Among nation's poorest cities, El Paso ranks a notorious 4th

well duh look where we're located

Can't be that poor. The county commissioners just voted themselves a $30,000 raise!

wow this place really blows....its pretty sad

I didn't even finish reading the article to figure this one out. The mere title did it. Let's see:

*We're gonna be paying more for natural gas
*The commissioners just gave themselves a hefty pay raise
*We pay more taxes than those in other Texas cities (so I've heard)
*Big companies have been moving overseas or across the border
*Most of our college students leave El Paso after graduating because of lack of better local jobs
*The only "new" jobs coming into the city are dead-end call center positions

Anyone else care to add something I missed?

Garcirosky wrote:

I didn't even finish reading the article to figure this one out. The mere title did it. Let's see:
*We're gonna be paying more for natural gas
*The commissioners just gave themselves a hefty pay raise
*We pay more taxes than those in other Texas cities (so I've heard)
*Big companies have been moving overseas or across the border
*Most of our college students leave El Paso after graduating because of lack of better local jobs
*The only "new" jobs coming into the city are dead-end call center positions
Anyone else care to add something I missed?

Just a note about your last quote.
The call center jobs aren't coming anymore. They're going. My wife used to work for Providian, which shut its doors early last year to go overseas.

As long as businesses continue to have the attitude that if they don't make millions more than they did in the previous year, it was a bad year. Greed is what is ruining the American dream and the sad thing is, a lack of faith for the future seems to fuel the greed as well, with everyone trying to "get theres" as if they can take the wealth with them at death.

Can drive 10min in the DFW area & go from one spectrum to the other. East Dallas is in horrible condition, drive up the freeway to Plano & enter what was just named the #1 US City for good incomes & low poverty rates.
But, I can promise the folks who live in less affluent area's are probably 10x's more likely to help someone in need. Somehow the people who have the least are generally the 1st to offer aide.
Also like to point out that Plano has a long history of heroin, steriod, etc abuse among it's kids, bad enough the problem's been covered on shows like 20/20. Sometimes being rich isn't what it's cracked (no pun intended) up to be.

Patriot wrote:

<quoted text>
Just a note about your last quote.
The call center jobs aren't coming anymore. They're going. My wife used to work for Providian, which shut its doors early last year to go overseas.

Too many people here can't speak English, it makes sense to send the call centers to India where they do.

Got My Attention wrote:

Can drive 10min in the DFW area & go from one spectrum to the other. East Dallas is in horrible condition, drive up the freeway to Plano & enter what was just named the #1 US City for good incomes & low poverty rates.
But, I can promise the folks who live in less affluent area's are probably 10x's more likely to help someone in need. Somehow the people who have the least are generally the 1st to offer aide.
Also like to point out that Plano has a long history of heroin, steriod, etc abuse among it's kids, bad enough the problem's been covered on shows like 20/20. Sometimes being rich isn't what it's cracked (no pun intended) up to be.

Not true or why aren't the poor people of El Paso helping the others? Instead they're all on welfare, laying around waiting for the affluent to help them all.

Oh please! This is not shocking. Just shameful. I believe this is part of free trade with Juarez.

Not just free trade but uncontrolled immigration where all the impoverished of Mexico move over for the welfare life.

We're not only way at the top of the poverty list, you can bet our property taxes beat out everybody.

And now the Mexicans are promising to bring their narco crime here too -- what a city.

Y QUE wrote:

<quoted text>NOPE NOT JUST JUAREZ NAFTA!!!

You're right. I mentioned Juarez specifically because of the 'sister city' identity, which El Paso refuses to distance itself from.

Cheneys_Ego wrote:

Too many Mexicans.
End of story.
They do no care about education.
Nor much of anything else.

Eh! My thoughts exactly. If I only had a dime every time I heard a Mexican make a comment about their child not starting Pre-K because that is too much education or complaining about their children getting too much homework. No one can expect a high paying job if they don't bring skills and education to the interview. There are high paying jobs in El Paso, I have one because I took the time to develop the skills and education that pay the bills. You reap what you sow in life. Can't get a Job better than $8.00 an hour? Try opening a book and stop buying beer. I'm sick of Mexicans crying they are poor and doing nothing to change their station in life except put a hand out. How come there is never money for gas, food, and rent but there is always money for beer to support the weekend fiestas. STFU and change your priorities. Companies will pay what the job market demands. Minimum wage is bare bones. No company will pay someone with a 10Th or 12TH grade education more money than they are worth. Many people here are not even worth minimum wage. It seems to me that El Paso may be the dumbest city in the country because they can't seem to put 2 and 2 together and understand that education and marketable skills are what it takes to be successful in the job market. I suppose they do have that pride of 81.6% though. La Raza! Yeah... What the fukk ever! That attitude and the chip on their shoulders keep them exactly where they are. Poor!

You probably lost your damned job because you couldn't SPELL "Frankfort", Kentucky, you dolt!

the mexicans are the ones that are coming to work the hard jobs that they lazy white people dont want to take. We need reform. Mexicans will become the majority, See History unfold

Wow! This article just confirmed my decision of moving out of El Paso. I'm a UTEP senior and am very disappointed that my hometown cannot offer me the professional career I am looking for. I've looked, but it seems that the good paying jobs require at least 5 years of professional experience. Maybe I'll come back, maybe not. By the way, I hope you guys are distinguishing between the poor Mexicans living in El Paso and the several thousand Mexican-Americans that go to UTEP every day to reach the American dream.

El Paso is sure getting to be known by these lists. We're also toward the top in drunk driving accidents, lottery ticket sales, beer and liquor sales. We're toward the top in pawn shops, obesity, illiteracy rates, pollution.

We never make quite to first place however on anything, always just 3rd or 4th. Even on these lists we cannot excel.

Mannyman, I certainly agree with you. Many businesses have a greedy corporate identity to create profits year after year, if not, it was a bad year. I was read an article on European businesses and how they are happy making a small increase year after year. If they happen to make the same profit in a year, they still consider it a successful year.

Let's ask local fat cat CEOs how much they pay their workers, including their workers who have advanced degrees and skills. Let's ask Paul Foster over at Western Refining how much his workers get compared to workers in the same industry in other parts of the country, or let's ask Jerry Rubin over at Helen of Troy how much he underpays his workers while giving himself millions a year in salary, compensation, and stock options while using his profits to buy up properties all over El Paso with his River Oaks company.

Funny how no one at the Times has the guts to ask these questions.

Isn't human nature to get rich off the work of others? Some of these CEOs as well as top executives and management have ridiculous salaries, while their front line employees get bread crumbs. A guy n ep: Maybe their scared?