What is the downside to living in Oregon? (Coos Bay: scorpions, tornadoes)

[haggardhouseelf]

Sorry - I tried to copy and paste and it didn't work... Here's the link! State Beer Excise Tax Rates

[knut88]

( When Oregonians moan and complain about property taxes )


Ok got to like this staement I mean people would have no problems pay them more so they have the money to give. Most here get paid so little and I do believe we have 30% are higher in taxes taken out of your check all ready and paid low. Yes it makes sence to me to why they should not complain = ) I mean the people that do have the money complain louder so really this was not well thought out was it.

Originally Posted by chrisruns2far

Excellent point you make on the property tax limitations ballot measures!!!! When Oregonians moan and complain about property taxes it shows the general ignorance of so many of our residents. Our taxes being below the national average and the massive amount of vital programs that go underfunded.

My point with PERS is that it was sinking our state's economy as it was basically an insiders job in that the people who recieved the benefits also dominated the board and set the fundamentally flawed and unsustainable fixed rate of return guarantees, that where set well above 10% for retirees when the stock market tanked and all of us had to float those over-inflated fixed rate retirement checks until the modest reforms of 2003, without regard for cost and the burden placed on the non-public sector working class. We will be digging out of this hole for many years to come. BTW, PERS has not been done away with as it still exists today, it has just been modified to rid it of some of the obscene insider abuses and budget-busting self-interest fixed rate of return enrichment inspite of underpreforming funds. Even with it being watered down somewhat, it is still one of the sweetest deals out there for existing workers and retirees pensions and health care benefits are still sucking dry the public coffers from the backroom PERS Board dealings of years gone by.

[Pfhtex]

Happiness Index: Nebraska Nabs Top Spot | News | Money/Investing | Mainstreet

[BruceM]

Wow! You took the words right out of my mouth! We feel the same way.
When we lived in central FL we couldn't wait to get away every summer and come out west with our camper. Now that we live here (Corvallis) we have little desire to go anywhere else. The camper has been sitting in the driveway for 2 years altho we'll be heading out for 2 weeks soon. I think we'll stick to camping in the Cascades.
BruceM

[quote=haggardhouseelf;7384584]I just thought of a downside today. Since we have begun living in Oregon, our desire to travel around and see the rest of the world has diminished. Perhaps living here, and enjoying everything that this area has to offer, sorta makes you a homebody... a bit insular perhaps... or a bit of a "location snob".

[hamellr]

All the non-Natives complaining about the rain, that is still hands down the most annoying thing about Oregon to me.

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by heavens54

Doesn't seem to be too much on the downside from what I hear...maybe lack of jobs? And too much rain for those who don't like rain...a little traffic in Portland at the usual traffic times. Anything else that really bugs you or others about life in OR?

LOW UV... dental issues amongst many of the populace - at least in Lane County.... the Springfield bus ride between Spfd & Eugene... that's all I can think of... oh, 2 more: the U of O has a zone of no homeless people that i think is unfair... and.. there are a lot of homeless people everywhere in Eugene except by the U of O.

*the upside is much cheerier & compensates wonderfully* altho I dearly miss higher UV, I wouldn't trade Oregon for California!

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by 1208

I would normally say the 7 month long winter, but it really hasnt been bad this year.


I wish there were more interesting cities.

everything south of Eugene and north of Sacramento could disapear for all I care so that California could actually seem close by. As it is there as an unreasonable distance to anywhere of note from any Oregon city.


We have no NFL team.


The job market is horrible. Just awful, even before the recession.


hmmm. Thats it I guess.

I really like this observation. I would add "everything between Eugene & San Francisco" could disappear... mostly cuz I hate driving up & down & around HILLS & my mom is in LA and it would be so cool if SF was that much CLOSER...

Kate

[ca_north]

Originally Posted by casey1996

As a Californian, I have oftened asked myself, who do we blame for OUR skyrocketing home prices, overdevelopment, traffic, wall-to-wall subdivisions, etc.? I can't afford my own home. Who do I blame? I was born and raised in California, and people want to talk about change?? This state doesn't remotely resemble the California I knew. So, I have to laugh at the complaints about beautiful Oregon that, yes, has seen increases in house prices, traffic, and congestion. That's what happens when you have a desirable place to live. Oregon has not been singled out. This happens all over the US. I lived in Boulder, Colorado in the 70s. The 30-mile stretch between Denver and Boulder was nothing but farm land. Now it is a 30-mile stretch of subdivisions, business parks, and shopping malls. Coloradans have been complaining about Californians moving in for over 30 years.

Bottom line, we all have a right to live wherever we choose. None of us like to see our towns and states change, but that's life....

You and many others use words like "congestion" or "over-development" and resign yourselves to constant crowding. How about questioning the root cause of it: human population growth. Non-stop, exponential growth has been made possible largely by cheap fossil fuels, driven by an economic growth mindset that few take time to question - like a Ponzi scheme that pays the rent.

Do some serious reading on zero growth and steady-state economics, plus natural carrying capacity and birth rates vs. death rates. Population growth isn't just people moving from one place to another! Study the gross numbers and you will be shocked. Then, you may learn why endless growth is neither desirable or inevitable; that is, if people would stop blindly accepting it as such and cranking out large families while complaining about the loss of simpler, less crowded times.

Life could get more laid-back again if concepts like NPG were pursued. Where is it mandated that the pace must always quicken to keep up with raw numbers of people? It's just something most of us were born into. It's not the only way an economy can work, and it sure isn't sustainable.

[doudism]

I am a senior citizen and am disgusted with this place beautiful as it is. The person who said you can’t find police must have her head in the beach sands. This place is so over policed and in Beaverton they enjoy making money off of the poor and their citizens. An example is installing cameras to catch running red lights and then shortening the yellow to get more revenue from tickets. Another state ( I believe it was California) warned of the dangers of this. The Chicago Illinois cops call Oregon cops gun crazy. The bigoted lady that complained about the homeless and pan handlers. Well tell her she doesn’t have to worry to much about that even though we have a 14% unemployment in this country. I guess these poor people don’t deserve to live. I have been told a lot of horror stories by our Homeless Youth which is 40% in this nation. (I guess she hates children. ) they have been arrested by officers on false charges. I know everyone claims they are innocent. Couldn’t be that some of those are telling the truth. I have also been told that a judge here owns an agency that operates the community service and that the convicted are charged to do this work. Plus pay a fine. I thought the work program was invented to help pay the fine. Not for government or its agents to generate revenue for themselves. I heard one girl plead to let her turn herself in after she takes her final that day or she would not be able to finish the grant program she was on. The reason she had failed to appear was because of a careless court appointed attorney. I am sorry did I say attorney? It was a law student I think was better suited to be a beautician from what I had learned. The young lady now sits in jail through the Holidays to ponder her loss of education and to feel real respectful of our judicial system not to say the officers that stopped, questioned and failed to read her rights. Her bail is $10,000 and no chance of bail on the second charge also a screw up by the law student. This originated from a misdemeanor charge. You may say what does this have to do with me? Look up box cars with shackles and meditate on that.

[Oregonbeachlover]

I have always said I love living in Oregon, but after last Friday night, I can say the downside to living in Oregon, or the Oregon coast specifically, is being slammed by a tornado! The Oregon coast is not supposed to have tornadoes, so there was no warning. So, I will now say being hit by a tornado is a downside to living here.