefer to stay on the east or north side of town. Fountain Hills has nice views and a lot of pretty cheap homes, and is on the other side of the mountain from the Valley-- seems like a small town. Has very favorable demographics compared to the West Side. Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, and Cave Creek would all appeal to me more than Glendale.

[Retief]

Thanks for the recommendation. Gilbert is on my radar. It was rated 36 out of the top 100 cities in the US to live in 2010 by Money Magazine. There isn’t a huge selection of housing for sale in Gilbert, tut there is some in my price range. I have not heard of Fountain Hills. I’ll check it out.