Tulsa has now added more than 38,000 jobs since the bottom of the downturn earlier this decade and now has a record number of jobs in the metro. The area also has added more than 10,000 jobs this year alone.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/BusinessStory.asp?ID=070125_Bu_E1_Jobga5510
In other news, Tulsa just barely missed setting a fourth consecutive record for new home starts bucking the national melt down in the real-estate industry.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/BusinessStory.asp?ID=070125_Bu_E1_Housi59063
Hasn't helped the crime rate....
quote:
Originally posted by aoxamaxoa
Hasn't helped the crime rate....
Bet your fun at parties. lol[:P]
The best way to help the crime rate is to cut the police force. Its true, look it up.
Of course, that is only the case because without enforcement the crimes aren't reported and therefore aren't part of the crime rate statistics... but hey!
True story, someone pulled up along my car as I was commuting home down Harvard and started shooting at me. Right where Harvard goes under the BA. Some punk high school kid in a ****ty hatch back with an over-sized muffler. Called the cops but what can you really do to stop crime like this? I have no idea. If someone wants to pull up next to my Nissan and start shooting up my car I cant do anything about it but hope their aim sucks (it did).
But the economic news is good. Now lets keep adding white collar jobs downtown!
- Jesse
cannon_fodder... not to make light of your situation (and I am glad to read that you are okay), but the solution to violent acts of crime comes in one action and six easy words... "Say hello to my little friend!"
lol, that's pretty much what the cop said.
He told me that it was either a case of mistaken identity, road rage, gang initiation, or just 'showing off' to his passenger. IN any event, he said it is reported about once a month in Tulsa and he "wishes someone pulled this **** on me sometime so I could return fire." True. True.
I am an avid shooter but unfortunately follow the law and dont keep weapons in passenger compartment, let alone loaded. Alas, if I did, he would have been chased with bullets as he sped onto the BA and I would probably be in jail.
quote:
Originally posted by cannon_fodder
The best way to help the crime rate is to cut the police force. Its true, look it up.
Of course, that is only the case because without enforcement the crimes aren't reported and therefore aren't part of the crime rate statistics... but hey!
True story, someone pulled up along my car as I was commuting home down Harvard and started shooting at me. Right where Harvard goes under the BA. Some punk high school kid in a ****ty hatch back with an over-sized muffler. Called the cops but what can you really do to stop crime like this? I have no idea. If someone wants to pull up next to my Nissan and start shooting up my car I cant do anything about it but hope their aim sucks (it did).
But the economic news is good. Now lets keep adding white collar jobs downtown!
- Jesse
I'd shoot back!
quote:
Originally posted by swake
Tulsa has now added more than 38,000 jobs since the bottom of the downturn earlier this decade and now has a record number of jobs in the metro. The area also has added more than 10,000 jobs this year alone.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/BusinessStory.asp?ID=070125_Bu_E1_Jobga5510
In other news, Tulsa just barely missed setting a fourth consecutive record for new home starts bucking the national melt down in the real-estate industry.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/BusinessStory.asp?ID=070125_Bu_E1_Housi59063
The moral of this story is the rich get richer and the middle class or poor get poorer:
Edit
Study: Oklahoma standard of living loses ground
By RON JENKINS Associated Press Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A new study suggests working Oklahomans' standard of living has lost ground even as the state's economy has grown in recent years.
The report from Community Action Project, a Tulsa-based anti-poverty agency, found that between 2001 and 2005, the median wage in Oklahoma, adjusted for inflation, declined by nearly 1 percent. Median household income declined 4.5 percent over the same period.
"This State of Working Oklahoma report reveals the extent to which middle- and lower-income Oklahoma families are feeling the squeeze between stagnant incomes and rising costs," said David Blatt, director of public policy at CAP.
The report said:
_ Oklahoma's labor force is shifting from higher wage manufacturing jobs to lower wage service employment.
_ Wages paid to Oklahoma workers have declined in purchasing power even as productivity and business profits have increased.
_ Household income has stagnated for all but the wealthiest Oklahomans.
Recommendations made by the report include expansion of health insurance coverage for children, increasing the state earned income tax credit and creating a matched savings program to provide higher education opportunities for low-income children.
Phil Bacharach, press secretary for Gov. Brad Henry, said Henry had not had a chance to review the report yet, but has advocated some of the report's components.
"In particular, Governor Henry has worked hard to expand early childhood education programs, increase the numbers of Oklahomans with health insurance and promote college savings," Bacharach said.
The report came as the House Republican leadership was releasing a program designed to strengthen the economy by streamlining government and removing barriers to business activity. "If we do this, we will attract investment and we will create a strong economy that will help everyone," said House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah.
Structural changes in the Oklahoma economy in recent years have been felt "not only in the loss of income but also in the accompanying loss of job security, health insurance and pension benefits for many workers," said economist Jim Alexander, CAP economist.
Alexander and Kenneth Kickham, political science professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, wrote the report, which said as income declined or became stagnant for middle-class Oklahomans, prices for medical care, gasoline and utilities increased.
It said health insurance premiums increased by 60 percent between 2000 and 2006.
Blatt suggested lawmakers use the report as a guide to focus on programs "that ensure the fruits of our economic prosperity are more widely shared."
In urging expansion of the state's health insurance program, the report said some 650,000 Oklahomans, including 130,000 children, are without health care.
It called for legislation to lower the cost of payday loans and ensure their responsible use.
The report said that under legislation passed in 2003, more than 400 payday loan stores have sprung up across the state, making loans with interest rates up to 456 percent. It said payday lending is a major cause of financial stress among many families.
You know it's posts like this that confirm Bates' observations about Tulsa Now-"And although a wide range of political perspectives are represented, the demographics are skewed toward Midtown, white-collar types". The ironic thing about this is the fact that probably the most conservative right wing screw the poor and middle class "trickle down" economist in Tulsa Now is the one pointing this out.
Let 'em eat cake right, swake? Thanks for giving us half the story from your narrow uniformed perspective. Tell the whole story, or does the economic vitality of the poor and middle class(which comprises the largest group of Oklahomans) not matter?
Home Loans: Risk Data: Oklahoma No. 19 in foreclosures
By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer
1/26/2007
View in Print (PDF) Format
Foreclosures on home loans increased 42 percent nationwide last year, though Oklahoma fared better with a 15 percent increase.
Data provided by RealtyTrac, a foreclosure data tracking service, shows that 15,586 homes in Oklahoma were foreclosed upon in 2006, or one foreclosure for every 96 home loans.
The figure places Oklahoma as the 19th highest state for foreclosures.
Nationwide, 1.26 million homes loans were foreclosed, or one for every 92.
Barry Gibson, vice president of mortgage lending for Tulsa National Bank, said he and other lenders believe the rapid rise of adjustable-rate mortgages caused the increase.
Adjustable-rate mortgages often start out with percentages much lower than average but can shoot up within five years.
"Back in 2003 you could get a rate at low 5, but people were still getting adjustable rates," he said. "Now, the higher interest rates are hitting them, and people are getting payment shock."
Gibson said increasing levels of credit card debt have contributed to the rise in foreclosures.
"People are living well above their means," he said.
Tulsa National Bank provides home loans that are subsequently administered by secondary companies,
so the bank has no figures on how many of its loans end in foreclosure, Gibson said.
RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio said slowing home sales contributed to the much higher national increase.
"While foreclosures are not at historically high levels, a 42 percent increase is certainly noteworthy," he said in a news release.
Saccacio said foreclosures are not yet negatively impacting the overall housing market.
Oklahoma foreclosures slowed significantly in the last three months of the year, dropping from 4,178 in the third quarter to 3,012 in the fourth. In the same period, national foreclosures increased from 318,355 to 345,554.
Robert Evatt 581-8447
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com
*GASP* This that isnt news Double A.
You mean between 2001 and 2005, when the economy of the entire country was in shambles and Oklahoma in particular got nailed, the actual wage dropped? Wow, hard to believe that. Suppose it has something to do with Financial Services, World Com, Williams, American, Boeing, and all their suppliers cutting wages and jobs during that time or do ya' suppose its something else?
On top of that, the report was funded, developed, and released by an Anti-poverty agency... of of course they are going to say there is more poverty or they wont get more funding. "Actually things have really improved here in Oklahoma and i think our agency isnt needed as much." Not sure I've ever heard an agency or "non-profit" say that.
Furthermore, the main cause for this seems to be people's stupidity. Lets buy houses we cant afford at rates that are guaranteed to rise and barrow money at retarded rates (usury laws forbid the claims of 435% interest claimed in the article in Oklahoma at least...) that sounds like a good idea! What, you're going to take my house and new SUV just because I cant pay for it. You bastards!
The big news is the recovery starting in 2005 and running strong to this day. Everyone knows things were crappy, that's why it matters that they are getting better.
Senate Minimum Wage Bill and How the Extremist Republican Party Reached a New Low
"It is rather petty, sad, and pathetic. In a nutshell, it is what America has come to expect from today's extremist Republican Party."
http://www.progressivedailybeacon.com/more.php?page=opinion&id=1423
Hot off the press and a better rebuttal to this snakey thread than I could perform.....Axman
quote:
Originally posted by cannon_fodder
*GASP* This that isnt news Double A.
Furthermore, the main cause for this seems to be people's stupidity. Lets buy houses we cant afford at rates that are guaranteed to rise and barrow money at retarded rates (usury laws forbid the claims of 435% interest claimed in the article in Oklahoma at least...) that sounds like a good idea! What, you're going to take my house and new SUV just because I cant pay for it. You bastards!
What you say may be true but not the above. There are exceptions to the "usury" laws in OK that allow pawn shops and payday loans to be much higher. Sometimes over 1000%. Just go read the disclaimers on their entry ways.
And stupid needs a disclaimer. I know of some people with advanced degrees and great jobs that have built modern day "castles" because the market for rich is always strong. And they want to take advantage of it even if it means high interest rates to do so. They drive cars that are insanely expensive so that they can hang with the other rich guys and absorb some of it by friction. By your standards are they stupid? Or is stupid only when you do it at lower income levels? Like a social worker once told me, "ya know, even the poor like color tv's and cadillacs. It costs proportionately more for them to buy them but they do it so they don't feel so poor."
Glad to hear that we have been adding enough jobs so that we have surpassed where we were at our height (job numbers wise). It is of course a concern to have more better paying jobs. One sure fire way to help this along is EDUCATION. This would also help with those pesky crime and poverty statistics.
As for ARMs, I did one of those to get my first house about 2 and a half years ago. It was fixed for the first 2 years then adjustable after that and able to be refinanced. As an artist with an extremely variable income aka, risky investment, it helped to be able to prove I could pay a mortgage. But I must admit it was touch and go once the 2 years were up and suddenly the mortgage payment started to skyrocket. But my perfect payment record with by then a better income history allowed me to get refinanced into a decent fixed rate mortgage. It was a risk for me to take, but it was worth it to be able to actually start to purchase my own home. A lot of other "risky investments" people will fail, but it also allows some people who would not otherwise be able to get a home, be able to do so.
quote:
Originally posted by cannon_fodder
*GASP* This that isnt news Double A.
You mean between 2001 and 2005, when the economy of the entire country was in shambles and Oklahoma in particular got nailed, the actual wage dropped? Wow, hard to believe that. Suppose it has something to do with Financial Services, World Com, Williams, American, Boeing, and all their suppliers cutting wages and jobs during that time or do ya' suppose its something else?
On top of that, the report was funded, developed, and released by an Anti-poverty agency... of of course they are going to say there is more poverty or they wont get more funding. "Actually things have really improved here in Oklahoma and i think our agency isnt needed as much." Not sure I've ever heard an agency or "non-profit" say that.
Furthermore, the main cause for this seems to be people's stupidity. Lets buy houses we cant afford at rates that are guaranteed to rise and barrow money at retarded rates (usury laws forbid the claims of 435% interest claimed in the article in Oklahoma at least...) that sounds like a good idea! What, you're going to take my house and new SUV just because I cant pay for it. You bastards!
The big news is the recovery starting in 2005 and running strong to this day. Everyone knows things were crappy, that's why it matters that they are getting better.
Better for who? Obviously not average Oklahomans.
Double A: Yes, better for average Oklahoman's. Though you completly failed to rebutt anything I said, I would love to hear you argue that adding jobs to the economy isnt good for average Oklahoman's. We were better off unemployed?
Waterboy: I wont give a disclaimer to stupid. I dont care if you make $1mil a year and buy so much crap you go bankrupt or if you make $20,000 a year and go bankrupt buying junk you dont need... you clearly made stupid financial decisions. Note, however, that people that dont have enough money to support themselves or lose their money trying to start a business or help a friend arent included in this definition. People who consume themselves to the point of having things repossessed get no sympathy.
As per Cadillacs, everyone wants luxury goods... that's the entire point of having them on the market. However, not everyone can have them. I certainly cant afford anything nicer than my Taurus right now, so that's what I live with. Likewise, the rich guy in the big house cant afford the luxury goods he wants - private island, new yatch, Ferrari. No matter what level of wealth you are at, there are things you cant have. There are always bigger fish i nthe sea (Bill Lafortune probably bitches that his house is a dump copared to the REALLY rich people... who want as much money as the Sultan of Saudi Arabia, who wishes he was god). So do I feel sorry that people cannot have the luxury goods they want? No, it is the way it has always been and always will be. Everyone cannot have it all unless we all have nothing (ie. Cuba).
quote:
Originally posted by cannon_fodder
Double A: Yes, better for average Oklahoman's. Though you completly failed to rebutt anything I said, I would love to hear you argue that adding jobs to the economy isnt good for average Oklahoman's. We were better off unemployed?
Waterboy: I wont give a disclaimer to stupid. I dont care if you make $1mil a year and buy so much crap you go bankrupt or if you make $20,000 a year and go bankrupt buying junk you dont need... you clearly made stupid financial decisions. Note, however, that people that dont have enough money to support themselves or lose their money trying to start a business or help a friend arent included in this definition. People who consume themselves to the point of having things repossessed get no sympathy.
As per Cadillacs, everyone wants luxury goods... that's the entire point of having them on the market. However, not everyone can have them. I certainly cant afford anything nicer than my Taurus right now, so that's what I live with. Likewise, the rich guy in the big house cant afford the luxury goods he wants - private island, new yatch, Ferrari. No matter what level of wealth you are at, there are things you cant have. There are always bigger fish i nthe sea (Bill Lafortune probably bitches that his house is a dump copared to the REALLY rich people... who want as much money as the Sultan of Saudi Arabia, who wishes he was god). So do I feel sorry that people cannot have the luxury goods they want? No, it is the way it has always been and always will be. Everyone cannot have it all unless we all have nothing (ie. Cuba).
Agreed. At least the poor in Cuba get to lay on the beaches. I have to travel halfway across the country!
quote:
I have to travel halfway across the country!
Did you miss geography? Texas isn't halfway across the country. No, I'm not talk about Galveston, either. How about Corpus Christi or South Padre? NOT halfway across the country.
quote:
Originally posted by okcpulse
quote:
I have to travel halfway across the country!
Did you miss geography? Texas isn't halfway across the country. No, I'm not talk about Galveston, either. How about Corpus Christi or South Padre? NOT halfway across the country.
Tulsa to Corpus or Padre is the same distance as Tulsa to Chicago or Minneapolis.
quote:
Originally posted by okcpulse
quote:
I have to travel halfway across the country!
Did you miss geography? Texas isn't halfway across the country. No, I'm not talk about Galveston, either. How about Corpus Christi or South Padre? NOT halfway across the country.
Texas? Didn't we give that back? Or are about to. Honestly Swake is right. It is about the same time to visit the Chicago shoreline as it is Galveston and Padre. And a trip to Florida beats any of them.