Respect your POV on this and will post the stats to support the longstanding existence of "Two CTs" from a wealth perspective. I agree these wealth gaps are a nationwide issue but its quite stark in CT. Not sure which part of the State of CT you live in but when you look at macro economic stats the data is quite grim IMO.
Industry has been fleeing CT for years due to taxes and regulation and frankly dysfunction in Hartford govt. More people have left CT each year than move in and this stat has been consistent over 20 years. CT has one of the highest personal tax burdens in the country, housing is expensive, young people cannot afford to move into the state and real estate values have posted 'real' and 'actual' declining stats for over 20 years as well.
Poverty is alive and well in Fairfield County if that is the part of the State you are from. The stats on the number of children in Fairfield County going to school each day hungry are staggering IMO given the areas wealth. As I said previously in a much earlier thread, under the veneer of weath in Fairfield County lies much poverty. The local Food Bank in Stamford routinely asks for donations because they have been hit hard with increasing demand for assistance.
As the
@thekirbyfamily so clearly explained, the issue in CT is not only is there a large group of folks that qualify for govt asst but because things are so expensive that people that work but don't qualify can't afford to feed their families, pay rent and heat their apts or houses. Sounds crazy but its totally true. The food bank I'm talking about did a rough survey of their typical customer and that person had an avg salary w/i the household of $40-$50,000. Let that sink in because in my book that is pretty incredible as in most parts of the country you would be ok with a couple of kids, house, dog and that household income. But in Fairfield County that salary means you will struggle and stuggle big time. There are many local families that go to area church dinners and soup kitchens because its cheaper than actually cooking hot meals for their families.
Yes, this is happening in Fairfield County where in places like NC the avg house costs $1.2 million and has taxes of over $22,000/yr. and the avg car costs $30,000 etc.
IMO most people don't see this because it doesn't hit you in the face as on the surface most people are making it from pt a to pt b and their children look well fed and clothed. But scratch the surface and the stories you will hear IMO are incredible. Many are stuggling to hang on and for so many the struggle simply becomes too much and they leave.
I have heard so many stories similar to
@thekirbyfamily to absolutely believe what she is saying and its heartbreaking when bad things happen to good hardworking people. We had local teacher that made a good salary but had huge student debt from a masters degree she got before joining the school district. She struggled to buy a car and find housing and pay the student loans. If the district didn't help her in her early days of employment she wouldn't have been able to come to teach in CT.
MOO MOO