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The Price Of Doing Business

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the they're-not-even-a-real-country-anyway dept.

8127972 writes: "It seems that a ton of high tech companies are leaving cities (like San Fran) with high costs of doing business for cheaper cities (Washington DC is mentioned due to new government spending) or even cities in Canada. Sounds like American high tech workers are going to have to learn to say the word "eh?" a lot."

5 of 768 comments (clear)

  1. other related news by lemonhed · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There has been alot of commentary on this subject. The Gartner group put out this commentary about the "Tech Wreck" coming to the SF Bay area.

    They claim that a city will do well if they install a broadband communications network that connects citizens, local businesses and the global marketplace.

    I think that the obvious solution to this may be Telecomutting See this link for more info

  2. Bad news for San Francisco - Bad strategy by Cirrocco · · Score: 5, Insightful
    San Francisco landlords threw out long-term tenants in favor of tenants who could only afford rent for the short-term. Bad strategy. Now that dot-coms have gone to the away place San Francisco is now full of empty building and landlords begging tenants to come back. They aren't lowering the cost of rent, though. They expect that people will continue to pay the outrageous rents that the dot-coms paid. Survey says? BZZZZZT!! Oh, I'm sorry! It looks like you'll have to forgo the new Mercedes this year, Mr. Landlord.

    Bad karma revisits landlords who threw out poor people for those who could handle higher rents! News at 11!

    --
    Useless opinions, worthless observations, and more!
  3. Re:Price of Living in Canada by csbruce · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is because Canada has roughly the same affluence as the poorest state in America.

    That is highly doubtful. Canadians have always had a higher standard of living than Americans, and until just this year, the highest standard in the world (displaced by Denmark, I think). America is barely in the top ten.

    Honestly, so many Canadians don't seem to know how well they have it!

  4. Re:Well, except for one thing... by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Insightful
    > ...the fact that trying to actually get in to Canada "sucks [cbc.ca]".

    What could be harder than proving you have a college degree, can speak English, and a job offer? That's most of the "points" you need right then and there!

    Especially compared to the 6-7 years of hoop-jumping with INS -- an agency that seems dedicated to the propostion that terrorists can get in just fine on student visas, but technology professionals have to stick with the same job for the better part of a decade and beg for permission from a state employment agency (3-6 months), the federal department of labor (another month), then back to the INS to ask for permission to apply for a green card (between 3 months to 1 year), and then another year or two after permission's granted, to actually get the green card. Get laid off or company reorgs? Get on the next plane back home and start from scratch.

    If you've got half a brain and a degree, getting into Canada to do high-tech work is trivial.

    INS incompetency has made it clear that high-tech workers are neither wanted nor valued in the States.

  5. San Francisco's "Housing Farce" by cornflux · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For anyone interested in San Francisco's rent situation, you might find these two articles, by Thomas Sowell, to be interesting: The Housing Farce and The Housing Farce, Part II.