Cost of Lliving in Baltimore
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9/20/2013
Baltimore county was once a fair place to live in. Not any more. the cost of living in the county has skyrocketed Leaving it's middle class, hard working citizens fighting to pay their bills, send their children to school, and buy food, health care ect.
Crime has gong up in the county, even in what was once "nice neighborhoods".Cell Phone thefts are up, destruction of property, robberies and even assault, rape and murder. Illicit drug use is fairly high. Add that now to the fact that the county shut down many factories that kept families going, like Sparrows point and General motors. With the shut down of these two factories alone, families began struggling and many moved away. Then came the tearing down of General motors, the projects on the city county line, and RATS moved into the county neighborhoods. To combat this problem , however, the county decided to cut the number of trash collection days, and spend its money sending out inspectors to see if trash can lids were on the citizens cans. If not a hefty fine awaited them. The money could have better been used to put down rat bait and help clear the rat problem out, used for an extra day of trash collenction to keep the trash to a minimum.
oh but they haven't stopped there. Included in the rising prices were increases in property tax. a rain tax, a tax if you lived in the county and worked in the city, a bottle tax if you bought bottles of drinks in the city, and now they are utilizing speed cameras, red light cameras are coming, school crossing cameras, to also generate more county income. In addition to this all toll roads increased, and now trucks will get to pay and additional fee for using those roads on top of the already toll increase. many of the roads are not repaired, the
structure of the main water lines/pipes are in decay,sink holes have formed in various areas/city and county. The school system has gone down in their values and ethics and educational curriculum.If you can't afford a private school or your child is not in a magnet school, he or she will find it harder to enter into college after 12th grade graduation.
The Police are swamped, the retail stores, like Sears, has few employees working at one time.( I was in their store the other day and their was only one cashier for the entire store) Neighborhoods that were once kept up by residents are going down hill, because their owners can't afford all the fees, taxes, food, gas,cost of living hikes and spending money on the upkeep of their own homes on a regular basis.
I find this so SAD!! I have lived in this area for most of my life and I am nearing retirement age. With the way things are going here, I am looking at if it is feasible for me to even retire in this town. I have been looking at other states for retirement purposes and lower cost of living which will be needed on what little any of us who retire here, will have left out of our pensions and SS. While Public transportation is more abundant here in Maryland. specifically Baltimore, It is not known if it will continue in this fashion and if so, what rising cost will occur with its use also.
The citizens here realy need to come together and begin working on plans for the future of this county, or it is going to go down like so many other cities/counties in other states have done. WE are taxed to death in Maryland, fee's are growing for everything that anyone sneezes up. The only thing not on the rise is our Paychecks, and better education. Dose Baltimore realy want this legacy for it's children and Grandchildren? I sure hope not!
mary | Dundalk, MD