Quote:
Originally Posted by McBane
As much as I hate to continue this topic, let me say this: the reason people 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 and moan about taxes in Philadelphia is not so much the tax itself; as people have said it's much smaller than RE taxes in the burbs.
The problem is the VALUE, i.e. what citizens get in return for their taxes. If Philadelphia had an excellent school system, clean streets, and low crime, I'd imagine people would be more accepting of higher taxes. But that's not the case. And when you factor in the wage tax, Philly's tax burden is probably still a little lower than in the burbs but the burbs offer WAY more value, in terms of schools and other services.
For wealthy empty nesters and millenials (most of whom don't have kids in Phila schools) who CHOOSE to live in Philly, a small tax increase is no big deal, because Philly offers things that the burbs can't match. But for your blue collar folks raising a family in the Northeast who don't give a damn about walkability, hipster bars, and trendy restaurants, these tax increases (if they were subject to one), present a real tangible reason to move to the suburbs. And lord knows that empty nesters and millenials can't support everyone else. You need a healthy middle class.
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Why even act like you hate to talk about this topic when you do it constantly? Hell if I'll be assed to go find them but I distinctively remember you going on this exact same tirade about taxes vs. value at least once before. If you really do hate to discuss the topic, please do yourself and everyone a favor and just don't.
ANYWAY, back on topic, I'm really sort of shocked about all of the negative response about the gallery redesign. At best most seem blase about it.
The redesign of the gallery if it indeed proceeds as has been laid out, would easily be the second most transformative project currently ongoing in Philadelphia behind only the CITC. The CITC due to not only the many quality jobs the project is bringing to the city, its amazing quality and expansive size, but most importantly what it does to position Philadelphia as a tech leader and all the smaller technology companies it is already luring to Philadelphia simply due to Comcast's gravitational pull makes the CITC stand alone as the most important project in Philadelphia.
But beyond that I really think I would put the gallery redesign second.
I mean honestly go and look at this ugly monstrosity right now. Block after block of ugly blank walls facing what is supposed to be the Philadelphia's main street. Worst of all its position directly next to the convention center and Independence National Historic Park means that it is probably the one part of the city that nearly every single visitor to this city sees. I work in the tourism industry. I can't tell you how many people come to this city and their first impression is walking from their center city hotel or the convention center down market street to the liberty bell and wondering just what in the 🞵🞵🞵🞵 Philadelphia is doing.
It's not just a huge black eye for the city, it sits as such a prominent location that it is an unavoidable black eye. Philadelphia has improved so much in the past 20 or so years but this monstrosity allows visitors to this city to reaffirm their negative views of this city as soon as they arrive in town. Making the gallery even respectable would be a huge leap forward for this city.
And to my mind what I'm reading about the redesign seems to indicate it will be far more than respectable when finished. The redesign will not only achieves what it absolutely needed to in opening up the mall to Market Street and bringing the main entrance to street level, but if the renderings can be trusted it will be truly nice when completed. Also the caliber of store that they are expecting, gucci and burberry outlets along with standard mall stores and "Destination restaurants" is more than I thought we could reasonably expect.
Despite living here forever the negativity never ceases to amaze me. A transformative project that will tidy up one of Philadelphia's most visible corridors is finally within reach. This is literally something that I've heard talked about for decades. It's finally happening, but the focus instead goes to bitching about the name or the noting that the paneling at the top looks cheap.
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