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It had nothing to do with dislike of Kansas, that's for sure. If I choose to stay in Kansas City and move, it will probably be back to Kansas, somewhere in northeast Johnson County.
Where do you live?
Modcut- inflamatory and unecessary
Last edited by GraniteStater; 07-19-2012 at 06:06 PM..
"Bigotry" is a liberal leftist term used to describe those of us who won't accept what has been universally rejected for most of human history but is now being rammed down our throats as "this is okay". These days you hear people summarily rejecting others because they're "bigots". Seems like this is "exclusion", to me. Continue reading...
"Exclusion" is perfectly fine when excluding things that should not be accepted, but since America is barreling towards accepting everything, it's understandable that many people would become brainwashed into thinking that we must exclude nobody and nothing.... except, of course, those who wish to exclude other people for their own "bigoted" reasons. So if we believe we should exclude those who desire to exclude others, we have developed the desire to exclude others... so, paradoxically enough, we ought to exclude ourselves! :-) We're all exclusionist, in one way or another.
"Theocracy" - look at the theocracies in this world. Most, if not all, are Islamic. Most, if not all, are very poor. However, these ostensibly impoverished third-world Islamic theocracies have managed to flabbergast the most powerful military force in the world for a decade... because of one thing: DEDICATION. They are dedicated to their cause because they believe it's a higher calling. America was founded upon that very same principle of dedication to the higher calling of their God... hence why, in the Revolutionary War, a ragtag bunch of volunteer militiamen managed to whoop the most powerful military in the world at the time, with very little outside help. Look at when America removed Christian theology from its institutions. For many decades when we prayed in school, didn't question the Ten Commandments in state government buildings, and decried as "wrong" all of the things the Bible says are wrong, we had things like a 3% out-of-wedlock birth rate. Now that we have removed theology and gotten America to the point where every person's definition of "right" is the correct definition of "right" (that is, unless you're a Christian), we have a 40% out-of-wedlock birth rate.
I guess that's "progress" in the minds of many.
So if Kansas doesn't have that type of progress, and instead (as you said before) is progressing more in the direction of what many people would deem "bigotry", "exclusion", and "theocracy", it sounds like a great place to be. The only people who don't want to live in a place like that are the deviants and the irreligious. Both groups are heading straight to hell anyway, so those of us who are children of God don't want to be anywhere near them except to help them... and if they don't want to be helped because they don't believe they need any help, they will merely drain our energy with no return on investment if we try to help them.
I really do want to live in a place that is untouched by modern liberalism to as great a degree as possible, where people go to church regularly or at least read their Bibles regularly... where capitalism is the law of the land but socialism is the chosen way of the people... "WHAT?! You want both capitalism AND socialism?!" Think about it. Back in the day, there were no government programs like Social Security, Medicare, etc. However, there have always been people in need. So how were they helped? They were helped according to their need, by other people according to their ability... which is the basic tenet of socialism. (This was normally facilitated by the church. It says in the Bible that those who can help the poor, should help the poor. Stands to reason that you help 'em until they're not poor anymore, at least as far as you can without making yourself poor.)
Given that this was a choice people made, it worked beautifully and nobody ever complained. It goes something like this: "I found out that my brother-in-law's friend Joe has lost his job and his family needs some food. Since I have some extra money this month and my vegetable garden has thrived this year, I'm going to give him a bag full of vegetables and $100 to buy basic food for the family for a couple of weeks. Hopefully he'll find some income by then." And you know that when Joe finds a job and gets his income back on track, he isn't going to forget you. The type of socialism that never works is the forced, legislated type... where some government official, with power of law backing him up, tells you "Your brother-in-law's friend Joe lost his job and needs food to feed his family. You've made a good amount of money this year and your garden is doing very well. Therefore, you are to give him $100 and a bag of vegetables from your garden. If you don't, there will be consequences up to and including wage garnishment, forced sale of your property and possessions, and imprisonment of up to five years." In both cases, you help Joe... but in only one case are you entirely glad to do so and you know Joe will be extremely appreciative. In the other, you do it begrudgingly because you basically have a gun to your head, and you know Joe will only be appreciative of the system... not so much the donor. (When was the last time a welfare recipient came to you with sincere thanks for your tax dollars that helped him/her get out of a bad situation over which he/she had absolutely zero control? If it's happened to you even once, that's more times than it's happened to me, despite the tens of thousands of dollars I've paid in taxes during my working life.)
So if Kansas is like that, where people choose to come together and help each other in times of need that weren't brought about by obviously bad choices such as drug addiction, it sounds good to me. If lots of Kansans look at the news and are disgusted by what they see with things like the movement to legalize gay marriage, the movement to expel all Christian images of any kind from government buildings, the movement to legalize more hallucinogenic drugs, the ACLU, ridiculous lawsuits, Obamacare, etc... they're my kind of people and that's my kind of area. If most Kansans are as fed up as I am, with the automatic labeling of anyone who is not "tolerant" of historically deviant behaviors as a "bigot" or a "phobe" or a "dinosaur", they'll find kindred spirits in me and my wife. If their idea of what constitutes good music involves a guitar or a piano, and they are repulsed by the modern music that requires 1200 Watt trunk subwoofers to play, we'll get along beautifully. My wife and I are old souls in young bodies. Give us a place where life is largely the way it was 100 years ago... or even 60 years ago. If that's Kansas, it's looking better and better all the time.
So I have another Kansas question. Climate maps seem to show that Kansas doesn't get much rain. Is that true? If yes, I imagine most farmland is irrigated. Have farmers had much trouble irrigating their crops during times of drought? (Here in Texas, last year, many farmers were cut off from their privileges of drawing water from certain sources... privileges they'd had, uninterrupted, for decades. Naturally, that wrecked their crops.)
While it's slightly different than my personal view, I think what you've expressed here is brilliant. I don't understand why people are so focused on things they don't like and choose to make themselves miserable in that way. Why not let Kansas be Kansas and have its own culture. If every state is to be the same, why are they semi-autonomous and self-governing? Let each state go its own route. It's a form of trial-and-error. If the Kansas haters think Kansas is going down a path of destruction, then why don't they sit back and watch it all go down with a grin. I like Kansas, and part of the reason is because it stands up for itself. Kansas is nobody's *****.
No, that mentality is too similar to Texas, and I really dislike that style intensely. Braggadocio
Some of us like it. I live in Texas right now and anywhere that's "true Texas", it's very prevalent. I will admit it's one of the things I and my wife like about Texas the most. Admittedly I have considered remaining in Texas... but there are a couple of major things I don't like about the area of Texas in which I live... it's seemed as though I will have a hard if not impossible time escaping them anywhere in Texas, which is one of the main reasons why I'm seeking other pastures.
Some of us like it. I live in Texas right now and anywhere that's "true Texas", it's very prevalent. I will admit it's one of the things I and my wife like about Texas the most. Admittedly I have considered remaining in Texas... but there are a couple of major things I don't like about the area of Texas in which I live... it's seemed as though I will have a hard if not impossible time escaping them anywhere in Texas, which is one of the main reasons why I'm seeking other pastures.
I'm sure you'd be very comfortable in Kansas as the cultural similarities are pretty much the same across much of the state compared with Texas. I think it is definitely a good thing that regional differences in culture still exist in the US because it allows so many the freedom (like myself) to move to areas that are far more fitting to my personality and tastes. I personally don't have much in common with or care for the prevailing culture of the South-Central and Southern Plains. I have lived in those regions and have a family member who still resides there.
All I can say is wow, just wow. Are other Kansans proud that these are the kinds of people that are now attracted to their state?
This is just so sad when you consider that at one time Kansas was viewed as a state that was open minded and progressive especially with regard to equal rights for minorities and women.
I was attracted to the state and I'm a pro-gay marriage social liberal and fiscal conservative. I have friends that range from atheist to staunch catholic to wiccan.
So please, please don't generalize that ONE person moving to the state represents ALL people moving to the state.
You know what brought me? A job. Then I looked and I saw short commutes, cheap housing, good schools....I was hooked.
12+ years now here and I wouldn't move.
I don't like some of the socially conservative aspects of the state but for the most part I'm unaffected by them and can associate with people that are open minded.
I'm sure you'd be very comfortable in Kansas as the cultural similarities are pretty much the same across much of the state compared with Texas. I think it is definitely a good thing that regional differences in culture still exist in the US because it allows so many the freedom (like myself) to move to areas that are far more fitting to my personality and tastes. I personally don't have much in common with or care for the prevailing culture of the South-Central and Southern Plains. I have lived in those regions and have a family member who still resides there.
This is a wise post. Different strokes for different folks. I may not agree with some of the views and so it's a free country and it's nice to have some diversity. I think it's sometimes a shame that *diversity* has been hijacked to mean that some of it is acceptable and some of it isn't.
I just find it funny that when people ask what there is to do in Kansas or what are the good things about Kansas and people say....
Well you can go to a concert at Sprint Center or the KC Zoo or a Royals or Chiefs game or Worlds of Fun or the Nelson Museum or City Market or Crown Center or the Plaza or the WWI Museum or the Performing Arts Center or the Truman Library or Legoland or the Steamboat Museum or an event at Bartle Hall or any of the nightlife areas etc etc, all of which are in Missouri.
Oh and Kansas has a great airport too! It's in Missouri too.
KCK is a joke (their little island of sprawl way out west doesn't make up for the rest of the city).
Topeka is a joke.
Wichita is ok, but it's small and hardly a destination for those outside of middle KS.
The rest of KS is loosing people except the Manhattan area and the meat packing areas way out west with their hispanic immigrant migration.
The only county that is really even worth mentioning as far as quality of life and potential for growth is Johnson County, which has a crazy percent of the economy of the entire state of KS. Last I heard it was near 50% while the population is over 25% of the entire state. All in a county that owes a lot of it's existence to simply being able to poach and take from kcmo. Live west of state line and enjoy all the benefits of a major city but then use the state line as a reason to not partake in any regional cooperation. KS side people want to claim KCMO as their own, but then hate on it or take from it every chance they get. KS can't get hardly anybody to move there (companies or residents) unless they are already in the KC area and they can bribe them with enough cash or residents that move to KS to be near the KC area.
Modcut- unecessary/inflamatory
No offense to all those that simply like rural KS. JoCo ruins the entire state for me.
KCMO without Johnson county would look like Detroit. We support the rotting hulk from collapsing by attending those venues you claim we don't.
Hey, let me know when your schools can graduate more than 30% of their students and yes, I have the best of both worlds since I don't have to LIVE in that craphole....but I can visit as it suits me.
This is a wise post. Different strokes for different folks. I may not agree with some of the views and so it's a free country and it's nice to have some diversity. I think it's sometimes a shame that *diversity* has been hijacked to mean that some of it is acceptable and some of it isn't.
A quick breakdown on my current state of residence: New Hampshire has a lot of advantages, particularly the lack of income or sales tax. I much prefer the independent streak of many who live here as well as the outside the box thinking. Fiscally conservative and socially moderate to liberal works well here and valuing land for conservation instead of development is a huge priority. The natural amenities from the coast, lakes, forest, orchards, and farms are hard to beat. It does come with a higher cost of living, but I feel it is well worth it. I haven't felt the need to take a vacation elsewhere for awhile. I am a huge outdoors person so I love the easy access to national forest, state forest, and conservation lands. Oh, summer average high temperatures are in the low 80s as well.
JoCo, KCKS and KSMO are all terrible places to live. I've lived in both Mission and KCMO and it was the worst time of my life. I've never met so many rude/crazy (and I mean crazy in the literal sense) people in all my life. And I'm not from an affluent place that lacks crazies...
I moved there to find work b/c the rural town I lived in had something like a 20% unemployment rate in at the beginning of the recession and I couldn't get a job after recovering from a birth-related illness. One week while living there, there were literally 7-8 random murders that I heard about (without watching the news) in a week. I worked as a waitress and was robbed in the first week. I also had a literal crack ho ask to borrow my car while I was working...where does that happen!? Really!!?
I spent outrageous amounts of gas just to get from point a to b. Ugh...I hate that metro. But, if you want to buy a lot of drugs...this is the place for you!
I decided to move back in with my mom just to get away from it...that says a lot.
JoCo is ok. And that's it. It's ok. The amount you are paying for real estate to begin with and the subsequent property taxes is not worth what you get. And most of what you get is in KCMO (other than like the one impressive park I found there)...which you aren't even paying for...lol. And the weather...oh, lord...
The cost of living and economy seems to be better than a lot of places. It's got that going for it, which is no small thing. But I'll live in poverty somewhere else, thank you!
And to defend the person who hates Kansas...Wichita is not much better. I think the crime rate might be slightly lower...but figure in the density and population and the crime rate is outrageous. It's not an attractive or safe city to say the least. You can buy some really frickin cheap houses there, though....but there is a reason for that.
Last edited by soanchorless; 07-19-2012 at 10:28 PM..
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