[lulu]

Yes indeed...we are all transplants, including those Spanish which are my ancestors as well as the English, French, etc. - all the players in this Florida chess game. We are all guilty in changing the landscape of Florida - the ones that have been here for centuries and everyone that followed.
Land was practically given away just till the last century cause nobody wanted to live here in undeveloped hot humid mosquito infested swampland. We always had lots of winterbirds that would come down and go back home when summer came. The invention of ac changed this landscape quite a bit & made life bearable year round, so things changed.
Is everything to blame to the people of the N.E.? No, I think we are all to blame. Is it good or bad? I think both. There are ecomomical advantages but I can't help but feel pain to witness driving around and where there were natural lakes, to see a Publix standing right above it for example. To see egrets flying amidst cars, developments & more developments....people coming and killing our wildlife. I just can't help but feel sad.
Does it bother me cause cause lots are N.E. people or West people or whatever? No. Cause this stereotyping to me is ridiculous. There are many educated and civilized people that come from other states & many are groups that have been in the U.S. for centuries, too. Though, I do have a problem with the uncivilized groups that blast their own music, cultures, language and ways of thinking on others and don't really care about my home - many of these groups are not even natives of the U.S. & tend to trash the place up like they do back in their own homes.
To me it's simple...I look at states as homes or even the whole U.S. as one big ole' home. If someone invites you to their home, doesn't one tend to abide by the hosts way of life? Say, one gets invited to a dinner at a neighbors house & someone likes to smoke, only eats fish, speaks a foreign language and prefers a certain type of music. Do we start speaking in another language, don't eat the food, take a cd that we only like, put our feet up on their coffee table and start smoking in the hosts home? isn't that rude in any part of the world or wherever we come from? How would one feel if somebody does that to us, no matter whom we are, where we live & I mean anywhere in the world?? Wouldn't we get hurt?
To me it's simple & not about what color you are, the path of religion you choose, lifestyle choice or if you are from the North, West, South...Shmest, Touth, Forth, blah, blah...
It's all about being human, having the capability of being courteous, gracious & socially educated with our fellow human beings.

[bamboosmom]

Originally Posted by Teeny

Things will be much better here in Southwest Florida when the Northeasterns go home, I betcha.

So, who exactly should live here? Where are you from? Is your part of the world a better place than the folks from the N.E.??? Seems like you have a grudge or something against those people. Lighten up, will you. Like lulu said, we are here in America. We live here all together in one big ole' home!!!!

Learn how to smile and get along with people. This state really has a bunch of people that tend to look the other way when a person doesn't talk the way they do or act as they do. We are all individuals here in America. Isn't that what the USA is about? Freedom????