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You have me mixed up with someone else, as I do not believe that California be #1 in all things. What as a native Californian that was driven from California to save my wife's and son's lives from the smog there, what I hate to see is that California keeps falling behind in many areas from the peak they once reached.
I keep hoping that Californians will wake up, and at least slow the rate of descent the state is going through, before it hurts lots more of the population. I still have lots of family there, and I would like to see them prosper. Fortunately none of my family is on welfare there, or living in poverty as California is the highest poverty rates state in the country with about 25% of the people living below the poverty rate.
No. I don't have you mixed up with anybody else. I have been reading your posts for a couple years. You rag on and on, over and over about how California is rife with failures. Failure to lead in education, manufacturing, air quality, and is poverty ridden instead of leading the middle class wave, is overwhelmed by illegals, and on and on and on. You are constantly imploring that California "wake up", as you have just done. You say the state is going in the crapper and people and businesses are "fleeing in droves" as a result.
Now then, you live in Montana. And you brag of the QOL life there no end.
Yet, Montana doesn't excel in educating millions upon millions of Americans.
Montana doesn't excel in manufacturing.
Montana isn't a hotbed of STEM education or employment.
Montana's native population is large percentage wise and is poverty ridden.
Montana hasn't ever managed to attract enough folks to later leave in droves when the chips are down.
Montana isn't home to hardly any businesses compared to most of the nation.
So, if life is great in Montana, in spite of all it's vacuous realities, why do you chant that California must be better than Montana?
Why would life in California have less quality than Montana?
If it has less quality than Montana, why doesn't Montana have 38 million population and California only have 1 million?
And, as far as you being "driven from California" to save your family from air pollution, - you weren't. You only needed to have left the Valley / LA of the day. Most of California has always had very good air quality. You have said you were from Humboldt. Air quality up there is absolutely Number One. Why didn't you just go home?
And, again, why does California have to excel and Montana doesn't?
Why shouldn't people leave California to find their opportunity elsewhere - just as you did, when it was booming?
Why is it okay that Montana has a large native population living in poverty and social disarray and alcoholism? On the public dole?
Why why why does California have to lead?
Why does it have to be home to everyone in the nation who wants to live there?
Why can't California suck just like Montana? And still be a great place to live?
Before I start, I just want to make it absolutely clear, I LOVE California. Doesn't mean I like everything about it i.e. the politics, the pollution (even with crazy regulations) and even a few of it's citizens can rub me the wrong way. I've traveled extensively throughout CA and there are things that I find unique to the state that you just can't find easily in other parts of our country and it's just down right beautiful. Now, I just read through this entire thread and I'm absolutely dumb founded at some of the ignorance I've read. I can absolutely tell which of you have BEEN to Texas, which have RESIDED in Texas and which of you have actually LIVED Texas. I'm not talking about living IN Texas, I'm talking about LIVED Texas. Texas is not just some place on a map, it is a way of life for those of us who love our home state. I've read here that Texas is ugly, a cow pie, flat, dirty, etc and it's people are rednecks, bigots, uneducated, and all sorts of horrible things. Those of you who feel this way have lost all credibility with the millions of people who actually KNOW Texas. A quick Google search will prove that the whole state of Texas is not flat, ugly or dirty i.e. Look up South Padre Island, Davis Mountains, Lost Maples State Park, the Texas Hill Country, fields of bluebonnets, and on and on and on. I don't care how much of a Texas hater you are, if you can't find anything that you feel is beautiful, I call BS. Do we have areas that are not especially pretty, absolutely as does EVERY state in this country. That's not even to say what one person may find ugly, another person may find breathtakingly beautiful. As for the people, how can anyone say Texans are bigots, rednecks, uneducated, etc unless you've taken the time to actually MEET a very HIGH percentage of them? There are MILLIONS of Texans who are as diverse as the many, many landscapes you'll find in this state. We also have a multitude of different cultures here. Dallas is very different from Houston, Austin is very different from San Antonio, El Paso is very different from Longview and the people reflect those differences. I was born and raised in the DFW area but have lived in the San Antonio area for 25 years and I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in the cultures of both places. Not saying one culture is better than the other but they are different. The TRUE Texans are some of the most friendly folks you'll ever know. We are God fearing, hard working, fun loving family and community oriented. It seems a common trend that if someone doesn't agree with another on varying topics, they are labeled bigots or racists. The majority of Texas are NOT bigots or racists and in fact we are probably some of the most inclusive people I've come across. Sure some of our old fashioned values and beliefs may not be popular or hip but that doesn't mean we aren't accepting of others right to believe the way they want to. To each his own is how most of us feel. We also may not like how others talk about us or our state but we'll damn sure pull out our guns and fight to the death to protect your right to say it. I've noticed that Texas has changed over the past 10 years and I'm extremely sad about it. There are A LOT of folks moving here that are trying to dilute the Texas culture, charm and our way of life. While most transplants come here excited about their new adventure and embrace their new home and it's communities, others come and complain because Texas isn't like their home state and they want to change Texas to be like their home state. THIS is the part that I and every other Texan takes offense too. You are welcome to come here and we will embrace you with open arms and treat you like family but do not come into our "home" and try to change the way we live against our wishes. Contrary to what folks may think because they base their opinions of Texans intelligence off of our accents, most Texans aren't stupid or uneducated. Many of us are HIGHLY educated with skills to be envied. Texas is not full of just a bunch of farmers, ranchers and low wage earners. Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with these folks as many of them have more common sense than folks with PHDs. But if you want to call us back woods, uneducated rednecks, that's fine and if you can't find something to like about our state and embrace it, that's fine too. Just stay where you are happy and don't come to Texas. You'll be happier that way and we'll be happy for you. We absolutely do not want folks coming here and not liking it to a point of being unhappy. Unhappiness causes negative attitudes and we don't want to be surrounded by either. Sorry for such a long post, but I just had to get this out of my system and I hope this helps folks to better understand my home state and the people who live here better.
Before I start, I just want to make it absolutely clear, I LOVE California. Doesn't mean I like everything about it i.e. the politics, the pollution (even with crazy regulations) and even a few of it's citizens can rub me the wrong way. I've traveled extensively throughout CA and there are things that I find unique to the state that you just can't find easily in other parts of our country and it's just down right beautiful. Now, I just read through this entire thread and I'm absolutely dumb founded at some of the ignorance I've read. I can absolutely tell which of you have BEEN to Texas, which have RESIDED in Texas and which of you have actually LIVED Texas. I'm not talking about living IN Texas, I'm talking about LIVED Texas. Texas is not just some place on a map, it is a way of life for those of us who love our home state. I've read here that Texas is ugly, a cow pie, flat, dirty, etc and it's people are rednecks, bigots, uneducated, and all sorts of horrible things. Those of you who feel this way have lost all credibility with the millions of people who actually KNOW Texas. A quick Google search will prove that the whole state of Texas is not flat, ugly or dirty i.e. Look up South Padre Island, Davis Mountains, Lost Maples State Park, the Texas Hill Country, fields of bluebonnets, and on and on and on. I don't care how much of a Texas hater you are, if you can't find anything that you feel is beautiful, I call BS. Do we have areas that are not especially pretty, absolutely as does EVERY state in this country. That's not even to say what one person may find ugly, another person may find breathtakingly beautiful. As for the people, how can anyone say Texans are bigots, rednecks, uneducated, etc unless you've taken the time to actually MEET a very HIGH percentage of them? There are MILLIONS of Texans who are as diverse as the many, many landscapes you'll find in this state. We also have a multitude of different cultures here. Dallas is very different from Houston, Austin is very different from San Antonio, El Paso is very different from Longview and the people reflect those differences. I was born and raised in the DFW area but have lived in the San Antonio area for 25 years and I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in the cultures of both places. Not saying one culture is better than the other but they are different. The TRUE Texans are some of the most friendly folks you'll ever know. We are God fearing, hard working, fun loving family and community oriented. It seems a common trend that if someone doesn't agree with another on varying topics, they are labeled bigots or racists. The majority of Texas are NOT bigots or racists and in fact we are probably some of the most inclusive people I've come across. Sure some of our old fashioned values and beliefs may not be popular or hip but that doesn't mean we aren't accepting of others right to believe the way they want to. To each his own is how most of us feel. We also may not like how others talk about us or our state but we'll damn sure pull out our guns and fight to the death to protect your right to say it. I've noticed that Texas has changed over the past 10 years and I'm extremely sad about it. There are A LOT of folks moving here that are trying to dilute the Texas culture, charm and our way of life. While most transplants come here excited about their new adventure and embrace their new home and it's communities, others come and complain because Texas isn't like their home state and they want to change Texas to be like their home state. THIS is the part that I and every other Texan takes offense too. You are welcome to come here and we will embrace you with open arms and treat you like family but do not come into our "home" and try to change the way we live against our wishes. Contrary to what folks may think because they base their opinions of Texans intelligence off of our accents, most Texans aren't stupid or uneducated. Many of us are HIGHLY educated with skills to be envied. Texas is not full of just a bunch of farmers, ranchers and low wage earners. Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with these folks as many of them have more common sense than folks with PHDs. But if you want to call us back woods, uneducated rednecks, that's fine and if you can't find something to like about our state and embrace it, that's fine too. Just stay where you are happy and don't come to Texas. You'll be happier that way and we'll be happy for you. We absolutely do not want folks coming here and not liking it to a point of being unhappy. Unhappiness causes negative attitudes and we don't want to be surrounded by either. Sorry for such a long post, but I just had to get this out of my system and I hope this helps folks to better understand my home state and the people who live here better.
It is just bad according to ignorant and insecure Californians.
Do either of y'all care to direct your responses to any comment in particular? Real or imagined. Thanks.
No because I believe in attacking the issue not the person. Some people are miss guided or base their opinion on limited information be it their own fault or no fault of their own and just need to be educated. I see a lot of uninformed and/or miss guided folks on this thread and I'm just trying to do my best to help them out a bit.
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