[leadingedge04]

Originally Posted by Flyinirish33

So am I the 'wrong kind of person' to move to VT simply because I want to take advantage of a financial offer that is appealing to me for a variety of reasons?

Correct.

[cgregor]

I would suggest you move to Vermont, collect the $10,000, spend three years living among granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing ex-hippies, loathe the entire experience and then leave, moving to a state populated by people who are more like you. And you'll be $10,000 richer!

[Biker53]

Originally Posted by cgregor

I would suggest you move to Vermont, collect the $10,000, spend three years living among granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing ex-hippies, loathe the entire experience and then leave, moving to a state populated by people who are more like you. And you'll be $10,000 richer!

cgregor, why the hate and intolerance all the time? Are you that unhappy?



Flyinrish33, you will be most welcome here and from what you have said will find like minded folks. There is virtually nobody that would pass muster with cgregor.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Biker53

Flyinrish33, you will be most welcome here and from what you have said will find like minded folks. There is virtually nobody that would pass muster with cgregor.

Nah, the people who want to be pioneers in Springfield will.


Then again, virtually nobody.

[cgregor]

Hate and intolerance? No, just healthy skepticism after seeing the old Springfield establishment live and die by the "if he's rich, he must be smart" value that has too often left the town skewered on shiskabobs of grift. Nobody in his right mind should trust Wall Street; there are almost no banks in Vermont which can exercise their own judgment about the faith and credit of their customers; none of them are independent. A Wall Street CFO fancied himself an industrialist, did a leveraged buyout, stripped the assets of one of our major manufacturers and then went after the pension fund as well. He's still living well. Why should anyone in Springfield trust the likes of the next one like him who shows up and mouths the usual platitudes?

It's amazing to me that people who moan about taxes would defend the piratical capitalism of a Wall Street whose practices caused Springfield's property taxes to go up 247% in 1983.

The pioneers are the people like the guy who owned five farms locally and bought a building for a local non-profit to own and use. They're visionary, beneficent, altruistic and smart. They'll recognize opportunity where others can't.

[Vanderbiltgrad]

How much will Bernie Sanders chip in? I love Bernie.

[Flyinirish33]

Originally Posted by Biker53

Flyinirish33, you sound the kind of person that fits in well in VT. Don't be put off by cgregor's comments. Though cgregor has yet to define what kind of person is acceptable, it seems hardly anyone could pass muster with him/her based on past comments of who they don't want here.

Thanks, Biker! I'm really looking forward to the change of pace and scenery. Funny thing is . . . I've just spent the past 15 yrs living in the west coast version of VT --- basically the land of "granola-crunching, Birkenstock-wearing, pot-smoking, hiking-obsessed, Subaru-driving, artsy-fartsy, pretentious, vegan-eating, liberal hippies" and that didn't bother me at all. It's the tech-boom, big pharmas, massive gridlock traffic, over-inflated cost of living, explosion of housing developments with no corresponding infrastructure improvements, and terribly passive-aggressive attitudes that are driving me away.

[Flyinirish33]

Originally Posted by cgregor

The pioneers are the people like the guy who owned five farms locally and bought a building for a local non-profit to own and use. They're visionary, beneficent, altruistic and smart. They'll recognize opportunity where others can't.

Well, I don't know who "that guy" is but he's a man after my own heart! If money was not an obstacle once I arrived in New England . . . I'd buy a few local farms and create organic food co-ops, and then buy a building for a local non-profit animal rescue to own and use and spend my days volunteering at both places because that's what real living and the epitome of happiness would be to me.

And doing so doesn't make me or "that guy" pioneers; we're just everyday folks who understand that experiencing a rich life and being "wealthy" have nothing to do with money I live simply so I can simply live <3

[Flyinirish33]

Originally Posted by cgregor

I would suggest you move to Vermont, collect the $10,000, spend three years living among granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing ex-hippies, loathe the entire experience and then leave, moving to a state populated by people who are more like you. And you'll be $10,000 richer!

cgregor ---- It's the "Debby Downers" like you who are chasing people OUT of Vermont and the reason why your governor now needs to bribe people to move there! New England needs less of the cynical, intolerant CGREGORS and more kind, compassionate, "bloody do-gooders". We're on our way!!

[Flyinirish33]

Originally Posted by ArtsVT2015

We have a lot of geographic similarities: I lived in Seattle for many years, then moved to the Boston area, and am now happily living in a small town in Southern Vermont.

Hey Arts ---- Sounds like I'm taking the same migratory path as you! I, too, lived previously in Boston for a time and am really looking forward to settling in a small town in VT to get away from the 'rat race' here in the PNW that has gotten ridiculously out of control (1,000 people a WEEK are moving to Seattle!). I'd like to have me a simple home with a cute little farm, neighbors that I have to walk to for a conversation (not shout over the fence), and no gridlock traffic. You just can't get that here anymore. In exchange, I'll take the higher taxes, cold winters, and I'll grin and bear the summer humidity.

And you're right --- there are many similarities between WA and VT but VT will definitely be a slower pace for sure. As you know, Seattle is surrounded by so much outdoor beauty and wonder, just like VT. Property taxes have been steadily climbing, just like VT. Many people can't handle the dark, dreary winters and darkness contributing to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), just like VT. The PNW is *very* 420 and hippie-friendly and the heroin epidemic in Seattle is a nightmare (sound like in VT, too). Culture in Seattle now is *interesting* (very passive-aggressive people and "the Seattle Freeze" is very real and alive and well). I can imagine closing my eyes in Seattle, waking up in VT, and feeling as if I haven't left the PNW --- except there will be no gridlock traffic and better food and a more easy-going vibe. Perfect for me!