Montgomery County's trajectory reminds me of Europe

[Anonymous]

I am not sure where your data is coming from where immigrants are UMC and high income and the kids of diplomats. Do we have that....yes. But that is not the majority. We are a sanctuary city and our immigrants are coming from poor war torn countries. It is a huge drain on our system. Huge. We provide tons of free social services particularly at the infant/toddler and school level. And not only do we provide free services, those services are accompanied by the use of interpreters and then interpreting documents. It's very expensive. In schools, our ESL populations are growing, which again, requires funding, services. Our special education population is growing. We are already having trouble staffing schools and in particular specialists like special educators and speech pathologists.

Montgomery County is still a great place to raise kids.

Anonymous wrote:Secondly, Montgomery County hardly has a generous social welfare system.

Thirdly, the immigrants of Montgomery County tend to be stratified across income from high income, diplomat kids to working class/UMC/first gen suburban kids, to lower middle class new immigrant kids. All seem to go to school and perform reasonably well, and there isnt any feelings of isolation from other kids. Montgomery County is a great place to raise kids despite what the handwringers here say.

Immigrant kids actually are the highest achievers in school so I am not sure why that is used as some sort of harbinger of decline. The decline is the school board giving up on something called teaching after COVID. Grading is almost nonexistent these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I frequently read about MoCo's decline (Adam Pagnucco has a great series about it in his blog, Montgomery Perspective), while also following the political and economic instability in Europe. It's hard not to draw parallels.

Europe for decades had been praised by American liberals for its social market/mixed economy with high regulations, taxes that allegedly pay for nice things, and a big social welfare state. Also for their socially liberal and progressive values.

The same could be said for Montgomery County. As far as US counties go, MoCo is like the Norway of America. Or the BeNeLux of America.

But now look what's happening - unfettered immigration, new immigrants both being at odds with liberal values and straining the economic welfare system, and the double threat of excessive spending and the gravy train ending.

In Europe, it's the squeeze of energy costs and the war in Ukraine, plus the threats from the US pulling out of NATO.
In MoCo, it's the declining business environment, the state's budget shortfall, and the impending economic catastrophe coming from federal layoffs and Trump halting federal grants.

With immigration its also similar. Immigrants tend to be more socially conservative and at odds with the pro-LGBTQ policies. Lower income immigrants add to the demands on the social welfare state while also shrinking the tax base.

What will be interesting to see if what is happening in Europe will also happen in MoCo: A hard shift right. In Europe, the hard shift right is anti-immigrant; in MoCo, it will be pro-law enforcement more than anything, and presumably more pro-business and anti-spending. We will wait and see.

As you can see, NO ONE in Montgomery County will agree with you and you will only be called a bigot and privileged. Do your family a favor and get out of the County, there are so many better places to live in the surrounding counties, Montgomery County is not what it should be and is going to continue to fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont see any parallels at all with Europe. For one, most people in Montgomery County work

[Anonymous]

Yes— totally makes sense to compare a continent of a dozen countries, 4 million square miles, 700 million people and $20 trillion in GDP to Montgomery county Md. I am sure that will provide meaningful and valid insights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I frequently read about MoCo's decline (Adam Pagnucco has a great series about it in his blog, Montgomery Perspective), while also following the political and economic instability in Europe. It's hard not to draw parallels.

Europe for decades had been praised by American liberals for its social market/mixed economy with high regulations, taxes that allegedly pay for nice things, and a big social welfare state. Also for their socially liberal and progressive values.

The same could be said for Montgomery County. As far as US counties go, MoCo is like the Norway of America. Or the BeNeLux of America.

But now look what's happening - unfettered immigration, new immigrants both being at odds with liberal values and straining the economic welfare system, and the double threat of excessive spending and the gravy train ending.

In Europe, it's the squeeze of energy costs and the war in Ukraine, plus the threats from the US pulling out of NATO.
In MoCo, it's the declining business environment, the state's budget shortfall, and the impending economic catastrophe coming from federal layoffs and Trump halting federal grants.

With immigration its also similar. Immigrants tend to be more socially conservative and at odds with the pro-LGBTQ policies. Lower income immigrants add to the demands on the social welfare state while also shrinking the tax base.

What will be interesting to see if what is happening in Europe will also happen in MoCo: A hard shift right. In Europe, the hard shift right is anti-immigrant; in MoCo, it will be pro-law enforcement more than anything, and presumably more pro-business and anti-spending. We will wait and see.

Get some sleep.

[Anonymous]

Montgomery County does not remind me of Europe - lived there for 15 years. And there isn’t a vast social safety net here - or anywhere in the country.

At the same will acknowledge the county is in decline. It does little to attract and retain businesses, which is a shame, hurts the tax base, and has affected areas like downtown Silver Spring and Rockville.

New immigrants in many part of the county need additional support, including access to jobs. This is fine, but it means there are pockets of significant poverty in parts of the county. This is exacerbated by the growing gap between rich and poor in general.

And lastly, unpopular opinion here: the county council spends its time on “attainable housing strategies” and other developer driven policies instead of shoring up businesses and other economic growth that will help MoCo grow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Secondly, Montgomery County hardly has a generous social welfare system.

Thirdly, the immigrants of Montgomery County tend to be stratified across income from high income, diplomat kids to working class/UMC/first gen suburban kids, to lower middle class new immigrant kids. All seem to go to school and perform reasonably well, and there isnt any feelings of isolation from other kids. Montgomery County is a great place to raise kids despite what the handwringers here say.

Immigrant kids actually are the highest achievers in school so I am not sure why that is used as some sort of harbinger of decline. The decline is the school board giving up on something called teaching after COVID. Grading is almost nonexistent these days.

Have you seen the standards? Could that be why "all" "perform reasonably well"?

[Anonymous]

Europe is too nice of a comp. A better comp is Baltimore city. Moco is on the fast path toward becoming Baltimore city. Dem run leadership constantly raising taxes until everyone except a small few and those living on government subsidies are left. And then dem run leadership looting the education funds until the system becomes completely broken. The playbook is already there.

[Anonymous]

If MoCo was actually becoming like Norway you would have everybody and their 3rd cousin trying to move there.

They would accept higher prices in return for free healthcare, 18 months of paid maternity, free college at UMD, etc.

[Anonymous]

Why are you so eagerly rooting for the downfall of a place that’s objectively really lovely and livable? Compare MoCo to any place in West Virginia; it’s like night & day.

You folks are so god damn unpatriotic and nihilistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County does not remind me of Europe - lived there for 15 years. And there isn’t a vast social safety net here - or anywhere in the country.

At the same will acknowledge the county is in decline. It does little to attract and retain businesses, which is a shame, hurts the tax base, and has affected areas like downtown Silver Spring and Rockville.

New immigrants in many part of the county need additional support, including access to jobs. This is fine, but it means there are pockets of significant poverty in parts of the county. This is exacerbated by the growing gap between rich and poor in general.

And lastly, unpopular opinion here: the county council spends its time on “attainable housing strategies” and other developer driven policies instead of shoring up businesses and other economic growth that will help MoCo grow.

+1 The income gap in MoCo is significant; not so in Europe.

Europe has universal healthcare; MoCo does not. And universal healthcare does not have to be at the fed level. See MA (thanks Romney).

Having stated that, agree with PP.. MoCo's heart is in the right place, but they are going about it all wrong. If you want people to be able to affording housing, you need higher paying jobs. They have it bass-ackward.

[Anonymous]

Sad to say, but you have to compare MoCo to NOVA. I’m not sure what the reasons are, but NOVA is clearly doing better attracting business and housing. My guess is MoCo has a double whammy of regulation and taxes that restrict business and housing development. Meanwhile, progressive policies result in worsening public safety and education. Nothing is nimble enough, and key functions are subverted to ideology rather than common sense. On top of it, our system empowers individual NIMBYs to stall out the tiny bit of progress we make.

Oh and it’s not immigrants. Anyone who has ever needed anything repaired in their home knows that immigrant labor is economically vital.

[Anonymous]

I'm a county employee. It reminds me more of the corruption in Prince George's County government in the 80s. I feel our trajectory is more like that county than Europe. We are engaging less and less in good governance.

All is not lost. Prince George's is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. They have a lot more development, housing values are going up, their schools are getting better, and I think their government is much more transparent and accountable now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If MoCo was actually becoming like Norway you would have everybody and their 3rd cousin trying to move there.

They would accept higher prices in return for free healthcare, 18 months of paid maternity, free college at UMD, etc.

Except the surrounding counties would have salaries that are 3x the amount.

Of course you need 18 months of paid leave when you earn $65k a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I frequently read about MoCo's decline (Adam Pagnucco has a great series about it in his blog, Montgomery Perspective), while also following the political and economic instability in Europe. It's hard not to draw parallels.

Europe for decades had been praised by American liberals for its social market/mixed economy with high regulations, taxes that allegedly pay for nice things, and a big social welfare state. Also for their socially liberal and progressive values.

The same could be said for Montgomery County. As far as US counties go, MoCo is like the Norway of America. Or the BeNeLux of America.

But now look what's happening - unfettered immigration, new immigrants both being at odds with liberal values and straining the economic welfare system, and the double threat of excessive spending and the gravy train ending.

In Europe, it's the squeeze of energy costs and the war in Ukraine, plus the threats from the US pulling out of NATO.
In MoCo, it's the declining business environment, the state's budget shortfall, and the impending economic catastrophe coming from federal layoffs and Trump halting federal grants.

With immigration its also similar. Immigrants tend to be more socially conservative and at odds with the pro-LGBTQ policies. Lower income immigrants add to the demands on the social welfare state while also shrinking the tax base.

What will be interesting to see if what is happening in Europe will also happen in MoCo: A hard shift right. In Europe, the hard shift right is anti-immigrant; in MoCo, it will be pro-law enforcement more than anything, and presumably more pro-business and anti-spending. We will wait and see.

Screw off republicans had the government for eight years in MD .

You are a racist pos antisemite as well