Is It All That Bad?

An article in the Times about housing starts has spawned some interesting comments. Getting past the mindless drivel is easy, to see some interesting comments about the good and bad that is Davenport.

4-6-08 Davenport Leaders Worry About Tumbling Home Starts

Every US city, regardless of region, has good and bad aspects. I currently choose to live here and rather enjoy it. The only point I see in moving away from here is the weather, and after this winter, most of you may be nodding your heads in agreement at this point.

The good…

I like being in a city that has many of the amenities of large cities without the headaches that they present. We have good shopping areas, recreation, a small touch of culture and great attractions and festivals. I can guarantee each and every person enjoys at least one event in the area every year. What we don’t have is traffic jams, minus the occasional bridge delay, a high rate of crime, over priced amenities, and most of the other problems faced by areas with high density populations.

The complaints fly, but what is there to really complain about? Is it really that bad? We complain about parking downtown. Well, I went to the University of Iowa and had to have a vehicle due to the job that I had at the time. I paid almost as much in parking as I did in tuition. At 10-15 minutes for a quarter, that was an expensive day, especially with the lack of residential parking and meter-less areas. Parking ramps are a complaint as well. To eat dinner in downtown Chicago costs over 20.00 at a parking deck. Much more expensive than anything I could imagine paying here.

Police are an issue, always complaining about how the cops don’t do what they are supposed to and are ineffective. Well, I did notice that of all of the homicides in the QC in the last couple years, it seems that the alleged inadequate DPD has had someone in custody within 48 hours. Personally, I think this is a bar that is set pretty high, and one that larger cities couldn’t reach if they wanted to.

We have excellent fire protection. If you have questions about that, ask your insurance man. Mine says we have one of the best fire ratings out there, hence a cheaper policy premium. Though I take exception to some of the rest of the city services as being in need of improvement, if you compare this again to other cities we are doing pretty well. Have you driven in Clinton, Iowa City or other areas during or shortly after a snowstorm? I would say the snow removal we have here is pretty good. Unfortunately, we have Bettendorf next to us that exceeds expectations on this one.

As far as cost, I think we are on the level with most places in the area, and certainly living a lot cheaper than other areas of the country. If you want to point to Bettendorf all the time, remember, they are the first ones to charge more. They were the first to charge a garbage fee, the first to charge for yard waste pick-up and has more city fees. And for all that, here’s what you don’t get… Bettendorf has been horribly behind on fire protection. That blew up in their face recently in the major house fire, that likely wasn’t the fire department’s fault. To have fire protection where you must rely on other cities, including Davenport, to fight a simple house fire, is not an amenity that I would like to sacrifice. I think I would rather have a little snow on my street than have to worry if the fire department could put out a fire in my home. Bettendorf, though on the surface looks to have better amenities, it is evident that they are cutting corners where Davenport does not.

The bad…

Streets. But look at a statement in the article. Bettendorf has done better on development starting in the 1970’s since the town was all new. New streets, new infrastructure, and after all, we all like new things. But look at Bettendorf now. I would argue that the streets in Bettendorf, once new and attractive to development, are deteriorating to levels that are at or worse than Davenport. The problem becomes keeping up with maintenance and replacement of deteriorating streets, especially in a region with weather that is horrible in relation to heating and freezing, rendering havoc on pavement. I think that in the very near future, Bettendorf is going to need to address the issues of their deteriorating infrastructure, just as Davenport does, causing a cutback in amenities that currently exists due to Bettendorf’s seemingly minimum expense in this area.

Crime. For the density of population, crime is a little high. But I see many positives here. The crime free housing program seems to be having an impact, at least in the public eye. It would be interesting to talk to some of the officers and see if they are seeing impact with this program at all. I know that comments have been made in relation to crime and its source being in rental housing. Hopefully the new chief, with experience in other areas of the country, will provide a vision of how some mitigation in the department can help improve efficiency and maybe even prevention strategies.

Infrastructure. I think a serious lack of good decision making in the past has led to a situation in a couple areas that are now at just short of crisis level. The sewer situation and the fact that we have a large business park along I-80 that doesn’t have the infrastructure to support it. I am hopeful that the current council has the priorities right to get some of these critical projects underway. I am not upset at the investment in Centennial Park, as it has been years of planning and countless hours of public input. There does have to be a balance between attractions and necessities. I am interested to see if the council, mayor and Malin are able to secure federal funds for some of these projects. I think that if the city gets aggressive in securing outside funding, this may come out in the end as a relatively significant win for Davenport.

So that’s what I have off the top of my head. Maybe someone can add to the list. Here is the challenge. Instead of complaints like are present on the Times. Try this. If you list a bad, also list a good. It’s worth thinking about good things on occasion.

Economic Stimulus and the QC...

Normally I am not a proponent of supply side economic stimulus, as it doesn’t always pay for itself. In this case, if you look at the true reasons that the economy is in trouble, it is likely just a band-aid on bleeding that should be controlled with a bigger pad.

I look at the speculation at the current state of the economy and everyone is bringing up the issue of sub-prime mortgages. According to the Wall St. Journal, the true problem is not that, or as likely tied to that as speculated. Over 60% of the mortgages are not sub-prime at all, they are traditional fixed-rate mortgages. That makes me evaluate, where has the money gone?

I think that the money has gone to energy, both home and vehicular, as well as the trickle down from that such as food, airline travel, etc. I tend to think this is less of a problem with rapid onset, but more likely a problem that has occurred over time. All of this leads down the road of job loss, outsourcing and the ongoing effort of corporate America to reduce cost.

That being said, I think the QC area will benefit from this stimulus package more than other parts of the country. Assuming that mortgages actually are a problem, due to the inflated interest rates and decreased property value, that hasn’t really hit the QC like in other parts of the country. Most QC property value has remained relatively flat over the last few years. Granted that does nothing for increasing equity faster than amortization, but it does at least not put someone upside down on a mortgage.

We have not experienced huge job loss. Our unemployment has remained relatively flat as well. Most of the QC major employers, Alcoa, Deere and the healthcare industry have been relatively unaffected by the overall economy from either the nature of the industry or the ability to compete in a global market.

So what does this mean for the QC when it comes to a supply side stimulus? I think since the QC area isn’t hurting as bad as other areas of the country, it may just be a boost for most of us that are feeling the pinch of the energy prices. The only major issues I can find that have turned my budget upside down are fuel prices, since I work a good distance from home, and my gas and electric bill. With the pressure off the budget for awhile, I will look to go out more, likely in the Illinois QC because of the non-smoking law, and spend a little more than usual on meals and a drink or two. It may even be time for some new shoes or some clothing. In my mind, this may be fun, but I will also remember that this is a band-aid and may put a little away. After all, when the 600.00 that I get from the government is gone, the cause of the problem will likely still be there… fuel at 3.00 a gallon and a hefty Mid-American bill. My pay, I’m sure like the pay of many others, is certainly not keeping up with the increased cost of living.