In the News

[unforth]

The article that this particular quote comes from is actually not terribly interesting, but nonetheless, it is proof of something I've been asserting without evidence for ages:

"...in New York,...a new study from the Center for an Urban Future, a nonprofit research group in Manhattan, estimates it takes $123,322 to enjoy the same middle-class life as someone earning $50,000 in Houston..." (The ellipses eliminate an because clause that wasn't relevant to the use I was making of the quote).

Vindicated! I make considerably less than $123k, for the record. ;) Man, I feel so much better about this now...

Anyway, as usual there is little of interest in the Sunday paper...

Comments

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Not really, unfortunately. For example, a job that might pay around $6 in Bloomington pays about $7.50 in New York City - clearly not a significant enough improvement to really do any good. Anyone who works in public service jobs also gets a bit shafted (such as teachers). Private industry, on the other hand, varies widely - however it's not as great a difference as one would hope. That said, pay is higher in the city, and of course it's a place where such jobs are available - which is not the case in Indiana, for the most part. I think that it's really not enough to actually equalize - my personal experience of NYC is that things - especially housing - are scaled towards a two-income family or towards roommate situations, and that the expectation/assumption is that many people who work in Manhattan will flat out not possibly be able to afford to live there. Just look at me - I've had to make a lot of sacrifices, not least of which being the ownership of a car, in order to live on the island of Manhattan...when I made the concession to move to 171st, I saved a lot of money, entirely because that neighborhood is so far removed from the places where most people work.

In a word (or three), it's a mess. ;)

[corneredangel.livejournal.com]

I've actually thought about this a lot in connection with seeing all the academic library jobs advertised for what, in a place like I dunno, Fort Worth, would be perfectly respectable wages...that to my NYC mind seem absolutely pitiful. In most of the rest of the US, coming out of grad school into $50K is pretty good - in New York, someone who is in their late 20's and making that...well, they sure as hell need to keep their expectations/hopes/dreams in check!