Links 27 March 2019

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Unconventional Economist
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    • GavinMEMBER

      No Bay Area is worse than Sydney! I work for a company who is based in SFO, but global footprint and I had the opportunity to move there a few times in the last 10 or so years. Everytime I’d go there, I was like this seems cool and all, but then I’d see what traffic is like each morning and the commute my friends were doing. Then I’d hear the cost of rent etc.. and I just thought it’s not worth it.

      Sydney is bad for traffic, rents etc.. but at least living in Australia I was closer to family in Melbourne and could more easily visit them. Plus Sydney is far better than SFO in terms of less homeless, and I just feel like the United States is a very win/lose society, there is no middle-ground.

      If I was a single man and didn’t have to consider my partner and her wanting to be closer to family I’d probably would have been more likely to consider moving there. It has a lot of plusses but each year I go back it seems to be getting worse in terms of traffic, people, housing etc.. it’s like Sydney x10 with the amount of people flooding in all over the world. Bit like a modern day gold rush, but instead it’s all tech based.

      • doctorX

        So basically Sydney is better for you because you have family here but people who live in SF have family there – otherwise SF and Sydney are more or less the same – destroyed by cheap credit money (housing bubble in Sydney’s case and IT bubble in SF)

      • GavinMEMBER

        I have a friend living in SFO and he’s been priced out of a home for ages. He is pretty entrepreneurial too. Started a few ventures. Still not getting anywhere. He lives out San Jose way and it’s almost worse out there.

        I know him because we are both into old Datsun’s. He has sort of given up on the hobby because he can’t store his cars and parts easily enough with renting etc..

        So yeah I’d say it’s destroying lifestyle over there.

        Another friend of mine I lived with in Dublin moved to SFO. He rents a studio downtown in SFO (mission area) and it costs him $2,600 USD P/month and it’s a tiny shoe box. When I stay over I sleep on the couch. Very little room for more than 1 person.

        I pay that in $AUD for a house with backyard in Inner West Sydney. 8km from CBD. So I’d still say SFO is worse than Sydney.

        I feel safer walking around in Sydney at night than what I do in SFO. Lots of crack heads in parts of SFO and lots and lots of homeless tents etc.. feels very rough.

      • d672c804897d

        I just feel like the United States is a very win/lose society, there is no middle-ground.

        I remember visiting there in 2009 and felt exactly the same thing. I believe Australia will end up the same way.

    • GavinMEMBER

      It’s just some water by the bridge, concrete it up and put a lovely looking high rise, we can flog it to the Chinese. Think of all the stamp duty alone? It would certainly make more than $30M. The people of NSW voted for it, don’t forget.

  7. interested party

    The crap still flows…….here is a “trusted” news source explaining away the collective behaviour of the MSM over the Russia collusion gig…..
    https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-catastrophic-media-failure-11553555444

    And here is Nancy Pelosi telling it like it really is……..
    https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4674689/wrap-smear

    Make up your own mind, but for me, the media are complicit and should face criminal investigations. We have a good opportunity to clean house here…..that opportunity should not be wasted.