misun78 (u/misun78) - Readit News

misun78 commented on What to do about America's killer cars economist.com/leaders/202... · Posted by u/hheikinh

uneekname · 2 years ago

I can't speak for OP but their take sounded pretty city-focused. I live in a downtown that feels so overrun with these monstrous SUVs and what-have-you for no reason. I know they're useless because they're always empty and they park on my street (or better, in the bike lane I use every day).

I agree with your sentiment. Large vehicles have a lot of utility for a lot of people. I don't want to tax rural folk out of owning an important tool. But in the densest zip code in my state? I'm tired of reading about pedestrian murders in my neighborhood.

misun78 · 2 years ago

You're spot on with that explanation, thanks.

misun78 commented on What to do about America's killer cars economist.com/leaders/202... · Posted by u/hheikinh

UniverseHacker · 2 years ago

This is pretty absurd… there are plenty of non commercial reasons to use a truck- towing trailers, hauling wood, etc. they’re pretty essential for people that live in the country, do subsistence farming, or build/maintain their own house. I grew up in the country in a house my dad built, and we got much of our food from plants and animals we raised- we needed a truck.

Ultimately all motor vehicles are pretty dangerous and negatively impact the environment- it makes no sense to have a problem with people that need trucks using them for their purpose, but being fine with people doing the same with a small car.

misun78 · 2 years ago

Yeah I totally understand your viewpoint but as other posters have said, my comment was directed at standard urban/suburban areas.

misun78 commented on What to do about America's killer cars economist.com/leaders/202... · Posted by u/hheikinh

aikinai · 2 years ago

You mean in another country? Where would that actually be in the US?

misun78 · 2 years ago

NYC, Boston, and SF if SF can get its act together. There are a plethora of small livable cities as well such as Boulder, CO.

misun78 commented on What to do about America's killer cars economist.com/leaders/202... · Posted by u/hheikinh

mikesickler · 2 years ago

This is a really out of touch take.

misun78 · 2 years ago

You haven't explained why but I can preemptively say it isn't. Go outside the confines of American suburbia/countryside and you will see how out of touch these vehicles are to sustainable and healthy living.

misun78 commented on What to do about America's killer cars economist.com/leaders/202... · Posted by u/hheikinh

danielschonfeld · 2 years ago

Thoughts and prayers are all we have in this country. Nothing will be done about that just as nothing is done about guns or healthcare. Just more thoughts and more prayers.

misun78 · 2 years ago

Unfortunately agree, especially given how much of an influence the auto industry has on our government.

My goal is hence to make enough money to allow my family and I to live in an urban walkable environment. The venn diagram overlap of areas that have a high proportion of large trucks and how livable they are is quite small anyways.

misun78 commented on What to do about America's killer cars economist.com/leaders/202... · Posted by u/hheikinh

misun78 · 2 years ago

Let me be the first one to say it - anyone who drives a large pick-up truck for non-commercial reasons is a grade A asshole. SUV drivers aren't that far off, though I sympathize with the game theory element of buying SUVs to protect against other larger cars -- but I would expect you to take accountability and drive slower and safer than smaller cars.

These monstrosities are environmentally unfriendly, pedestrian unfriendly, kid unfriendly, biker unfriendly, small car unfriendly, and are antithetical to the type of walkable and bikable cities that point to healthier and happier living. I wish we could tax the crap out of these things and drive them out of our towns.

misun78 commented on 400 license plate cameras coming to San Francisco ktvu.com/news/400-license... · Posted by u/rntn

buildbuildbuild · 2 years ago

Of course, any excuse to surveil us more.

How much of SF’s crime is committed by car owners?

misun78 · 2 years ago

Oh please, you have a right to privacy in your own homes, but not in shared roads where your driving can endanger others. I welcome this news and hopefully one day we have traffic cameras across every block in the country, that have already proven to reduce speeding/reckless and driving, and to directly impact the ~40k deaths we have on the roads each year.

misun78 commented on The changing face of post-pandemic New York City osc.ny.gov/press/releases... · Posted by u/geox

0xy · 2 years ago

Can you get to some specifics? Specifically, what is in NYC that you cannot possibly get in Chicago for example?

misun78 · 2 years ago

Not the OP but as someone who grew up in Chicago, but then spent a large time in NYC, here are some examples:

1. Talent Density: Chicago is optimized talent-wise at a regional level (the midwest), while NYC is optimized at a global level. Chicago simply doesn't have the same pull if you don't live in the midwest the way NYC does for folks living anywhere across the world. This creates an obvious talent gap.

2. Culture: Chicago operates as a much more of an all-American city, reflecting cultural attitudes not too dissimilar from the rest of the country. Examples here include a heavy sports culture, emphasis on drinking/going out. You see a similar trend with NYC transplants (like myself in my early 20's) but you're eventually forced to grow out of it in NYC and create a more unique and diversified identity. I haven't seen much of this in my social circle from Chicago who never left.

3. Industry Density: Chicago is considered top at a few select industries including insurance, commodities etc. OTOH, there are very few industries that NYC would not be considered top in. Strong talent begets strong talent and this creates the sort of network effect that's present in the bay (for tech), and in NYC, but not in Chicago minus a few industries. These network efforts, over a long enough timeframe, fundamentally alter the landscape of one's career.

4. Local v.s. global maxima: Chicago allows you to reach a relatively easier maxima (career or culture wise), which likely means Chicagoans are happier on average. That concept doesn't exist in NYC or the bay. It pushes you to reach a global maxima which is inherently more challenging. For example, getting a job at Google likely sets you for life in Chicago. In NYC or the bay, that's simply a starting point. This isn't for the faint of heart but is highly rewarding if you're ambitious and work-oriented.

5. Arts and Fashion: The same concept of local v.s. global maxima exists here too.

6. Food: Far more global and unique in NYC than in Chicago (which in-itself has great food)

misun78 commented on The changing face of post-pandemic New York City osc.ny.gov/press/releases... · Posted by u/geox

pclmulqdq · 2 years ago

> Some people don't value what NY has to offer - the elite, the center of the world in arts, business, food, talent, etc etc. If you don't value it, absolutely don't pay for it - pay for things that you value. If you do value those things, there is no place else in the US, and with some exceptions, the world.

I have a question for people who say this: Have you ever actually lived in any metropolitan area outside New York? I usually ask because the answer I usually get from New York exceptionalists is a dismissive version of "no," like "why would I live anywhere else?" A lot of cities (both in the US and around the world) have better environments for each of the things you stated there, but New York is somewhat unique in that it is good for all of them.

Also, note that I am not talking about Cleveland as a "tier 2" city. New Yorkers think that San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles are "tier 2."

misun78 · 2 years ago

I would maybe keep SF and LA as tier 1.5 (ignoring the fact that LA is mostly a collection of suburbs) given their presence at the global scale, but there is a drop-off in tiers for all other cities. Chicago is a great example, it's usually considered a sister city to NYC, but as someone who grew up there and then later spent time in NYC, the differences in cultural attitudes between the two could not be starker.

misun78 commented on The changing face of post-pandemic New York City osc.ny.gov/press/releases... · Posted by u/geox

levelz · 2 years ago

> Everything is outrageously expensive > Middle class gets crushed

I moved out of New York City in 2020. The overriding reason was not this, it was just a fluke that I got a very compelling out of state job offer in 2019, and they requested I move in 2020.

However, I am making about about $150-$160k as an SWE, and it goes a lot further here (although having to spend $700-$800 a month for a car, which I did not have to do in NYC, bites into that a little). I have a new, big, apartment with a front door to a tree-lined street in a nice walkable neighborhood near my workplace for less than $2000 a month. In New York I would have an older, smaller apartment on a higher floor in not as nice of a neighborhood for more a month.

I know people say to move to the Bay area because that's where the action is for tech jobs and where you make connections etc., but I don't see why not take a step on a way for a decent paying job in a cheap city where you can accumulate savings while your skillset is increasing.

The juniors/associates I work with making <$100k a year say they can barely afford their expenses now here. I don't know what they'd be doing in the Bay Area or New York. They have roommates too.

I saved up a ton of money down here, and gained experience as well. If I move back to New York (or to the Bay Area), I do so on surer footing - I have a lot of money saved up for a rainy day now.

It also makes for a situation where those with lower income - even associate/junior SWEs at Fortune 100 companies - can't afford to live in cities like NYC, San Francisco etc.

misun78 · 2 years ago

This is a pretty reasonable approach but I would caution against potentially being too overly-conservative in eventually moving to the bay/NY if career ambition is a goal. What's often missing in these budgeting numbers is the intangible variable of a far lower ceiling of income potential that you have to trade off. How does the calculus change if say there is some probability X of reaching a potential far higher than 150-160k, as tends to be the case in these HCOL areas?