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On what criteria are we defining "great"? Even with a strict set of criteria the answers would be highly subjective.
To me a great state is one with vast oak/beech forests with lots of birch sprinkled in and a good amount of rain distributed throughout the year, maybe 4 -5 inches per month with no distinct wet/dry season. Since California does not have that, it can't be great.
On the other hand, the Redwoods are pretty cool. But not great.
If great is defined by its ability to attract masses of humanity, which results in escalating costs of living because of its desirability, while growing a government that spends more than it takes in, consuming resources at a rate they can't naturally be replaced at, and creating regulations that the rest of the country find inane, then yes, CA is the best.
I've lived in CA my entire life. I'd say that in many ways, CA is an absolutely amazing place. I'm not sure that any state can compete with the range of diversity that CA has... We've got everything from desert to vast expanses of flat agricultural land, massive mountain ranges, redwood forests, oak-studded hills, lakes, ocean, big cities/major metros, small towns, suburban neighborhoods, people from every possible race/ethnicity/religion/political view are represented here. I could go on and on.
Even the weather can't be defined by many non-Californians' stereotypical views- CA is home to the highest recorded temperature on earth, which was in Death Valley. CA also holds the record for the highest recorded snowfall in a month period, which was in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Where I live in the SF Bay Area, there can often times be up to a 30 degree temperature variation from one location to another. It can be cold and foggy along the coast and hot and sunny inland. Honestly, I think many people who aren't from CA have no clue what the weather is actually like throughout the state.
As much as I take pride in my home state, I do recognize that it has many negative issues. For me the biggest problems living here are the corrupt liberal-extremist government, failing infrastructure, over-population in the major metro areas and insanely high cost-of-living in the major metro areas.
So I guess, in summary, I don't think CA is the best state in the country and I could probably be happy in many locations. It is home to me though and despite the negative issues I mentioned, it really is a pretty awesome place. CA covers more land area and is more populated than many countries in the world, so it's pretty much impossible to define it as being any one specific thing.
It's not that CA is just liberal..it's to the point where they care much more about foreigners, specifically refugees and illegal immigrants without papers, than the safety of the residents that dump so much of their money into the state, and they don't get much back for it. Yes, California is in fact a beautiful, diverse state with some great people, culture and food. Nothing wrong with that. But the extreme, over the top, in your face liberal attitudes of the politicians there, combined with ridiculous regulations, and an absurd cost of living does not, at least in my opinion, make living there worth it.
And just a side note, most conservatives, unlike over the top liberals, don't feel the need to shove their values in everybody's face. Just look at the numerous whining parades that have taken place in the major liberal cities since they lost the election. Just a thought
"in your face liberal attitudes"?
This statement only shows the point that I was trying to make.
I guess I understand what you are trying to say, yet this phrase gets thrown around so often that it has lost all meaning. What "in your face liberal attitude" is to one person, may not be as much to another person.
I am independent and don't side either left or right. I can't say I've been overwhelmed with an "in your face liberal attitude" in CA. I can say that I experienced more "in your face conservative attitude" when I lived in Utah than I faced an "in your face liberal attitude" in CA.
What you see on TV, i.e. in your face SJW liberals is not what one typically experiences in California unless s/he looks for it. Again, maybe it doesn't bother me. Maybe I ignore. Maybe I agree with some of it. But while I can overall understand how a person could be turned off by a region's political leanings, a conservative state versus a liberal state, I don't understand why someone from, lets say North Carolina, can get so angered that other states s/he doesn't even live in doesn't adhere to his/her political preferences. Every state does not need to be the same. The diversity amongst the States is what makes our country great in my opinion.
But while I can overall understand how a person could be turned off by a region's political leanings, a conservative state versus a liberal state, I don't understand why someone from, lets say North Carolina, can get so angered that other states s/he doesn't even live in doesn't adhere to his/her political preferences.
They get angry because the success of a state that doesn't adhere to their political philosophy threatens their worldview. It's working backwards from a predetermined conclusion. We already know liberal governance leads to failure; California has liberal governance; therefore, California must be failing. If California is a desirable state, their conclusion isn't true. In fairness, liberals do this as well for conservative states.
They get angry because the success of a state that doesn't adhere to their political philosophy threatens their worldview. It's working backwards from a predetermined conclusion. We already know liberal governance leads to failure; California has liberal governance; therefore, California must be failing. If California is a desirable state, their conclusion isn't true. In fairness, liberals do this as well for conservative states.
California is not an example of good liberal governance. The reason California is desirable has a lot for many people to do with the geography and climate, which would mostly be the same with conservative governance. As a liberal, I'd much rather point to states like Massachusetts or Washington as successes. Desirable, also diverse growing states, that are run by "liberals" and don't have California's major social problems.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazy4Chickens
I was born in California and lived there for thirty-eight years. The longer I lived there the more I began to hate it. Too expensive, cost of living is out of control, too many people, too few rights for the citizens and too much government control. Too many taxes, and stupid laws being passed. Schools are always desperate for money, and the teachers are not paid enough and not treated with enough respect.
I have not traveled extensively, but of the handful of states I have been in, Wyoming, where I live now, is the best state in the U.S. Many people will disagree, and that's fine, because what they want in a state is probably not what I want in a state, and they will not move here, and that's good because one of the best things about Wyoming is the lack of people and traffic. 😉
Wyoming is one of the worst states in this country, unless you work in the mines, AND like being lonely. Only Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakota's are worse in my opinion. YMMV
California would have been great as recently as 40 years ago.
Now it ranks down there with Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and the entire southeast as places I would never relocate to on purpose.
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