'I'm done': Fed up with California, some conservatives look to Texas (Sacramento: home, neighborhood)

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I live in Sacramento and would not move to Texas if you paid me. As far as utility bills, this source ranks Texas as having the 22nd highest energy costs in the US with California ranked at 42nd https://wallethub.com/edu/energy-costs-by-state/4833/

Personally I just don't like Texas, to me it's a big boring state. Houston in the summer is as miserable as Louisiana it's hot and wet. But it seems that you like it and you are happy there, and in the end that's all that really counts.

I'm not buying it about the electric bill. I lived in TX, the electric bill was nowhere near as high as it is here. It's way hotter in TX. My brother had a house in Houston and his electric bill for his house was not as much as mine for a 1 bedroom apartment and I keep the a/c at the same temp he had it in TX.

Heck, when I lived in Miami, which is way hotter than CA, my electric bill was not this high and that was with the a/c set way low to 67 degrees. I have it on the "economical" 78 here and the electric bill is killing me. I discovered that we are paying part of that bill for windmill farms. I didn't ask for windmill farms. I do not support windmill farms. The electricity that I use is not powered by windmill farms, but I have to fricken help pay for that bird killing eyesore. Plus, we also get to foot the bill for all of those who get discounts on their electric bill because they all decided to live on welfare here. Seriously, there's so. many. people. on welfare here.

Yes, there's people on welfare everywhere but holy shizzzze man, there's so. many. people. on welfare here!

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

I'm not buying it about the electric bill. I lived in TX, the electric bill was nowhere near as high as it is here. It's way hotter in TX. My brother had a house in Houston and his electric bill for his house was not as much as mine for a 1 bedroom apartment and I keep the a/c at the same temp he had it in TX.

Heck, when I lived in Miami, which is way hotter than CA, my electric bill was not this high and that was with the a/c set way low to 67 degrees. I have it on the "economical" 78 here and the electric bill is killing me. I discovered that we are paying part of that bill for windmill farms. I didn't ask for windmill farms. I do not support windmill farms. The electricity that I use is not powered by windmill farms, but I have to fricken help pay for that bird killing eyesore. Plus, we also get to foot the bill for all of those who get discounts on their electric bill because they all decided to live on welfare here. Seriously, there's so. many. people. on welfare here.

Yes, there's people on welfare everywhere but holy shizzzze man, there's so. many. people. on welfare here!

I bet you get your electricity from PG&E huh? Our electric service is from SMUD a publicly owned utility company, it's at least 30% cheaper than PG&E.

[Texamichiforniasota]

Originally Posted by GO JACKETS

Yeah I don't get the hatred from people like JM. Isn't the diversity of state's the great thing about the US? California is a booming hotbed of innovation that can be rough if you aren't a white collar professional. Texas has a wealth of opportunities for blue collar people to live a solid middle class life. I don't think one has to be better than the other, just good for different people.

I agree that most lower-middle class people like the person profiled in the article would have a better life in Texas than California. There are a lot of decent blue collar jobs in Texas and with the low cost of living you can have a decent middle class life. If you are in that income bracket in California, you are stuck living in the IE, High Desert, or Central Valley, at which point you've lost the weather and jobs advantage of living in California.

However, to claim that Texas is a better place to live because it's cheaper, as some do, is disingenuous. It's more to say it's the best place a lower middle class person can afford to have a decent life, which is an entirely different thing. It's like saying Ontario is a better city than Santa Monica because it's cheaper. Ontario is a perfectly fine place to live if that's all you can afford, but a large majority of people who live in Ontario can't afford to live in Santa Monica or would have to cram a family that was living in a 4 bedroom house into a 1 be from apt.

[Beardown91737]

Originally Posted by Kevdawgg

Just like Nevada, which used to be red-purple, but now flipped blue because of it.

Why President Trump needs to extend the border wall around California. People from there are like the aliens from the movie, Independence Day. Infest one place and move on to another.

Look at the county maps and precinct maps before making that kind of proclamation.

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

actually if you live in Houston you are just about 50 minutes or so from the Gulf of Mexico

If you live in Houston, you will still be in Houston after driving 50 minutes.

Originally Posted by Texamichiforniasota

I agree that most lower-middle class people like the person profiled in the article would have a better life in Texas than California. There are a lot of decent blue collar jobs in Texas and with the low cost of living you can have a decent middle class life. If you are in that income bracket in California, you are stuck living in the IE, High Desert, or Central Valley, at which point you've lost the weather and jobs advantage of living in California.

However, to claim that Texas is a better place to live because it's cheaper, as some do, is disingenuous. It's more to say it's the best place a lower middle class person can afford to have a decent life, which is an entirely different thing. It's like saying Ontario is a better city than Santa Monica because it's cheaper. Ontario is a perfectly fine place to live if that's all you can afford, but a large majority of people who live in Ontario can't afford to live in Santa Monica or would have to cram a family that was living in a 4 bedroom house into a 1 be from apt.

After 24 years in the IE, I can say the weather there is way better than TX. Also more sunshine and warmer temps than the coast. Plus we didn't have to deal with LAX, as users or neighbors.

People with smug attitudes might feel like IE residents are "stuck" but I never had a desire to live in Santa Monica, especially since my software development job was in San Bernardino.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

Heck, when I lived in Miami, which is way hotter than CA, my electric bill was not this high and that was with the a/c set way low to 67 degrees. I have it on the "economical" 78 here and the electric bill is killing me

Edison just keeps hiking its rates.
https://chaienergy.com/2016/12/29/so...increase-2017/

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Edison just keeps hiking its rates.
https://chaienergy.com/2016/12/29/so...increase-2017/

The irony is that, as Californians begin to use less and less energy and indeed do become more energy-efficient, Edison continues to hike up its rates so that it can continue to pay for the maintenance of a gargantuan network and a huge overhead of staff and benefits. Catch .22; cut back on what you use, yet cough up more money for the company.

The same thing is happening with our friends up in NorCal who use PG&E.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

The irony is that, as Californians begin to use less and less energy and indeed do become more energy-efficient, Edison continues to hike up its rates so that it can continue to pay for the maintenance of a gargantuan network and a huge overhead of staff and benefits. Catch .22; cut back on what you use, yet cough up more money for the company.

The same thing is happening with our friends up in NorCal who use PG&E.

This seems to be a theme in California . Pay more for less .
More money for less services
More money for lesser quality schools

Etc

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

The irony is that, as Californians begin to use less and less energy and indeed do become more energy-efficient, Edison continues to hike up its rates so that it can continue to pay for the maintenance of a gargantuan network and a huge overhead of staff and benefits. Catch .22; cut back on what you use, yet cough up more money for the company.
The same thing is happening with our friends up in NorCal who use PG&E.

lol that's the free market for you... Compare the rates to publicly owned SMUD in Sacramento:

https://www.smud.org/en/residential/...comparison.htm

[cttransplant85]

If you're squarely in the middle class life is better in Texas; if you're really rich or really poor life is better in California. Average median income with COL adjustments is almost 30% higher in Texas. Texas has a larger middle class. Navigating taxes and regulations is much easier in Texas. Texas is just a more practical place to live for working class individuals.

But this is the great thing about the US. We're essentially 50 different countries with 50 different systems of governance. If you don't like where you live you can just move; no visa or anything needed. It's a great system.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by jm1982

This seems to be a theme in California . Pay more for less .
More money for less services
More money for lesser quality schools

How are we paying more money for poorer quality schools? CA spends less than the state average per pupil in the U.S., which keeps us in the lower half of public school spending for K-12.

Texas ranks in the bottom third of states in spending per pupil in the U.S.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...tional-average