Duluth can be next great urban hot spot
November 12, 2012 at 6:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Is Duluth positioned as the next great urban hot spot? If not, we’re certainly moving toward that, according to a panel of national experts on creating vibrant, wanna-live-there, gotta-work-there and gonna-have-fun-there cities.
Continue Reading
I’ve been bullish on Duluth since I arrived in it in 1982. Tried like heck to stay there in the late 80s and early 90s but couldn’t for economic reasons. I was ahead of the Generation Xers that included Mayor Ness who banded together in their determination to stay. They were largely Duluth born and bred. I wasn’t. I credit them for much of the renaissance that we have seen and enjoyed. The synergy is in motion for today there’s FUSE DULUTH and a thriving music scene and a more visible 20- and 30-something demographic in Dlth today. This phenomenon has rejuvenated the city. Before that it was dying a slow death.
I am concerned with how the city is developing nowadays with the numerous residential subdivisions that are not extensions of existing neighborhoods but enclaves that are cut-off and block-out the outside with their curvilinear cul-de-sacs with cutesy names. They are motorist domains; not pedestrian friendly and they are not “towns” or what planners call neo-traditional with all the things which that encompasses – corner shops, cafes, bumping into the neighbor, walkable, front porches, street grided to facilitate wayfaring and efficiently extend and utilize infrastructure (sewers, water, electricity, telecomms).
So, the City of Duluth is abandoning the block, lot, alley, street, avenue PLATS and that concerns me a great deal. There are also moves to rename the numbered avenues of Far West Dlth. You simply cannot do that in a city that is 26mi long. There needs to be a street system that makes sense or the whole place is going to end up with the problems Duluth is now grappling with in Duluth Heights.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
42 
15
I’ve lived here for 53 years. Duluth was once an industrial powerhouse, so strong the Soviets had us #1 on the nuke list in 1960. One noticeable change is how the suburbs have spread out and grown tremendously. Although there are 20,000+ less people there than in 1970, there are 3 times as many cars on the road.
With a lack of good paying jobs along with a generous welfare system, the inner city is now significantly populated with welfare recipients and the working poor. Folks that don’t have much money go where the cheap rent is: Central Hillside, West End, West Duluth, Smithville, Morgan Park and to a point, Gary and Fond du Lac. With poverty comes many negative aspects; read up on it if you are interested.
Duluth will never be what it once was. There are high taxes and expensive to operate plants that aren’t going to come here without great subsidies, which this area has shown to be reluctant to offer.
Many of these problems aren’t unique to Duluth, but one thing is. As Duluth began to crumble in the 1970′s with job loss, aggressive tactics to bring high paying jobs never occurred. The Hotel/restaurant/tourism industries flourished instead, with wages barely above the poverty level….or less in most instances.
Probably never seen as a potential problem long ago, the combination of low wage employment and welfare have turned the inner city into what it is.
No, this city isn’t going to get better. It’s really a “sick” town and those that could make change either don’t get it or are too locked into short term profits.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
33 
6
William, there is some validity in your argument. But I really believe that’s the same old argument that I always hear about Duluth. You’re noticing the symptoms of our post-1970s economy (welfare, tourism jobs, cars), but you haven’t said anything about the CAUSES. First, you bring up urban sprawl – a great start. But WHY did so many people flee the city? A key reason is because developers in Hermantown, Rice Lake Twp, etc. only developed land that relatively wealthy people could afford. This sucked the tax base straight out of the inner city.
Second, you bring up the loss of good jobs and welfare. Lets start with jobs first. WHY don’t we have good jobs now? Well, what existed 50 years ago that doesn’t exist now? Manufacturing jobs, a unionized workforce, untouchable retirement plans, the ability to save money, and perhaps most profoundly – a lack of international competition. Now with globalization, these things have all been undercut for the private accumulation of short-term profits. A company isn’t going to pay upwards of $100,000 in wages and benefits per year to one U.S. worker if the government allows them to hire a Mexican or Chinese worker for less than 1% of that cost. And no local government in America has been able to do anything to reverse this. Duluth was built on jobs that could be sent overseas, and that’s exactly what happened – because certain administrations decided to “let the bull loose” as Reagan put it.
Now welfare. It should be obvious that more people are going to end up on welfare when companies are allowed to cut domestic jobs by the hundreds-of-thousands. I can only imagine what the inner-city of Duluth would look like if there WEREN’T social safety net programs. Lost your job? Tough luck, work at McD’s. Oh, they’re not hiring? Well, hope you like getting harassed by cops for sleeping on the streets. And even if you get a job at McD’s, you’d better enjoy having roommates as a grown man, because the rents are getting higher and higher as the investment class still demands a greater and greater slice of an ever smaller pie.
My point is, you have to look deeper into Duluth’s problems. It is indeed a “sick” city. Most American cities are “sick”, if not dead already. But more people need to understand the CAUSES of this transition, instead of simply seeing the effects.
Like or Dislike:
10 
4
I don’t disagree with anything you posted. My biggest complaint would be in the early 90′s when Saturn built a huge plant with Duluth in the running. At the time, all they wanted was for Duluth and state of Minnesota to clean up the old USS site as this where the plant would be located. A study showed that Duluth had the employee base and education where very few employees would have had to come from outside this area. The plant was to employ 5000-10,000 with high paying jobs.
Beyond that, there’s been at least a couple articles in the paper in the past that revealed that 90% of Duluth’s college grads leave the area out of economic necessity. What a waste of local resources.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
There is still definitely public interest in cleaning up the USS site. The main barrier is the money to fund it. I wonder why USS was able to shut down and leave town without being *personally responsible* for its mess. Why does the taxpayer have to clean up after private industry? And its a given that industry is going to leave its mess behind, then why shouldn’t the next guy be tasked with cleaning it up? This seems to be the main pattern of cities like Duluth. Private gains are made at public loss, and once the job is done someone else is left to deal with it.
Even if the city had cleaned up after USS, I wonder if Saturn would have cleaned up its mess after it had made it’s money and moved somewhere better. Perhaps the city didn’t think Saturn was very committed.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
If you have to have little prep rallies to SHOUT how cool you are, you probably aren’t.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
59 
23
There’s verity in that statement.
Duluth has an insecure mindset. In its heyday, it was probably bold, confident full of certainty.
Dlth has been inward looking for as long as I’ve known it. It was stagnant or deteriorating for so long that the diaspora was all that was talked about. Now there’s something to “shout about” so let’s give a little slack here, eh.
Just as long as it doesn’t get “big headed”.
Hot debate. What do you think?
29 
22
Its one thing to comment about how attractive the city is to live in during the summer but trying to sell that idea to someone during the winter is a different story. As far as I have noticed the population has been on the decline and not going in the other direction.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
49 
14
Duluth has previously been toted as the “air conditioned city”- where you could come and not be bothered by allergies; “the Inland San Francisco”- to be a renaissance city- get rid of the urban blight. Make the central hillside a place where people would feel comfortable and not fearsome, lake walk a place where you don’t have to watch out for muggers, a down town without druggies lined up- SF may have these problems but it is bigenough to absorb it- Duluth isn’t-
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
53 
8
I do believe Aerosmith has a song titled for just this. A few of you will get that reference.
As it stands, B as in B, S as in S. Until Duluth gets its head out of its collective posterior, stops appeasing the Chicago Express & the elderly and starts realizing that the people they should be attracting are the 20-30 year olds who could potentially be taxpayers the next 50 years, this will never, ever happen.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
41 
19
So some outsiders say Duluth is going to become a “vibrant, wanna-live-there, gotta-work-there and gonna-have-fun-there” city? There is one component those outsiders seemed to miss: the need for real jobs. The target market of young urban professionals that Duluth wants to attract will not move here just to flip burgers at McDonalds. Duluths needs to lure businesses here. Medium wage businesses that is, not below-minimum-wage hospitality jobs which is all Duluth has focused on the last few years. Sure, it is clear that local power brokers own the hospitality industry in Duluth and those people want to keep wages low to maximize their profits. By the City Administration dancing when those power brokers pull the strings, Duluths’ future is being sacrificed for the profit of a few. The City Administration needs to grow a pair and realize that a basic function of the Administration is the improvement of the economic vitality of this City. Right now with the power brokers pulling the strings the only population increases the Administration is allowed to bring in is the near-welfare class, which in turn benefits the local hospitality industry by providing even more people willing to work low skill-low wage jobs, which Duluth has a preponderance of already.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
46 
12
The issue isn’t only about those willing to work for low “hospitality” job it is mainly about those that aren’t working at all AND don’t want work: the gang-bang derilicts a lot of whom are from out of the area and (dare I say) well tanned
Hot debate. What do you think?
44 
31
And I know I am setting myself up for many thumbs down (I believe that some people will thumb down anything I say) but am I wrong ?look at most of the arrest the perps are not local people in most cases
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
46 
23
Mike….I agree! The local authorities will say that most crimes are committed by the locals, and not by the out-of towners…..well, after being here a year….the out of towners are “considered” a local….now! And of course, the only reason they are here for a year or more,,,,,is the local “benefits” that we are so free to hand out…..and a lot of the reason that the County and the City have to keep raising their budgets …..to pay for these “benefits”. The out-of -towners are not here for the good jobs……as there are very few!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
49 
16
Shhhh Mike. The wacko liberal left has spent countless hours and dollars trying to convince us that we are not supposed to notice the “New Underground Railroad” and if we do notice it, we certainly are not to speak of it. The “New Underground Railroad” is after all, bringing even more Democrat leaches… I mean voters…into our area thusly further solidifying the Dems stranglehold on this region.
Hot debate. What do you think?
50 
39
Ulysses……You just nailed it…..right on the head! Problem is,,,,what can we do about it? You know, just like the rest of us…..that talking about that kind of stuff,,,,is “TABOO” in Duluth! The Administration or the City Council….will “label” us as “troublemakers” if we bring up such things to them!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
42 
23
Exactly! I had a whole herd of the wackies up my tail pipe in a different thread because every welfare case, in their mind, is a hard-working, down on their luck productive member of society versus reality. Thank God the whole city hasn’t cracked.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
37 
11
Agree here…the last time someone spoke up about this, Ness beat him at the polling place.
Like or Dislike:
10 
2
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
31 
51
That is a truly forceful swing of the sledge hammer hitting the rusty old spike directly on the head Mr. Ramone. Allowing for the demographics to take care of the problem is one strategy that will play out. But time is of the essence as they say. Duluth, and the News Tribune, does not realize how cities are viewed and judged these days in a flat world. They can have their press conferences extolling the vrtues on one hand and turn a blind eye to the message the local posters fill the daily newspaper with. Someone needs to provide a ‘heads up’ about how to market a city in the world today to our local media and leadership.
Like or Dislike:
11 
12
I have nothing against someone beacause of their color but look at arrests, where they are from. you will see a lot of chicago/detroit/mpls etnics and why did they move here? job opportunities? better weather? I had heard that in chicago it is devided into 7 districts and the welfare office calls duluth district 8. Does antone really know if bus tickets are supplied by welfare offices to people that want to move here from other meto areas? If you have the time park by the Jefferson lines terminal and see who is getting off usually with a hefty bag set of luggage
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
33 
8
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
11 
27
Shouldn’t surprise anyone
Like or Dislike:
4 
13
I have heard the same thing as Mike. The Chicago Housing Authority has divided Chicago into, as I recall, 18 housing districts. Due to an exceptionally long waiting list (back a few years ago when I got this info) the Chicago Housing Authority was telling their section 8 (low or no income) voucher holders to go to District 19 meaning Duluth because there is plentiful low/no income housing here. I believe the issuing Authority (meaning Chicago in this instance) has to pay for the vouchers for the first year so the Chicago Housing Authority actually saves money by sending their vouchers to Duluth where housing costs are much lower that in Chicago. I do not know where Mike heard his slightly erronious info (many landlords have heard sort of the same story from apartment applicants) but I heard it right from the “horses mouth” meaning the Housing Authority.
Like or Dislike:
15 
6
Yes Tony, my days are very limited but I continue to try to open the eyes of others to what Duluth was and still could be if our efforts were directed at creation of real jobs instead of poverty level restaurant and hotel jobs. I was fortunate enough to live through the days when Duluth had jobs that people could be proud to hold and were able to support their family with a solid middle class (or higher) standard of living. Bringing leached into town will do nothing to create real jobs for the average Duluthian, except for more cops and more chemical dependency workers. Yes I know the times have changed but with the changes have come opportunities and Duluth has in more recent years turned away from opportunity toward dependency…’cause it’s easier to do. Duluthians can continue to settle for less (a lot less) or Duluthians can open their eyes and demand that the leadership, or new leadership, earnestly strive to better this City.
Like or Dislike:
19 
7
I believe that my number for districts could easily be wrong but the idea is spot on
Like or Dislike:
14 
3
P.S. Tony: ‘Scuse me for caring for Duluth and Duluthians and their future that I will never see. That is just the way I am.
Like or Dislike:
13 
8
If we built a high-speed train to Minneapolis, the urban youth from Duluth could go shopping in the Twin Cities and be back to Duluth before the Last Place on Earth closes for the day!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
50 
5
and they could move up here and bring in thier “supplies”
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
30 
5
As a college educated 20 or 30 something, I wouldn’t want to move to Duluth after reading some of these comments – even if there were jobs. It sounds like too many grumpy old men run this town, blaming their problems on everyone else. “Underground railroad?” “Well tanned?” “Wacko libs?” Sure sounds inviting.
I’d rather go to Boulder, CO, Eugene, OR, Missoula, MT, NYC, or really anywhere that had at least some sense of openness. These comments make Duluth sound more like a ho-dunk Confederate exclave.
Hot debate. What do you think?
41 
30
Merv, well said. I tried to make a similar point, but you said it better than I did.
Hot debate. What do you think?
15 
18
Don’t let the door hit you on your arse on the way out Merv.
Hot debate. What do you think?
14 
21
The one thing Duluth still has that those other inviting cities do not is the grand, superior chunk of fresh water out there. That resource alone will be one of the greatest marketing points in the years to come as the rest of the world truly comes to value lots of clean fresh water. But the old cranks just can’t seem to accept science, evolution, or social change. And then they piss and whine that nothing changes……. self fullfilling prophecy.
Hot debate. What do you think?
30 
17
Duluth a Hot Spot???? Must be a slow news day. 1. Won’t happen with the political slant in this community. 2. Due to that slant, that is why those who are less fortunate tend to flock here, as benefits here are easy to obtain. Until we get some real Pro-business leaders, and actually commit to mining and industry, you will not see a change. And like I’ve mentioned before, Don’t complain, YOU continue to elect these folks!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
35 
15
I highly doubt any sane liberals believe that EVERY welfare case is a hardworking person down on their luck. They just care enough about the people who DO deserve to have welfare that it overrides their concern about those who are abusing the system.
Unethical welfare recipients are not the only people abusing the system. Unethical businesses do it all the time. Does that mean we should get rid of the system we have in place to allow businesses to write off expenses just because some of them are abusing the system?
Hot debate. What do you think?
21 
25
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
1 
15
Ugh, you people are so frustrating. There are people on welfare that truly need it and are using it for what it was intended. The issue is how you breeze over the lifers, they are completely able bodied, physically and mentally, yet are taken care of by our tax dollars. This isn’t a minute number, it is a HUGE number of recipients in the area. The quality of benefits and the fact that people from Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland know this and come here is NOT a myth. The fact that a huge percentage of these people are minorities is NOT a myth. This idea liberals have that you can just avoid reality because it is uncomfortable and contradicts your accusatory “every white male Duluthian is racist”, is crap, the truth is the truth, no matter how much you dislike it. Welfare recipients get paid based on the number of people in the household, more people, more money, NOT a myth. Welfare recipients get the same child tax credit workers get, more kids, more money, NOT a myth. The lay person just doesn’t understand how prevalent this is. I’m all for helping those in need, in this economy I’m struggling to pay for my family’s needs, I certainly can’t afford to keep paying for everyone else’s.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
41 
4
True Brian. No person with a soul would be against having government sponsered “safety nets” but the safety nets should not be a generation after generation lifestyle. Now that Obama has remove the requirement that welfare recipients seek work and have a lifetime limit of a set number of years, the generation after generation lifestyle can resume.
Like or Dislike:
21 
7
Brian, you bring up some good points. A lot of people are indeed abusing the system in some way or another. I don’t think anybody disagrees with that. But there are a few things wrong with your argument. I don’t think I can really change your opinion, but maybe I can try to get you to see it in a different way.
First, you can’t say that it’s bad for liberals to assume that EVERY welfare recipient is honest about it, and then use the same brush by stating that every liberal thinks EVERY white person is racist. You’re doing the exact same thing – generalizing.
But secondly, and more importantly, what is a better solution? If you want to close loopholes, that’s great. Nobody disagrees with that. But what loopholes are there? If you think we should just gut welfare funding, then what happens to the people who genuinely need it? If conservatives could offer a reasonable solution, then you’d have a much better case. But to simply acknowledge a problem exists without offering any answers doesn’t solve anything. There are tons of problems that we all acknowledge: welfare waste, excessive medical costs, resource depletion, corporate greed, corrupt financial and public sectors, ballooning defense contractor costs, an outrageous federal deficit, etc, etc, etc. It’s great that you can acknowledge that something is a problem, but finding solutions to those problems and considering the motives of people who are causing those problems is much more difficult. There’s almost never an easy answer. And even when a good answer comes up, it still has to answer to politics. So I challenge you to think of a humane way to reign in welfare spending, and then encourage your friends to talk about the solutions instead of just ranting about the problems. If every poster on here offered a solution, instead of simply stating a problem exists, I think we’d be on a much better track as a community and a country.
Like or Dislike:
11 
10
Merv….The Liberals DO NOT WANT a change in welfare regulations….they want them to remain the same, so they can have more voters that vote Liberal! Kind of like ….”nobody wants to bite the hand that fees it”. I understand the rules just recently changed back to what they were before……If you are on welfare….you do not have to prove that you are looking for work! It used to be that way….then got changed to…..that you have to look for work, while collecting welfare ( if you are not disabled)……( the correct way )….and now has changed back to you do NOT have to prove you are looking for work! And people wonder why everyone is going broke….including the Gov’t???
Like or Dislike:
14 
10
Merv, it’s like an alcoholic, you first have to acknowledge you have problem, liberals will not do that, like Dork said, he’s willing to overlook the few people abusing the system. That’s not acceptable, it’s a way bigger issue than a few people, it’s probably the majority. Secondly, I’ve got all kinds of ideas! For instance, you have a term limit, you get to be on welfare for 2 years, that’s it. It’s mandatory you’re on birth control if you’re on welfare, if you have another kid while on welfare you LOSE benefits, not get more. You have to take a urine test once a month, 2nd time you fail you’re done. You are not allowed to buy 50″ flat screen tv’s, if you’re able to save money to buy one, give it back. If you don’t work you DO NOT get a tax refund. If you can’t find a job, it is mandatory you do community service for the community paying your way. If you can’t abide by these rules it’s tough love, fend for yourself, we will, however, take care of the kids. I’m not naive enough to think this is reality, but something needs to change, being on welfare should be uncomfortable, not easy.
Like or Dislike:
20 
7
Brian and Vern, those are both scapegoat arguments, and I feel bad for the energy you wasted typing them. I genuinely think your perception has been corrupted. I don’t know if it’s because Fox News and AM radio only ever talk about welfare anymore, or what, but when you say that you seriously think the majority of people on public assistance are abusing the system, you’re not thinking in terms of fact. And if you think welfare is cushy and comfortable, you’re not thinking in terms of reality. I’d guess that the majority of people on public assistance feel outright shame for using it, because people like yourselves put such a negative stigma on it. Furthermore, all the people I’ve known who have been on food stamps have HAD JOBS! These are by-in-large people who are working. You’ve been suckered into believing that there’s this enemy image out there of people sitting in their free homes with their free TVs getting drunk with free money. That’s not reality. That’s what good propaganda teaches you to think. It’s been done time and time again.
Short of cutting welfare altogether, all you’ve done is make all these really expensive suggestions that would really do very little to change anything except add more bureaucracy to the process. You need to realize that welfare is a symptom, not the root cause of problems. Offer anyone with welfare a good paying job, I guarantee they’ll take it. Tell anybody who’s struggling that they’ll be taken care of as long as they do some community service, I guarantee they’ll do it. You’ve become so isolated and fragmented, that you don’t even understand that these are humans just like you facing real challenges. Nobody is born with a desire to be lazy and unproductive. People get antsy. They want to do something worthwhile. But you ostracize the exception as if it were the rule. And the only reason there are people abusing the system is because of all the social and economic barriers that you outright ignore, because you’re so busy complaining about the symptoms instead of understanding the problems.
Like or Dislike:
5 
12
Merv, a generation or two ago I would agree with your statement that most want to work, could they find it. That generation would still be willing to work, even today. However, many of today’s new welfare recepients have learned from their parents that these entitlements are there for the taking. Duluth and Minnesota need to stop catering to the masses who flock north for these benefits. Getting tough on the accessability of said programs is a start. I for one, would rather pay a handful of case workers a salary to do follow up’s on such cases. Make sure they are applying for jobs, going to inteviews, making an honest attempt at finding work, than paying the same amount to those who are illegitimately getting their checks.
Like or Dislike:
11 
3
Merv, you always respond as though you are an authority on whatever topic you are discussing, your drawn out evaluation is gospel by which we will all learn from. I can not tell you more emphatically how absolutely wrong you are on this one, what you state could NOT be happening is EXACTLY what is happening, they are sitting home, drunk and proud laughing in your face. The nature of my work allows me to be an authority on their behavior, no matter how fluffy your response sounds, with the shameful, struggling, remorseful garbage, you could not be more uneducated, mis-informed and ignorant on the reality of the subject. I’m truly sorry you took the time to type out all of THAT fiction.
Like or Dislike:
12 
4
Complete ignorance! Who’s leading you to such beliefs? You should read this article, “5 Ways Most Americans Are Blind to How Their Country Is Stacked for the Wealthy.” I don’t know why so many people are led to such judgmental and nonfactual beliefs as yours.
http://www.alternet.org/economy/5-ways-most-americans-are-blind-how-their-country-stacked-wealthy
Like or Dislike:
3 
11
Merv: You perhaps have forgotten that I am a landlord. I have a number of buildings and I do rent to some welfare individuals, those who have section 8 and I see examples of the abuses you deny. Sleeping until 2 in the afternoon then playing video games the rest of the day. And there are social service organizations that will give the welfare recipients more furniture and clothing than is rational. You don’t know how many truckloads of abandoned belongings my workers have hauled out of apartments after the tenant moves. It seems to be easier for the tenants to just abandon most of the furniture, clothing and toys and just get more free stuff when they move into another apartment. This is a lifestyle, not occasional or rare occurances.
Like or Dislike:
8 
1
Ulysses and Brian, you can believe what you want. But everything you mention is anecdotal. I have no doubt that you may have had to deal with a number of deadbeats in your lifetime. But that doesn’t mean everyone who is on (insert social welfare program) is a bum. There are professional commercial pilots flying planes right now making only $20k/year who are on public assistance – let alone all the hairdressers, cooks, waiters, retail workers, healthcare aids, foodservice workers, auto mechanics, taxi drivers, and toilet scrubbers. The only “authority” I have is that I can tell the difference between statistical significance and anecdotal outrage, as I was trained to do at university.
And ulysses, though your problems certainly must be an inconvenience, they are only symptoms. First, a huge number of people are stuck in this economy where they’re told they have all these freedom to choose where they work, yet nobody is hiring. Do you really believe that some people aren’t going to lose faith? Second, the throw-away culture you talk about goes all the way to the very top. With every new couch and new shirt that a “hard working” person like yourself buys, that old couch has to go somewhere… oftentimes on craigslist, or the nearest sidewalk. As for the costs of moving all that stuff out, you can always get your money back in court. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to cover for haphazard roommates, or get threatened by the landlord to pay extra for other people’s irresponsibility. I’ve literally given thousands of dollars to landlords like yourself for months I never resided in their buildings and damages I never caused, just to keep a clean record. And unlike you, I have nothing to show for it. So don’t think you’re the only one who has to clean up the messes of others. But those are my own anecdotal situations. Do I go on to generalize groups of people because of my own unfortunate circumstances? No.
My whole point is that I’m sick of everyone pointing the finger at poor people. Awful people exist, regardless of social class. Instead of beating this horse into the ground, I’d rather talk about how people who create real with (the pilots, the cooks, the manufacturers, etc) are forced to use public assistance, yet the people who TAKE from the real wealth creators (all the people with no-name jobs working for big banks) are making $60-100K per year if not more to professionally redistribute the wealth to the top. Yet nobody’s supposed to talk about that end of it, because it’s not the government taking your money. So we’re told that we should just get angry at the poor instead. Change the debate already!!
Like or Dislike:
2 
6
Also ulysses, the irony in your statement just occurred to me. You are a landlord of section 8 housing. You directly benefit from the same welfare programs you decry. It makes me wonder how well your business would do without these programs. I’m sure many people in Duluth wouldn’t be able to afford the typical $500-600 minimum monthly rent, given the not-very-good paying jobs many people are made to work at. Cut public assistance, and you sir might be sitting on a number of empty houses. You and all the other landlords in town might be forced to lower your earnings, i.e. rent.
This touches on the broader point I try to make on this forum. Government intervention always benefits the investment class at the expense of the poor and working people. If you can get other people’s checks from the government, you wouldn’t “give that money back” as Brian had suggested. You’d use it as an excuse to raise rent on all your other houses. So now many people who aren’t on the doll now must spend over half their paycheck on rent. And I’m sure if it were legal to sleep in one’s car, or pop a tent in the park, many people would opt for that, just to save a little money and “pick themselves up by their bootstraps”. But the government police don’t allow that. They force people to give private landowners money just to sleep. The government works for you, ulysses, not the people.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Duluth needs some good paying jobs, an increase in population of about 15,000 and those new citizens need to be non-welfare, able to work, ready to start a family and help pay taxes and improve the community, types.
And those jobs need to be decent paying jobs that are not related to tourism. Let’s get away from tourism (it is doing fine) and start building some good jobs up here!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
36 
2
Won’t happen with the current city leadership. Donny campaigned on a promise NOT to “chase smokestacks” or however he worded it and people voted for him anyway. Duluth will never be more than a backwater hick town catering to seasonal tourists unless someone makes the effort to bring industry back and put people to work at jobs that can support a family. Smokestacks might not be pretty, but people have to decide what they want: a future or a pretty view.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
28 
9
Right on. The past couple city administrations have been taking the easy way out and just adding to the hospitality industry poverty level job creation rather than actually persuing real businesses that would provide “family-supporting” jobs. Persuing real family-supporting jobs is hard work, requires effort and has the potential to bring non-Democratic voters into the area, not to mention the local power brokers would stroke out if the area wages started to rise.
Like or Dislike:
21 
8
Jojo…..I agree, and have been saying that same thing since “Shep was a pup”! More decent jobs….the population, AND THE TAXBASE will expand as well….that means more kids in school ( more money for the school district ), more business for merchants….which will feed itself, by in turn hiring more folks….and continues the cycle! What we do NOT need is local leadership continuing the “giveaways”…….just to keep them voting for Liberals……if this continues……Duluth will be “done”……as there is not a large enough taxbase to continue to support the “out of towners” ( here for the benefits )……without contributing to the taxbase! As it stands now, continually raising taxes for just about any expense the City or the County encounters…..the current taxpayer just CANNOT AFFORD ANY MORE TAXES…..meaning NEW or INCREASING existing taxes on the books! The City…..the County, and the School Board can do much more to help to keep expenses in check!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
22 
4
The plan is to push the have-nots out to the western part of town, where they’ll only be a bother to their own kind.
Like or Dislike:
7 
11
Interesting conversation going on here. I’ll add to the other other post (Marks post) that really deal with the weather. I gather most of you have thoughts that go in other directions, but I think the bad weather in this town will inhibit any large scale success in becoming a “ubran hot spot”. I’ve seen very good success in other cities at what I belive this article is predicting for Duluth…..but a lot of what I’ve observed anyway seems to count on at least decent or better weather for a majority of the year. Just last week I myself visited one of these places on a beautiful calm 65 degree evening and I totally enjoyed myself as did lots of others as well. I can’t imagine the draw for many to enjoy meandering in and out of shops, movie theatres, pubs, clubs and the like when it’s frigid out (as Nothern Minnesota can do so well and for so long each year) with a stiff wind.
I know Flagstaff Arizona has a pretty neat downtown area and they have a fairly cool climate…..but trust me, it’s nothing like Duluth in the Winter as far as being bitterly cold. It’s the length of the bitter cold (yes I know that’s a relative term), slush, snow and wind chill season that doesn’t bod well for this to really flourish. Can we do better, certainly, and we should try, I just don’t think we’ll be able to compare to most other places with the same idea who’ve pulled it off.
Like or Dislike:
15 
3
Was the weather in NE Minnesota better fifty plus years ago when we had thriving communities, good jobs, opportunities? Duluth, and America, need real jobs doing things that create wealth, not those that merely move wealth from one person to another.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
27 
1
The issue of jobs is not a local issue. Cities all over the world are facing the exact same problem. And I think there are two main reasons for this. The first is globalization. Now that big businesses have overcome almost all geographic barriers, there’s little reason for any business to invest in any particular community. And sadly, this leads to a race to the bottom. Duluth jobs are sent to Mexico, Mexican jobs are sent to Thailand, Thai jobs are sent to China, and on and on. This throws the economic theory that a higher GDP leads to a higher standard of living out the window, since the majority of GDP is going to a smaller, more concentrated class of individuals.
Second, there’s much evidence to suggest that growth itself is slowing down due to geological restraints. Fossil fuels are becoming more scarce, precious metals are being exploited faster than ever, and there are no new frontiers. By-in-large, people know what’s out there, and this infinite growth paradigm is being exposed for what it is – unsustainable. So there are two problems. There are less and less resources to feed this global economy, and there’s less and less reason to invest in any particular place no matter what local government try to do. Major corporations are sitting on an insane amount of money that they don’t even know what to do with. But where do you go when you’re already on top of the world? Companies are already paying a huge percentage of their workers slave wages, so how else to you keep the expectation of 8 to 12% dividends alive?
To put it bluntly, my point is that it’s ignorant to blame the jobs problem in Duluth on local government or any other scapegoat. This is a global problem. Cities in Argentina, Spain, Japan, Australia, and South Africa are all dealing with the same thing. The one thing I can say for Duluth, is that young people are actually deciding to stay here despite the terrible economy. Perhaps the job outlook is so bad everywhere else now, that there’s no reason to leave anymore. For what it’s worth, at least young people are now staying in Duluth instead of moving away to “where the jobs are,” as was the story in the past.
Like or Dislike:
8 
14
I have a book “Investment Biker” by Jim Rodger who started the Quantum Fund and who teaches finance at Columbia in it he travels around the world on a motorcycle when he was looking at the maps of the Soviet Union planning his trip he didn’t think anything of the fact there were no higway lines between the cites he just thought thatwas how thw maps were drawn over there. When he got there he found there were no roads or just trail beacause during the communist regime people had no reason to travel as opertunities weren’t any better in the next town. I that what you are saying Merv? My daughter studied went away to college and made something of herself, Duluth was a nice place to grow up especially in the Noron Park area but everyone has to agree that it is going downhill fast. I know there are areas in town that I wouldn’t want to break down in and I am 6-2 and 250lb with a ponytail and beard been riding motorcycles for 45 years so I look like your typical biker but the new people are carring and are people that the police would avoid
Like or Dislike:
13 
2
In a way, yes, that is what I’m saying Mike. Sure, you can go to college and make something of yourself, but there are two problems with that. 1st, if you didn’t take the “right” classes in high school or if you studied the wrong major in college, it’s way too expensive for most people to go back and retrain themselves. I’ve met people who graduated with over $100k in debt with majors in history, outdoor rec, etc. Sure, you could say that’s a bad move on their part, but how as anybody supposed to know that you’d be SOL unless you went to school for business, medicine, or engineering? There are plenty of people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s with jobs in other fields. So why can’t new graduates find work? As it stands now, you get one shot at an education. If it works out for you, great. But if it doesn’t, there’s really no way to do it over again. So that’s becoming a big problem.
2nd, all the people who did go to school for business, medicine, and engineering aren’t really serving the greater good in any way. In fact, their work is probably more destructive than anything else. They’re either paid to fleece as much money as they can from people below them (as is usually the case in business and medicine), or they’re helping businesses and financial institutions maintain the status quo: exploit limited resources, disregard the environment, and find new ways to take other people’s money. This may seem like a really negative way to look at the world. But honestly, who goes to school for these professions because they’re genuinely interested in them? Almost nobody. It’s almost always because they’re the big money-making fields. And by-in-large, money making is money taking.
So as for my original point, if you’re lucky enough to make it into the professional class in your one-and-only shot to do so, you can probably find a job in Duluth doing your work, or at least the Cities. But if you didn’t do everything perfectly, you’re lumped into the underclass of society with all the other people who tried and failed or never tried at all.
Like or Dislike:
6 
8
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
9 
20
This is more than weather or tourism. Tourism shouldn’t be Duluth’s lead industry. It should be it’s advantage. For far too long, we have depended on it and not focused on developing industry or recruiting our labor force to manufacturers who are looking to expand. True, Duluth has handicapped itself by letting the school district plummet, and really has done a poor job of taking care of its streets, parks, and overall beauty. The image of Duluth needs to be reshaped. Duluth has NOT embraced the future and does NOT have a reputation for working towards progression. Change that climate, and you might have something to work with!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
21 
3
Too much is made of the climate on here. Minnneapolis is nothing short of frigid and its economy is not sufferring from its climate. Minnesotans like to make more of the North:South divide than it really is. For anyone not from Minnesota or a similarly cold climate, Minnesota is freezing in winter.
I have lived in Stockholm, Sweden in winter where it is cold, snowy and dark at 2pm. The city is thriving and attracting global commerce. FYI – they don’t shovel the walks as you do in Duluth, snow plowing is shamefully bad and shops and homes are full of grit and slush from the outdoors. They don’t even have proper grates to catch the slush, snow and grit so it’s a never ending battle to have clean, dry floors.
As someone who earned his living for 6 yrs doing snow and ice removal at UMD, I can talk about it.
What they do very nicely all over Norden is light candles. The Danes word for this coziness is “hygge” and they are leaders in ambient lighting (Louis Poulsen and Carl Hansen make lights designed by Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner). And outside shops and restaurants in Stockholm for instance, there are candle lit lanterns and tubs of fir, pine or spruce. It adds a nice touch.
Winters in England seem worse than anything I remember from Duluth or New Jersey. Seattle was tough, too. Wet, bleak, grey, dank, dark and gloomy. Snow brightens the days and nights and the sun and moon reflect the snow cover. Then there are all the activities if you able to participate in.
I made much of the Ice Bars and Ice Hotels of Sweden years ago and some creative Duluth bars tried it – without much cooperation from Ole Man Winter – but you know, this is what makes winter “cool” not cold.
The people of the Twin Cities came up with Winter Carnival to make fun of winter. Duluth used to have things like the Lake Avenue Downhill, ice sculptures and it has the Beargrease (sad about last year) so make the most of the climate.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
20 
0
One other thing….. This is a little bit like talking about apples when the subject is oranges but try to see past this:
In Britain, Tourism is the second biggest earner in Fx (foreign exchange) – that’s foreign currency investment circulating in the economy – after the Financial Services Sector (London is a global capital of finance / investment banking). It is said, “People don’t come to Britain for the weather.”
Now before anyone thumbs down – I am not advocating more of the City’s resources be focussed on the tourism sector. I have long advocated that it will evolve on its own now. It’s time to focus on the needs and amenities of residents while at the same time balancing that economic growth.
Industry sector clusters are what’s needed so that the economic activities are varied and multiplied across a multitude of businesses. So there is neither a labor shortage when the market gets tight and there are alternative businesses to “shop” if you need to change jobs but want to work in the same industry and remain in Duluth.
Moreover, if one industry hits a downturn owing to market or global forces, the local/regional economy doesn’t nosedive because there are other industry sectors to keep it propped up and healthy to weather the storm.
This is very possible and is beginning to happen with aerospace (Cirrus, Kestrel, Northstar, AAR). I really think there are many other economic clusters to be found. Take something altogether different for example – environmental science / ecology / natural resources. This is important stuff today and Duluth is home to an array of research institutes, laboratories, centers ( NRRI, US EPA’s Mid-Continent Ecology Div is HQ’s in Duluth, UMD’s Center for Freshwater Research, MN Sea Grant). Perhaps they could reinforce each others position by sharing grantwriting for research, expertise in getting corporate underwriting (3M to open an R&D center in Duluth??)….. that sort of thing.
Look, I’ve had my frustrations and disappointments with Duluth and maybe it’s too late for someone like me to ever return but…. I look around the world and,,,, I mean the “world” and Duluth ain’t that bad. There is so much going for it. Believe in it!!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
17 
1
Useless
When you talk about the leeches the democats want in this city are these the same leeches brought here after Katrina by our then rep Gov Pawlenty and G Bush! They called them refugees however do you think the best of them were going to come here to the frozen tundra? Yes the state seen an increase in Federal dollars for welfare but it was at a high cost to Minnesota in a whole. As for the Chicago invasion? Yup another deal struck between Pawlenty, the Feds and the state of Illinois to alleviate their over crowded welfare burdened areas. In Ill. they actually gave these people classes on where to go and where to live in Duluth then gave them enough money to get them here and off their tax books. So you may wanna stop blaming the democrats for all the problems created by the republicans!
Like or Dislike:
10 
11
Tim: I’ve tried to keep my head above the parapet by refraining from the political rhetoric but I can’t resist your post. Are your claims really true? I didn’t know this. I am so weary of reading, listening to anti-Democrat spurious claims and invective. I’m looking for truth and in America that is hard to find in any political discussion.
Like or Dislike:
8 
3
Blighty: As a matter of fact a certain well known political bleeding heart liberal is part of an organization that has been running bilboard ads and TV ads on ethnic-oriented TV channels encouraging certain ethnicities to move to Duluth from Chicago and Detroit. I have received calls from aquaintenances in those cities asking me “what is going on in Duluth?”
Like or Dislike:
6 
6
And for the posts about high taxes? There is over 100 acres of tax free property on Garfield Ave and in the Airpark just waiting for business to build! However until we get rid of the blights like the LPOE and all of the scum in the good living areas most businesses are going to say heck to the no on moving here!
Like or Dislike:
12 
5
If Duluth can get their school system straightened out and lower the class sizes, it will be a great city to live in and move to.
Like or Dislike:
6 
6
When I first came here a mentor told me I had to spend two years to prove I could handle the cold. It wasn’t till the second year I understood he was talking about the people, not the temps.
All the pieces are here except the realization that society and demographic change is ok and not to be feared.
Like or Dislike:
9 
9
Blighty you can read about it here.
http://www.publicrecordmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/documents/MHS2011_pd_033.pdf
Like or Dislike:
5 
0
ulysses Any proof to your last post? Links? names?
Like or Dislike:
3 
2
Peoples mentality has changed when I was starting out the america dream was to get a good job nows it to win the lottery.not that I would turn down winning but my father and grandfather worked hard to get ahead I was taught that you didn’t get something for nothing now we are into second and third generation welfare rats
Like or Dislike:
4 
0