Follow me on this...there are good things about a drought...really

[CITY PARK CUTTER]

Originally Posted by Groomer

why not call yourself ghetto park cutter? lol

I've traveled every major city from Seattle to DC, and most, if not close to all city parks are bordering ghetto areas. St. Louis, you can't find a city park in a really nice part of town. Here in KC, I've had contract work on just about every one here and I'm hard-pressed to note one that isn't "ghetto". It's a thing I education folks on because I've been asked the question before, many times, "why are our parks always in bad parts of town.".

The answer is easy...today's "bad parts of town" used to be the very BEST part of town. When most city parks were first laid out, those were the lily white areas of any city. Just look at vintage post cards and photographs...affluent, privileged, leaders in the community are pictured in those parks and lived close by. They took great pride in the 1900's era of park development and kept them well-manicured, clean of trash, no abuse at all...people of that location in the city were caretakers, not just citizens. Just drive by any part of the city you live in...that once was the place to own a home. And you'll probably find a city park across the street or very close by.

When white flight took over starting in the 1960's, lower income, non-caretaker types moved in for cheaper digs. Throughout the 1970's and into the 1980's, whites moved away in droves for suburbian living, away from the city parks they once monitored. The good area thus turned bad. Not because of skin color or racial this and that...for the simple fact that low-income, lower standard type people don't care as much as the previous group. They trashed up the place, didn't caretake the neighborhood, allowed crime to set up shop, everything you don't want in a good citizen...this level of person was comfortable with. If that part of the area turned black, blacks were blamed. And properly so, because they as a group did not keep up what was left to them. If Hispanic, the same thing. Middle eastern...and so on...even white trash completes the mix. Two things are constant: low income and low education.

Now, in 2012, KC city parks are exclusively in the highest crime rates of the city, are dangerous after hours and during hours to be honest...and surrounded by trashy, low level people who don't care, the takers of society. You think the park would survive with this group of folks watching? No...the parks suffer.

Take a look at any major city, not the suburbs, and you'll find this phenomenon. That's why most of all city parks are in "bad areas of town". You can find exceptions...but...that's why they call 'em "exceptions". Class dismissed for lunch.

[Groomer]

wow, thanks for the history lesson, albeit a bit oversimplified. Far more socio-economic factors, but the gist of what you say is correct.

[BPS##]

Originally Posted by CITY PARK CUTTER

This is going to be a stretch, I'm warning you right now, but you've been accustomed to CPC's imaginative takes and spins so let's go down this path. My payroll is way, way down. The flow chart, let's imagine one, has my total sales going down in a pretty dramatic way. The line for payroll, though, goes much more dramatically down. Thus, profitability for the few days you work is extremely up. For instance, I have a ghetto section 8 owner with 10 properties he wants cut every 2 weeks for $200 flat fee. Typically it would take me about $2.6 hours to complete, they're fairly close range and varying difficulties, danger of neighborhood distractions, etc. Now it takes me 45 minutes and I'm outta there. I've still got the trimmer labor in the truck ready for more work with the added time on the clock ticking so I add the 2nd day's load onto the 1st.

Drought conditions make it possible to pocket the same gross amount per property done while drastically cutting down the time to complete. In other words...you make more money in your pocket and do less work in a drought. There's my "glass half full" reasoning. Thank you, thank you, you're too kind...thank you.

No different than the seasonal snow guys. Bid $2000 for season long snow removal and it only snows once or twice like last winter............ big bux in the bank, low expenses.

[CITY PARK CUTTER]

Originally Posted by Groomer

wow, thanks for the history lesson, albeit a bit oversimplified. Far more socio-economic factors, but the gist of what you say is correct.

Breaking down the truth to simplified terms is my strong-suit. And really...is it any more difficult to wrap your arms around than that? Socio-economic factors are with every human being, so you don't have to micro the issue that much. Low end people have natural tendencies to not take care of property...there's or the citizen's at large. They tend to be black, hispanic, mixture, low end white...that's reality. And probably in that order as well. You knock on the doors of all the city park neighbors in KC, you'll find blacks that answer the door. You CAN derive a theory from that test market, can't you? Answer: you sure can. How a group spends it's money, free time, family activitiy, education, etc is something I'm not interested in exploring. I only report on what I see with these two eyes and 49 years of expert analysis. Other people can waste their time on the "why"...I concentrate on "what is".

[CITY PARK CUTTER]

Originally Posted by BPS##

No different than the seasonal snow guys. Bid $2000 for season long snow removal and it only snows once or twice like last winter............ big bux in the bank, low expenses.

case by case, month to month only.

[cgaengineer]

Originally Posted by Scagguy

Hmmmmm. Bad theory. What happens when all dem fine folk in da section 8 cribs be ripping off yo stuff and you gots to drop some Benjamin's to get your sheit back from Tyron at the pawn shop. How you gonna get ahead?

You racist!
Posted via Mobile Device

[CITY PARK CUTTER]

Originally Posted by cgaengineer

You racist!
Posted via Mobile Device

Because I watch and evaluate, Engineer from GA, I have my eyes wide open. One of my natural abilities. Knowing the tendencies of this group and that group keeps you alive in the jungle. There's a reason some animals survive and some are lunch. There's a reason a lion can walk around his vicinity and doesn't get attacked by other predators even though they may have similar power and girth. That lion knows his enemies better than they know themselves. That lion knows the lay of the land. When the odds are in his favor, and when they are not. When to strike, when to lay off. And better than all that knowledge combined...that lion knows every other animal walking the grounds KNOWS THAT FACT as well. They don't call us "King of the Jungle" for nothing. Man, I love my lion analogy...ROARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

[Groomer]

I think "breaking down the truth" to YOUR terms might be your strong suite. lol