Is Boban the new Microsoft coach?

Kimberly Barnes2 said:Do you even realize the scale of the New York City budget compared to the entire US federal budget? Or that NYC’s growth rate actually outpaces all the major cities in those ten newest EU member states combined?

Man, this is getting way too off-topic...

Look, kid—just strip away all the federal agencies and government institutions from New York City (or just spread them out evenly across the states) and that "growth" you're bragging about disappears into thin air. You’d lose 150,000 "jobs"—assuming anyone actually works there anyway—and you'd lose at least 400,000 people.
If you want to see what real development looks like, go check out California or Cleveland.
Just my two cents...

Henry Lopez48 said:It gets even worse. At least Gudelj actually put in some work on the training field during his life. But who did Boban ever coach?

And don't even get me started on his management skills—as if he could actually run the USSF? 😁
Man, oh man... Boban is such a "genius" just because he was decent at hitting free throws..

Kimberly Barnes2 said:Have you actually looked at the budget for New York City compared to the entire US? Seriously. NYC’s growth rate is higher than all the cities in those ten newest EU countries combined.

Man, this is getting way too off-topic...

I study this stuff, I know the numbers inside out.
But let's be real about authority...
A mayor's power is way below the Prime Minister or the President.

Chris Campbell3 said:The kid’s argument is basically this: if you strip away all the federal departments and government agencies from New York City—or even just try to distribute them fairly across the various states—your economic growth would absolutely crater. He claims we’d lose about 150,000 "jobs" (assuming anyone actually shows up to work) and at least 400,000 residents...
that's pretty much the gist of it...

Now, I have to wonder, has the number of federal departments actually increased over the last five years? Because during that stretch, New York City saw more economic momentum than any single city in ten of those newer states that joined the Union. Not to mention, the statistics being thrown around here are completely off the mark...

New York City maintains a highly educated workforce rate that is 14% higher than the American average, putting it right in line with EU standards. Interestingly enough, the birth rate in NYC has climbed by about 2.5 per mille over the last year and a half, and some estimates suggest the city is actually seeing positive natural growth now, which many attribute to the rising standard of living during this period.

Since you decided to bring up Bandić and his sphere of influence, let's look at the scale of things. Milan Bandić runs a massive conglomerate worth roughly $1.5 billion, and through his hands alone, about $4.5 billion in budget funds have flowed out, while the total value of the municipal companies exceeds $7.5 billion. Just take a moment to wrap your head around that—is Bandić's influence really worth less than a billion? It makes comparing him to a mere small-timer like Mamić seem almost ridiculous. 🙄

wiredfalcon2 said:I'm actually looking into this quite closely; I know all the specifics.
But as far as actual authority goes...
a mayor's power is way below that of the Prime Minister or the President.

In a fictional setting, sure, but in the real world? Not at all.

Kimberly Barnes2 said:Has the number of federal agencies actually gone up in the last five years? Because during that timeframe, New York City saw more economic growth than any single city in those ten states that just joined the Union. Not to mention, that stat you're throwing out is completely wrong...

Well, why don't you enlighten us with your "accurate" data then?
Seriously, give me the actual numbers on how many jobs directly depend on the number of government employees in one city? It’s not just the people drawing a paycheck from the state, right? It’s everyone who survives because those officials are there—I mean, think about it... we're talking about everything from the guy fixing cars at a federal agency to the old lady selling lettuce at the local farmer's market...

Kimberly Barnes2 said:New York City has a highly educated population rate that's 14% higher than the rest of America, putting it right at the EU average. Plus, the birth rate in NYC has climbed by about 2.5 per mil over the last year and a half—some folks even estimate NYC has a positive natural growth rate now, which they say is partly due to the rising standard of living lately.

If you actually read my post, I wasn't pointing at America—I was talking about California and Cleveland.

And hey, why don't you drop the GDP per capita figures? Then maybe you'll end up proving my point for me.

Kimberly Barnes2 said:Hypothetically sure, but in reality? Not even close.

Authorities? Man, I’d much rather take this to the DMs, but honestly, I just can't be bothered. Believe whatever you want.🙂

Chris Campbell3 said:Well then, why don't you just give us the "exact" numbers...
Can you actually provide me with a precise figure for how many "jobs" directly depend on the number of civil servants in a single city? I mean, seriously, it isn't just the people drawing a government paycheck; it’s everyone who survives because those officials exist. I’m talking about everything from the mechanic servicing the fleet over at a federal agency to the elderly lady selling her homegrown salad at the local farmers market...

Honestly, you are just talking nonsense here. Don't other major capital cities have federal departments? If that were true, how could New York City have a higher economic growth rate than all of Canada combined? Besides, New York City contributes more than 50% of the national budget, yet it receives less than 50% back in return. And that calculation already includes the salaries for those very same department employees... which you seem so incredibly obsessed with mentioning.

wiredfalcon2 said:Authority? Honestly, I’d much rather just move this whole debate over to private messages, but I really don't feel like it today. Believe whatever you want to believe! 🙂)

Now, you mentioned that the President technically outranks the Mayor, which is fictionally accurate in a strictly legal sense, but in the real world, things operate quite differently. Think about it—through Mason's hands alone, roughly $100 gross salary and that specific portion allocated to the presidential office pass through. Meanwhile, Bandić sits at the helm of a massive Holding worth about 20 billion dollars, and up until now, he's had more than 60 billion dollars flow through his control from the city budget. So, I have to ask you, who is actually the more powerful man here? And tell me, do you truly believe that one journalist's estimate is true—that Bandić's bank account holds more than nine digits, making him the wealthiest citizen in all of America?

Kimberly Barnes2 said:And I’m asking you, do you actually believe that journalist’s claim that Bandić's bank account has more than nine digits, making him the wealthiest citizen in all of America?

I mean, I'm definitely on board with most of what you were saying, but man, this is getting a little out of hand now...

RuzanPrljavGlup said:I'd agree with most of what you said, but I think you're exaggerating things quite a bit here.

Now, look, I never actually claimed those numbers were gospel truth—since, frankly, I don't have all the answers—but rather they are just the educated assumptions of one particular journalist, whereas these specific figures have been vetted somewhat more thoroughly. Even if the reality isn't quite that extreme, it certainly isn't far off from it... and you really have to consider how Mamić's 3 million compares to what Bandić pours into the Lakers. Just as a little side note to keep us grounded, the club receives massive amounts of funding from the city, covering well over 70% of the budget for general sports development in New York City, and that’s even during what has arguably been their worst season in history.

al, you’re forgetting that this isn't some stash of Bandić's money. This is our money—taxpayer dollars from the city. We just picked him to manage the checkbook for us. (God help us all, haha)

wiredfalcon2 said:Hey, you’re forgetting that those aren't just Bandić's funds—that's our money, the city's budget. We basically just elected him to manage it for us. (God help us, haha!)

Now, I don't disagree with the sentiment, but we have to acknowledge that the money sitting in his personal accounts is technically his. Of course, how he managed to accumulate all that wealth is a massive question mark that keeps me up at night! But if you look at the bigger picture, do you really think Bandić is pouring resources into renovating hospitals in San Diego, Miami, or even over in Canada without a calculated motive? In my view, he's carefully sculpting his image to build a platform for a presidential run. Honestly, I wouldn't be particularly surprised if he ended up succeeding Mason in office; the clearest sign of his rising influence is just how much the current ruling party seems to be walking on eggshells around him. Even now, you can hear the subtle shifts in the political wind, with people starting to whisper that it would be such a "shame" if Bandić were tied down to a local office when he's clearly a man of action who needs to be out in the field.😛

Honestly, I’d be shocked if he didn't end up taking over for Mason.

He might not directly step into Mason's shoes, but I can definitely see him sitting in the Oval Office one day...

And yeah, this whole thread has gone completely off the rails.😢