Please stop.

[Blackbird]

That's $140,800 saved by the state. Now consider that we paid $116 million in tax dollars for migrant lodging alone for fiscal 2024.

Yeah, weird anti-immigrant rhetoric aside, it’s a disappointingly small impact for the time being. Nice to hear that the state is pursuing additional legal action, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

 

[DZH22]

Yeah, weird anti-immigrant rhetoric aside, it’s a disappointingly small impact for the time being. Nice to hear that the state is pursuing additional legal action, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

I'm not anti-immigrant, I'm anti line jumpers and definitely anti paying for all their expenses. Legal immigrants who bring value to this country and support themselves are what America was built on. Free giveaways are not. An open-border welfare state is unsustainable. This one issue is going to completely bankrupt the city, state, and country. These people all need housing too. So Americans who can't afford their own housing have to pay for non-Americans to live here for free? Americans who can't afford their own meals have to allocate $64 per immigrant per day just feed them? That's today too, at the current levels. The crisis keeps getting worse because we incentivize these people to come here and live off our largess. Well the largess isn't going to last forever, considering we also incentivize millionaires to leave (at least for half the year plus a day) and take their taxes with them.

Maybe it does belong in another thread, but I feel like the city, state, and country are simultaneously collapsing under the same set of ridiculous anti-American policies. Remember that gigantic tax surplus from a couple years ago? Now we can see just how quickly we can blow through the entire amount, with zero benefit to the state's actual citizens. Then what? This housing law is a tiny drop in a massive bucket compared to the problem that was just created. For the first time I believe the future truly looks hopeless. Thank God we at least built some awesome tall buildings around here. Progressive policies may halt future construction in its tracks, but at least it can't take those new towers away from us. But the current zoning law just isn't going to matter much very soon. When developers realize the only people coming here are poor, unskilled illegal immigrants with no money, they won't be building any more new housing.

 

[KCasiglio]

When developers realize the only people coming here are poor, unskilled illegal immigrants with no money, they won't be building any more new housing.

This is absolutely unhinged. There's plenty of worth in debating the responsibilities of the state on this issue, though this is not the thread, but regardless of one's opinion there the idea that the "only" people coming to Boston, even a plurality, of in migration to Boston is or at any point will be destitute migrants is divorced from reality. It's beyond caricature of the propaganda put up around this issue.

I would be happy to continue this discussion in a more appropriate thread, but the housing crisis long pre-dates the recent migrant surge and spending, wasn't a driving force behind the "no" vote, and isn't related to development going on in Milton.

 

[Ruairi]

Maybe it does belong in another thread, but I feel like the city, state, and country are simultaneously collapsing under the same set of ridiculous anti-American policies. Remember that gigantic tax surplus from a couple years ago? Now we can see just how quickly we can blow through the entire amount, with zero benefit to the state's actual citizens.

jeez.
the city, state, and country are fine relatively speaking.
As for budgets, look at what we spend on the military compared to everything else.
And tax revenue? The super wealthy with their off shore accounts are delighted with you preoccupying yourself with the cost of processing poor asylum seekers in search of a better life.

I'm glad the state are taking a stand against Milton.
A huge chunk voted no for xenophobic racist reasons.

 

[DZH22]

jeez.
the city, state, and country are fine relatively speaking.

We're in the early stages of a downward spiral, and potentially even a death spiral. For 7 straight months now the state is short on expected revenue, the latest month by 6.9%. That's a substantial amount of money that is not hitting the state's coffers. So what gives? From my perspective I'm watching a slow motion train wreck. From your perspective, what, this is magically going to fix itself? It's actually "magically" only going to get worse as more millionaires figure out how to take their money out of the state, while the migrants continue to pour in unabated.

State tax revenue comes up short for seventh straight month

A report says January came in 6.9% under expectations.

spectrumnews1.com

 

[Ruairi]

I'm not getting in to this. off topic and irritating.
I shouldnt have waded in to it.
good luck.

 

[BronsonShore]

I'm not anti-immigrant, I'm anti line jumpers and definitely anti paying for all their expenses. Legal immigrants who bring value to this country and support themselves are what America was built on. Free giveaways are not. An open-border welfare state is unsustainable. This one issue is going to completely bankrupt the city, state, and country. These people all need housing too. So Americans who can't afford their own housing have to pay for non-Americans to live here for free? Americans who can't afford their own meals have to allocate $64 per immigrant per day just feed them? That's today too, at the current levels. The crisis keeps getting worse because we incentivize these people to come here and live off our largess. Well the largess isn't going to last forever, considering we also incentivize millionaires to leave (at least for half the year plus a day) and take their taxes with them.

Maybe it does belong in another thread, but I feel like the city, state, and country are simultaneously collapsing under the same set of ridiculous anti-American policies. Remember that gigantic tax surplus from a couple years ago? Now we can see just how quickly we can blow through the entire amount, with zero benefit to the state's actual citizens. Then what? This housing law is a tiny drop in a massive bucket compared to the problem that was just created. For the first time I believe the future truly looks hopeless. Thank God we at least built some awesome tall buildings around here. Progressive policies may halt future construction in its tracks, but at least it can't take those new towers away from us. But the current zoning law just isn't going to matter much very soon. When developers realize the only people coming here are poor, unskilled illegal immigrants with no money, they won't be building any more new housing.

Nothing you've said here indicates that you have any idea how the American immigration system actually works. (Hint: there are no line-jumpers, because there is no line. It is effectively impossible for any of the millions of low wage workers who prop up our entire economy to enter the country legally). So maybe you should shut up and just stick to complaining about every single development being too short.

 

[DZH22]

Nothing you've said here indicates that you have any idea how the American immigration system actually works. (Hint: there are no line-jumpers, because there is no line. It is effectively impossible for any of the millions of low wage workers who prop up our entire economy to enter the country legally). So maybe you should shut up and just stick to complaining about every single development being too short.

I understand how things work because I'm not a Progressive. We already take in more LEGAL immigrants than any other country in the world, to the tune of approximately 1 million per year. Those are the people who waited their turn, paid their dues, and desire to BE Americans. Those are the people who make this country great.

Asylum is supposed to be used for the first "safe" country an asylum seeker goes through. We are not that FIRST country. We shouldn't have to accept these people crossing the border. Then their hearings are approximately 7 years later, which means that they are wards of the state for 7 full years before their claims are generally rejected. The Southwest Border Crossings at the US Customs and Border Patrol website show the staggering damage that is being done.

I also understand that Progressives, after giving away all our taxpayer money to these people, want to also give them the ability to vote (for more of our taxpayer money), as they expect that people receiving free stuff will vote Democrat. If it weren't for Progressives I would still be a Democrat myself. The state is being bled dry, with literally nothing to show for it. We are paying for their shelter, food, other "necessities," translators, lawyers, police/security, just a never-ending pit for people who will never be able to support themselves in a high cost state like Massachusetts. My mom worked in an inner city school for 30 years, and when you hear about budget cuts to art and music programs, it's because that money did in fact go to the lawyers and translators for non-English speaking non-Americans.

The country is $34 TRILLION in debt and we still act like we have plenty of money to burn. Well, there are a lot of Americans who are struggling and they should be the priority here, not the non Americans. I donated my car to veterans and will do it again with my current car. There should be zero homeless veterans before we spend one penny taking care of anybody else.

 

[BronsonShore]

I understand how things work because I'm not a Progressive. We already take in more LEGAL immigrants than any other country in the world, to the tune of approximately 1 million per year. Those are the people who waited their turn, paid their dues, and desire to BE Americans. Those are the people who make this country great.

Asylum is supposed to be used for the first "safe" country an asylum seeker goes through. We are not that FIRST country. We shouldn't have to accept these people crossing the border. Then their hearings are approximately 7 years later, which means that they are wards of the state for 7 full years before their claims are generally rejected. The Southwest Border Crossings at the US Customs and Border Patrol website show the staggering damage that is being done.

I also understand that Progressives, after giving away all our taxpayer money to these people, want to also give them the ability to vote (for more of our taxpayer money), as they expect that people receiving free stuff will vote Democrat. If it weren't for Progressives I would still be a Democrat myself. The state is being bled dry, with literally nothing to show for it. We are paying for their shelter, food, other "necessities," translators, lawyers, police/security, just a never-ending pit for people who will never be able to support themselves in a high cost state like Massachusetts. My mom worked in an inner city school for 30 years, and when you hear about budget cuts to art and music programs, it's because that money did in fact go to the lawyers and translators for non-English speaking non-Americans.

The country is $34 TRILLION in debt and we still act like we have plenty of money to burn. Well, there are a lot of Americans who are struggling and they should be the priority here, not the non Americans. I donated my car to veterans and will do it again with my current car. There should be zero homeless veterans before we spend one penny taking care of anybody else.

Yeah, we take in 1 million legal immigrants. But the American economy demands at least 20 million immigrants to function. These are the people that make your sandwiches, clean your floors, and build your precious skyscrapers. They are not in any way shape or form an economic burden -- in fact, they add about $2 trillino to our economy every year. And there is effectively no legal way for any of them to get in.

Everything else you said about "who wants to be an American" is meaningless pablum.

 

[Justbuildit]

Should have dropped about 500 asylum seekers into Milton so that they could have illegally voted to flip the outcome and spare us this entire conversation.

 

[kmp1284]

Yeah, we take in 1 million legal immigrants. But the American economy demands at least 20 million immigrants to function. These are the people that make your sandwiches, clean your floors, and build your precious skyscrapers. They are not in any way shape or form an economic burden -- in fact, they add about $2 trillino to our economy every year. And there is effectively no legal way for any of them to get in.

Everything else you said about "who wants to be an American" is meaningless pablum.

Dude, spare yourself. This is who you’re arguing with:

 

[DZH22]

They are not in any way shape or form an economic burden.....

The absolute lie of the century right here. It's estimated that 59% of them are on welfare programs. If we didn't allow non-Americans to use these programs, the problem would be solved pretty quickly. They get more benefits than Americans ever received. When do I get my free housing voucher? My free food at your expense?

By the way we have had a "State of Emergency" since August, which was more than 6 months ago, and things have only gotten worse from there. Tell me how inviting more of them in is going to solve this emergency? I guess most of you already forgot about it?

Governor Healey Declares State of Emergency, Calls for Support for Newly Arriving Migrant Families

Administration calls on federal government to expedite funding and work authorizations Migrant Families Relief Fund established by United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Boston Foundation to support new arrivals Additional ways to help available at mass.

www.mass.gov

 

[DZH22]

Dude, spare yourself. This is who you’re arguing with:

View attachment 47856

Love Costanza, don't like Trump very much from a personal standpoint. However, I'd rather "Make America Great Again" than attempt the complete opposite, which has been an absolutely brutal "America Last" policy since 2021.

By the way, I voted almost strictly Democrat until after I turned 30. Progressives broke the party. I am a man without an appropriate political party, but I know which policies are wrecking us the fastest so I vote against those. "Free Everything for Non Americans" is at the front of that line.

 

[Bill Blass]

People in Boston have a low desire for nice things. Crap is “character” to them.

 

[type001]

People in Boston have a low desire for nice things. Crap is “character” to them.

The f@$k are you talking about?

 

[gac108]

People in Boston have a low desire for nice things. Crap is “character” to them.

What kind of BS statement is that? Why are you even on this forum??

 

[HenryAlan]

The f@$k are you talking about?

What kind of BS statement is that? Why are you even on this forum??

Tongue and cheek, no doubt? I took it as a reference to the flinty, frugal New England archetype -- "that fountain doesn't need to be fixed for some exorbitant maintenance charge, it's fine the way it is," etc. Think of it along with the frequently used "this is why we can't have nice things," line of discourse.

 

[type001]

I checked his/her other recent messages in the Dick's Sporting Good thread. My gut tells me s/he is of a dying breed of big-box "luxury" store clerks who makes commissions off selling suits, designer watches, and perfume.

 

[DBM]

Which has always baffled me, because certain cities in similarly cold (or colder) areas -- Philly, NYC, Chicago -- have way more fountains and they all (or most, anyway) seem to be working just fine whenever I visit. Brewer Fountain by Park Street wasn't functional for nearly (more than?) a decade a while back and even now is often a very sad mini trickle. Many of the small fountains in the otherwise meticulously maintained Public Garden also seem to be perpetually in a state of semi-busted-ness.

I don't get it.

Don't forget the grandaddy of all Boston fountain debacles! Per the photographic evidence, that City Hall Plaza fountain was massive, spectacular, grand and dramatic. And then it got bricked-over quite quickly (I certainly don't recall it being in existence as early as the late 1980s). Presumably because of leakage into Government Center station directly underneath?

(Which of course begs the question--did the City even bother to consult MBTA engineers pre-installation, to see if that would become an insoluble technical issue over time? Or did the MBTA warn the City, but the City just ignored it because, damnit, the people deserve a fountain!?)

Also, note that links through to an alleged "seasonal fountain" set for adjacent to the Bill Russell statue. Did that get cancelled?

 

[Bill Blass]

This forum is an outlier where we celebrate new improvements to our city.

The majority of people in the city prefer things as they are. New things threaten them. Nice things are “pretentious” and “elitist”. Upkeep and maintenance are “wasted money”.

A new modern cocktail bar or nightclub is a bad thing; “give me a dive bar for real people!” they’ll say.

They embrace what they would call “grit” and “reality” and “character” of the city to such an extreme that they evangelize garbage.

And beyond that, there’s just not an appetite for finer things in Boston; certainly not relative to the amount of money here, or for a city of its supposed importance.

Just in the replies to my original post, “luxury” has been scorned, along with “designer suits” and “watches”. Which is exactly the attitude I’m talking about; “who are these pretentious a-holes with their flashy things trying to take away the soul of Boston culture”, where “the soul” is a run down half-boarded up storefront with chicken wire on the windows.