Policy reforms necessary to fix poverty in Duluth
Ryan Lyk
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Opinion
The classic question of how to approach the economy is asked once again in regards to Duluth. Duluth does not have the best economy and unemployment rates are incredibly high. In fact, citywide, 18.3 percent of the population lives in poverty, compared to statewide at 9.5 percent. What accounts for this disparity and what can be done to fix it?
The problem in Duluth is one that is common in most cities nationwide. All large cities have relatively the same policies, and all of these cities have high rates of poverty. Cities such as New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and even Duluth, a medium-sized city, all have higher percentages of poverty than smaller cities. Though there will always be exceptions to the rule, in general these cities all have similar problems.
Every single city sees poverty as a reason to implement massive welfare programs, but welfare abuse is critical and quite frequent. This government-funded charity exists all over the place. According to State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert, currently, many welfare recipients from other states come to Minnesota to get better welfare benefits. This should be a sign that Minnesota's welfare programs are out of control. Our state deficit is unbelievably high, and no one really seems to be able to fix it.
Duluth is no exception to this deficit. Because our state is out of money and a majority of welfare recipients are in the metro, Duluth gets the shorter end of the deal. Furthermore, according to State Representative Tim Sanders, Minnesota is one of the top five worst places in the world to start a business. This is because business taxes are so incredibly high and businesses are leaving because of this reason. Twenty Fortune 500 Companies have been started in Minnesota, but not a single one has moved in from another state, and one, Northwest Airlines, is currently leaving.
When you add together the poor state of the business economy, the lack of prospective hope for businesses to succeed and the faulty way the state deals with poverty, it's no wonder Duluth is so poor. Cities' policies try to solve social problems with social spending. Name one city in the country that has actually fixed its poverty level, unemployment level, and drug problems with this philosophy. Why would Duluth be an exception?
The problem in Duluth is one that is common in most cities nationwide. All large cities have relatively the same policies, and all of these cities have high rates of poverty. Cities such as New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and even Duluth, a medium-sized city, all have higher percentages of poverty than smaller cities. Though there will always be exceptions to the rule, in general these cities all have similar problems.
Every single city sees poverty as a reason to implement massive welfare programs, but welfare abuse is critical and quite frequent. This government-funded charity exists all over the place. According to State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert, currently, many welfare recipients from other states come to Minnesota to get better welfare benefits. This should be a sign that Minnesota's welfare programs are out of control. Our state deficit is unbelievably high, and no one really seems to be able to fix it.
Duluth is no exception to this deficit. Because our state is out of money and a majority of welfare recipients are in the metro, Duluth gets the shorter end of the deal. Furthermore, according to State Representative Tim Sanders, Minnesota is one of the top five worst places in the world to start a business. This is because business taxes are so incredibly high and businesses are leaving because of this reason. Twenty Fortune 500 Companies have been started in Minnesota, but not a single one has moved in from another state, and one, Northwest Airlines, is currently leaving.
When you add together the poor state of the business economy, the lack of prospective hope for businesses to succeed and the faulty way the state deals with poverty, it's no wonder Duluth is so poor. Cities' policies try to solve social problems with social spending. Name one city in the country that has actually fixed its poverty level, unemployment level, and drug problems with this philosophy. Why would Duluth be an exception?
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Alison
posted 2/10/10 @ 11:24 AM CST
Mentioning Northwest as a business that is leaving Minnesota is an ill-fitting argument. Northwest has been mired down for years and failed as a company. (Continued…)
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