Montana cost of living.

[Reziac]

Californians used to complain about Okies. It happens everywhere, any time some area gets a noteworthy influx from somewhere else that changes the local culture.

Heck, Julius Caesar talks about the same thing in his De Bello Gallico, written 2000 years ago, where one tribe upped and moved in on another, changing life beyond recall for the hapless hosts.

[flyingcat2k]

Considering that CA is nothing more but a BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) Republic, why would anyone want to have an influx of people from it? CA is nothing more than America's version of Greece in operation and union thuggery. The state's finances are similar to Greece and even Schwarzenegger can't break the union's hold on wage increases and benefit increases. Say what you want about Der Governator's leadership, he never had a serious challenge to being elected and had some measure of political safety. The next governor will have a worse scenario and less political cover.

They lack the political will or understanding to fix their state. Many leave and want to rebuild their new home in its image.

[Reziac]

Yep, that's it in a nutshell. I think my point was that there have always been those who flee one place only to make over their new home in the old's image, and that there have always been carpetbaggers who take advantage of such a politically-charged influx. Right now it's Calif-types invading Montana. In 20 years maybe it'll be Floridians invading Wyoming. Doesn't make it any better or fundamentally different. But you've got to recognise the process before you can resist it. That's why there's value in discussing it. It's also a huge factor in localized inflation, which hurts everyone who can't afford to escape it.

I hadn't heard that BANANA acronym before, that's really funny

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by flyingcat2k

Considering that CA is nothing more but a BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) Republic, why would anyone want to have an influx of people from it? CA is nothing more than America's version of Greece in operation and union thuggery. The state's finances are similar to Greece and even Schwarzenegger can't break the union's hold on wage increases and benefit increases. Say what you want about Der Governator's leadership, he never had a serious challenge to being elected and had some measure of political safety. The next governor will have a worse scenario and less political cover.

They lack the political will or understanding to fix their state. Many leave and want to rebuild their new home in its image.

LOL, I love that BANANA Republic comment. So true regarding both our real estate and the way our state is managed.

[BigRedIdiot]

"There's class warfare, all right, Mr. (Warren) Buffett said, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning."

[Heart]

Originally Posted by Alaura

I have an aunt that lives in Montana. She is retired but, she said it is so hard to make a living there anymore. The cost of living and the wages do not match hardly at all.

I will agree with you there. My husband's wages barely covers the cost of living for us here. We moved up almost 4 years ago. We are renters, and my husband works in Missoula. He's almost graduated from college. As it stands, there are no jobs in his field in this area. The one offer he received was an unpaid internship that doesn't quite cover his course of study. Sorry, can't work for free.

Sometimes, we are just scraping by, pay check to pay check. I'm not really complaining because we always have just enough somehow. We're not starving.

Coming to Montana was our choice, and despite the troubles, Montana has been good to us.

I really do love it here. I'm willing to put up with the financial challenges just to stay, however, we won't be able to stay and that's just reality. More than likely my husband won't find work here, and so we will be forced to go eventually.

In my lifetime, even if my husband gets a good job, we won't be home owners. That's just how it is. Maybe some day when we are much older, we can come back, rent a small house and live peacefully...

I would also like to add that, many people come on the forum and say that Montanans are rude to outsiders. To be honest, I have not encountered any of that. If you come with an open heart, be honest, hard working, and kind to people... you will find many people that are kind to you. It might take time but it's been true for my family. We've met some great people... and I wouldn't trade my experience up here for nothing.

[Heart]

Originally Posted by strudel42

I used to live in Arkansas, and the people there complained about Californians too. I think it's the new national pastime.

When I lived in Missouri, they complained about easterners and migrant workers. It's always something.