This is a great article about young people leaving certain states. In short, big losers: Northeast, rural midwest. Big winners: The South and The West. They mention Pennsylvania specifically:
Pennsylvania attracts some of the highest numbers of out-of-state students to its colleges, but four years later, most of them take their degrees and run. Three years ago, the state set up Keystone Innovation Zones (KIZ) to give grants to partnerships between universities and their surrounding communities, including businesses and private foundations. The zones were designed to create new businesses and jobs. There are now 26 zones, with 647 Pennsylvania graduates and interns working at companies inside the zones.
This is a typical big government solution to a problem that’s a result of big government. Young people are leaving Pennsylvania for several reasons: high cost of living, high taxes, and lack of opportunity. Pennsylvania is one of the most unfriendly states in the country in which to start a business. We have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the nation. Ed Rendell was elected on a promise of trying to keep young people in the state after they graduated from our universities. Keystone Innovation Zones are a buearaucrat’s solution. Ed Rendell has been the governor for big government. Until our political leadership in Pennsylvania becomes truly committed to making Pennsylvania a business destination, we’ll continue to have a hard time retaining young talent. What Pennsylvania needs is less government. Get out of the way, and let the people perform their magic.
I remember an article in the local Indianapolis rag a while back that said pretty much the same thing – kids come here for Purdue and IU, and when they get those degrees, they skedaddle as fast as they can somewhere else.
Also, KOZ has been used just as another corporate welfare program to keep business from leaving Philadelphia. Rather than fix things like the aforementioned unfriendly business climate in PA and Phila, they give handouts to Tastykake, Comcast, Cigna, etc. Big, established business get a break, but Joe Collegegrad who’s got some good ideas can’t start a small business because he doesn’t have the political connections to KOZ money.
You’re talking KOZ… this is KIS. You gotta keep your bureaucratic acronyms straight. KOZs are also a steaming crock of horse shit. Yes, offer tax breaks to well connected business, and shit on everyone else. Damn, I’m really wanting to stay!
Pennsylvania, to some degree, has not yet accepted that the industrial era, around which most of the public sphere here has been constructed around, is nearly defunct. We are a rust belt state both in fact and in mind set. Until that changes, we’ll continue to have people come here to get educated, then go somewhere else to make money.
I’m currently working on my escape plan.
Heck, I know a guy who bought a house in Virginia with his wife during his final semester. The lure of opportunity is just too strong.
You know, sebastian, just when you’ve about convinced me to leave the People’s Republic of NJ – you tell me PA isn’t any better. I wish moving to NoVA was an option for me – I grew up there and would love to return. But I love my job too much right now.
(Maybe we should try and get together for something if we all end up in NoVA at the same time – you, Bitter, me and Allura).
Sure. Let me know. Pennsylvania really isn’t that bad. Philadelphia is a sewer, but the rest of it is ok, and parts of it are downright beautiful. I would actually rather live in here than Northern Virginia.
The big problem with PA is its best years are behind it.
You’re not kidding about the beautiful parts of PA, I know. I’m hoping to make it out to PARF this year, among other places.