Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Oblomov who wrote (26456)	1/6/2005 1:18:12 AM
From: Elroy Jetson	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 306849

That's actually one of the things I find most attractive about Australia. With a progressive income tax it's still solidly middle class. Although Australia attracts more immigrants per capita than does the U.S., they are generally highly educated immigrants who often bring significant capital with them. Though some come on employee visas with required skills, the larger portion arrive on Entrepreneur visas which require they arrive with $200k AUD to invest in their business and they must pass a test in English literacy. At the end of year five they must have an annual income of $100k AUD of their residency visa is canceled. I clearly see the U.S. becoming a Third World nation. There are far more billionaires in Mexico than there are in the United States. It's not that Mexico is so wealthy, it's just that almost all of the money is concentrated among just a few thousand families. America has sharply departed from the model which Australia still follows and is rapidly on the path to becoming another Mexico. When people cannot meet the requirements to emigrate to a place like Europe or Australia they have to settle for America. There was a time when the opportunity to come to America meant more than that. I'm curious about your use of the word matriculados for Hispanic immigrants. Do you use that just for Green Card holders or any immigrants in general? I find the word matriculado is generally not used locally as it's a subject neither employee of employer wants to discuss. .

To: Oblomov who wrote (26456)	1/6/2005 3:16:55 PM
From: John Vosilla	Respond to of 306849

<One of the differences I have noticed between the cultures of the midwestern and coastal US cities is the disparity between rich and poor.> Would you also consider Chicago coastal? It has all the ingredients plus tons of panhandlers mingling in with multi millionaire commodity traders on Michigan Ave. <The differences in the midwest between working class and middle class, or between middle class and affluent, seem less severe.> The housing bubble and the high paying jobs in the big urban ares have a lot to do with that but you also have more opportunity to start from the bottom in the big coastal cities. Much greater chance to make it big starting as a valet in Manhattan or Palm Beach during the winter season than in say Indianapolis. One trend I've noticed in urban areas of Florida is the increasing differentiation of the upscale (now six figure) blue collar professional due to the housing bubble creating enormous profits in this cycle for the licensed plumber, electrician, and roofer as opposed to the hourly workers on the new construction sites that are very often Spanish speaking illegals payed below average local wages. They more than made up for the decline in many high paying white collar jobs.