[teakboat]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

Oklahoma has a higher % of its population on food stamps than California.

15% of Oklahoma's population relies on food stamps:
https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/f...t_oklahoma.pdf

In California it's only 10%:
https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/f...california.pdf

The reason I mentioned that, Stillwatertownie has mentioned in the pas, don't come to OK if you are poor, hard to get food stamps.

[KayneMo]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

As long as you are white, conservative, Republican, heterosexual, and are the right kind of Christian (Baptist) then Oklahoma isn't too bad.

Good grief. I am non-white, not conservative, not Republican, not heterosexual, and not religious and I like Oklahoma just fine.

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by KayneMo

Good grief. I am non-white, not conservative, not Republican, not heterosexual, and not religious and I like Oklahoma just fine.

There are things I like, especially not being in a mad rush all the time. That never worked for me. And I have come to love how people aren't in a hurry. But I still think of moving somewhere there is more diversity. And as I said, if I had a kid in school, wouldn't move here no matter how much less it costs. There's a reason for it.

When you're an adult, you get to choose what things make you like a place or not. If a family moves here now from California, they are almost assuradly expect a school system which has enough trained teacher and isn't talking about reducing class hours and go to four days a week. If it were my family I as mom would stay in California with the kids while Dad got out of the job and found one where the kids wouldn't pay for it.

My senior year of high school was at a brand new school. It wasn't finished when school started so they were building and we were using the few buildings finished. They kept counting younger construction people as students at first. And aside from our graduating class getting to be the first, all those normal things seniors got to do were cancelled. I could have stayed in my other school but they didn't provide transportation. I'd have insisted if I could go back and do it over.

With the state of local schools here, I would hope parents would pass on it and stay in California until the kids got out of highschool.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by nightbird47

With the state of local schools here, I would hope parents would pass on it and stay in California until the kids got out of high school.

Stillwater schools aren't bad. Construction on replacing a third elementary school recently started, though I wonder if the new schools come with up to date equipment and textbooks.

However, it will be interesting to see if extra funding planned for Oklahoma schools will really come about.

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

Stillwater schools aren't bad. Construction on replacing a third elementary school recently started, though I wonder if the new schools come with up to date equipment and textbooks.

However, it will be interesting to see if extra funding planned for Oklahoma schools will really come about.

True. Lots of ideas have been floated, even discussed and perhaps parts of it voted on. Then the problems start. Do they realize that kids who've missed a lot of the content they are expected to know are not going to do well in college if that is their goal. All this greed might with budget shouldn't be 'balanced' on kids hoping for college.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

Oklahoma has a higher % of its population on food stamps than California.

15% of Oklahoma's population relies on food stamps:
https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/f...t_oklahoma.pdf

In California it's only 10%:
https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/f...california.pdf

Then look at the actual head counts.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by KayneMo

Good grief. I am non-white, not conservative, not Republican, not heterosexual, and not religious and I like Oklahoma just fine.

They will come and get you)))

We had a long discussion last night - stay in OK with no raise for the first two years or invoke contractual return to anywhere in the continental US including moving, house buy/sell, ..... It looks like we will be staying despite CD's consensus of it being a run down religious dope paradise.

As far as being on welfare is concerned - I have given up on trying to find someone for light housework. When I say light I mean it - dusting, ironing, ..., two half or one full day per week at 15/HR, bring your toddler if you can keep it behaved, lunch, snacks, music, supplies.

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by KayneMo

Good grief. I am non-white, not conservative, not Republican, not heterosexual, and not religious and I like Oklahoma just fine.

Same here. A lot of Okies moved west during the depression and WWII. Many are rebounding. You would not believe how many are here in rural Oklahoma.

I saw my high school yearbook online back in the late 40s. More than half of the high school students were from Oklahoma and Arkansas. They even listed their hometowns in Oklahoma. It was amazing.

We know of one guy from CA who bought 180 acres and a house sight unseen. He moved here and then started crying around when we had an ice storm. He said no one told him it got this cold here.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by KayneMo

Good grief. I am non-white, not conservative, not Republican, not heterosexual, and not religious and I like Oklahoma just fine.

Apparently you are the only one.

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Apparently you are the only one.

I am not conservative, or a trumper, and find him insufferable. The mess currently going on with the badly acted comedy in Washington needs to be canceled starting with its ugly haired 'star' with his orange mop. I feel this way not because I moved to OK and don't share the politics, I simply cannot stand him.

Do I discuss this with the locals? No. They don't bring it up either. Especially in this current nasty situation I keep it to myself. Just because someone who lives near has different politics, there is NO reason to pick fights. I suppose if they choose to argue, but most people don't.

Back when I lived out in southern Califonia, it was deeply republican but there was lots of cross talking. Here there doesn't seem to be much of it. I'm not interested in changing anyone's mind and as long as they don't try it with me, we're fine. Politics wasn't why I wanted to move either.

I lived in one of the worse areas of socal's smog belts. I was born and raised in socal and the smog. I apparently have impared breathing when doing things like trying to run from it. I can let people squabble over politics if I can breath. People used to here have NO idea how wonderful it is to have plain, unprocessed air to breath which you can't see.

They should be absolutely resistant to anyone who ever suggest building anything which will make it into a smog muck.

Just sayin.

And I'm one of the people who hate being rushed. I'd wait until papers in college had come together in my head to write them, and often did all nightes with it. At first it was odd for everything to run so slooowwww. Then I embrased it. I, for instance, have a list of things to work on my home. I have no schedule. They are not absolutely needed, but when I do having them will be nice. But its satisfying when I work on things when its right, when I'm feeeling very engaged and stimulated and I can see what's to be done, down to the details. Its a challenge but a fun one. And unlike some of the 'work' done on my house which is awful, I will do it when I know I can do a good job, not rush it to get it done. It's a joy not a job.

I don't fit so well in socal either. I just ignored what people could think and did what I chose. Same as here. We should not ask what some place expects things to be line. We should view the place and build on the stuff which is ready for you. And 'fitting in' is just a way of saying you don't really know yourself.

My advise to people who ask should I move to this place is GO there. Meet the locals. Don't try to fix them or remake them but if they are willing, sharing how both you do without trying to converty is a good thing. We need to know why people did come to their choices. Even those who have it pounded in to be x so much they do it just because they feel like they have to need to see what else is around them.

As far as being here and staying here, for now I shall. I have things I need which have not yet materialized, and if I found it elsewhere, I'd go. If I could fufill this great need it would be worth it. If it is at the loss of other things which do mean a whole lot, its weigh the value and make a choice, or find a way to not lose either if you can.

When we move somewhere, we have to adjust. This does not mean we have to become someone else. Life is choices. We need to understand they are never final and what is okay one time may not always be, but its a way to learn and grow and find a place which is home.