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I don't know why he spends so much time defending California, other than he's an ex-resident who may wish that he still lived there....or that he thinks only conservatives would criticize California and he hates conservatives.
I have never lived in California. I just think it's hilarious the hate many conservatives here have for it, when by just about any measure it's been a stunning success. Heck, maybe even too successful. I mean, basically the conservatives here ridicule the place for being so expensive. But that's like ridiculing Beverly Hills for being too expensive. Did it ever occur to these people that it's expensive for a good reason? It seems not. The cons here seem to know nothing about economics.
Gentrification, often due to a very big supply and demand imbalance - there simply has not been enough housing built to accommodate the amount of new residents (think: hundreds of thousands of jobs created and only a few tens of thousands of new housing units in the last ~10 years in the SF Bay Area, for instance).
There actually is a very big debate within the political world in CA over this. Often putting NIMBY (and often older) home owners against YIMBY (for lack of a better word) (and often younger) new arrival renters. State senators like Scott Wiener are likely the beginning of a sea of change in the realm of housing policies (ideally for the better!). More information on what's going on:
Yes - these issues (which are directly tied to housing costs) are DIRECTLY related to the success of the region.
The homeless problem, by contrast, is actually pretty complex - it goes back decades, long before CA was known as a "liberal mecca", even (talk to any long-term SF local, they'll let you know). By numbers (both total number and per capita), SF actually doesn't have more homeless than other cities:
What SF does have, though (and what makes it a little unique compared to other big cities), is "in your face" homeless due to where most of them are in the City (adjacent to areas most trafficked by tourists). Which is rather unfortunate and sad.
However, the homeless problem long predates the success of the state and I'd argue is a bit unrelated (although, certainly, not made less worse).
These people would likely be homeless even if housing was cheaper (and that is the case if you go back ~30-40 years when there were still MANY homeless). The homeless problem more has to do how we treat, as a society, our mentally ill citizens. Who are often military vets - it's really sad. And CA is certainly not the only place to have homeless and treat them badly (in fact, MOST states, including conservative ones, have a serious homelessness issue).
A shortage of housing is a problem in many places around the world. Same in Germany or here in Portugal. There is an existing stock of homes that get sold and rented again and again, but new construction is not nearly enough to compensate for the increasing population or demographic changes (away from bigger family homes to smaller units for singles or couples, i.e. more units are required even if the population stays the same ).
Then there is the renting vs owning problem.
Real estate people probably like the excessive prices due to shortage as they get a certain percentage of the value of a sold home if I am not mistaken.
In the Bay Area a lot of tech people are Asian immigrants, does race pay a role when applying for an apartment?
Get used to the bagging on California at least until the 2020 elections. Trump needs a new set of boogymen to vilify to the more ignorant branch of his followers. All the troll farms, both foreign and domestic, will be trying to stir up the argument on both sides regarding "socialist" California. Just look at the thread topics like this and the daily comparisons between the price of a house in CA vs Cackle, South Dakota.
A shortage of housing is a problem in many places around the world. Same in Germany or here in Portugal. There is an existing stock of homes that get sold and rented again and again, but new construction is not nearly enough to compensate for the increasing population or demographic changes (away from bigger family homes to smaller units for singles or couples, i.e. more units are required even if the population stays the same ).
Then there is the renting vs owning problem.
Real estate people probably like the excessive prices due to shortage as they get a certain percentage of the value of a sold home if I am not mistaken.
In the Bay Area a lot of tech people are Asian immigrants, does race pay a role when applying for an apartment?
Race doesn't play a role when applying for a rental, no.
However, non-US foreign investment in real estate (such as from China) has definitely had an effect on the market (to what effect I'm not sure, but certainly a non-zero effect).
I have never lived in California. I just think it's hilarious the hate many conservatives here have for it, when by just about any measure it's been a stunning success. Heck, maybe even too successful. I mean, basically the conservatives here ridicule the place for being so expensive. But that's like ridiculing Beverly Hills for being too expensive. Did it ever occur to these people that it's expensive for a good reason? It seems not. The cons here seem to know nothing about economics.
I now live in Arizona amongst many Ex Californians most of whom have been born and raised there. All they ever talk about is how great it used to be until the Democrats and illegal invaders have taken over that once beautiful state. Both go hand in hand. There's a reason why they packed up and left and that's because of Progressive Liberal social policies that have made that state all but impossible to live in unless you're very poor or extremely wealthy. I lived in New York State for the greater part of my life and it is a carbon copy of California. When ever I talk to Ex Californians it's as though we both came from the same miserable state under the same miserable social policies.
How many Ex Californians do you know that live in Kansas City, Missouri? It's not exactly a top destination for those looking to re-locate for better way of life. That's not meant to knock Kansas City but I've yet to hear of too many people that move from their home state picking there as their #1 location.
At least most of the people that I know that have moved out of New York have chosen either Florida or the Carolina's to re-locate too. Many Ex Californians are moving to Arizona or Texas. Arizona for retirement and Texas for jobs. I can't count how many of our old friends in New York have told us how lucky we are to have finally gotten out of that God awful state. They all plan on doing the same once they retire. Fortunately for us, we didn't have to wait that long. We lost our jobs in manufacturing as many others have due to the high cost of doing business in New York State. The company we worked for moved to Virginia. We taught ourselves how to use computers and started a home based business. Once we got established out we went.
Did it ever occur to you that big government social programs cost a lot of money and there's not enough rich people to tax into oblivion to support all of that? The money's gotta' come from somewhere? It doesn't grow on trees?
Maybe the government can just print the money and write out a check to every American for a million dollars? How well do you think that will work out? Some on your side are even proposing that the government provide a universal basic income to all Americans whether they work or not? Where's the money gonna' come from to pay for that? Especially when millions decide to give up working all together as their lives will be no different than those living off the government teat? Who's going to make up for those tax dollars?
Did it ever occur to you that those evil corporations that you love to tax don't pay those taxes? That they get passed down to the consumers of their products? Not to mention expensive regulations that are imposed on them. Those costs too are passed on down to the consumer or the company will go out of business and people will lose their jobs.
Did it ever occur to you that those evil corporations in order to stay in business have to keep their costs down to remain competitive? If they can't pass the taxes down they'll just pack up and move to a location where the costs of doing business and taxes aren't nearly as high. This way they can remain competitive and stay in business.
If anything it's Liberals such as yourself that don't know a GD thing about economics. You think that the government can just dole out money as if nobody's ever gonna' have to pay for it.
Liberalism is all about enslavement and a permanent life of dependency on others for their every day needs. It's all about absolute power and control over all of whom they have enslaved.
Quote:
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. Their very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be ‘cured’ against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals. —C. S. Lewis, “God in the Dock”
Get used to the bagging on California at least until the 2020 elections. Trump needs a new set of boogymen to vilify to the more ignorant branch of his followers. All the troll farms, both foreign and domestic, will be trying to stir up the argument on both sides regarding "socialist" California. Just look at the thread topics like this and the daily comparisons between the price of a house in CA vs Cackle, South Dakota.
As if you're not out vilifying Trump and those who support him? Your hypocrisy is overwhelming!
"Did it ever occur to you that big government social programs cost a lot of money and there's not enough rich people to tax into oblivion to support all of that? The money's gotta' come from somewhere? It doesn't grow on trees?"
I have heard that there have never been as many rich people before, and they are richer than ever before. So who is being taxed into oblivion?
I now live in Arizona amongst many Ex Californians most of whom have been born and raised there. All they ever talk about is how great it used to be until the Democrats and illegal invaders have taken over that once beautiful state.
Well, considering that you're talking to a self-selected group of people who left the place because they no longer liked it, that would explain why those particular people are saying they think it went downhill! Likewise, if you talked to a different self-selected group of people who are living in California and love it, they're gonna tell you it's heaven on earth and wouldn't live anywhere else.
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How many Ex Californians do you know that live in Kansas City, Missouri? It's not exactly a top destination for those looking to re-locate for better way of life. That's not meant to knock Kansas City but I've yet to hear of too many people that move from their home state picking there as their #1 location.
I'm sure there are a few, but I can't think of any I personally know off the top of my head.
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Did it ever occur to you that big government social programs cost a lot of money and there's not enough rich people to tax into oblivion to support all of that? The money's gotta' come from somewhere? It doesn't grow on trees?
Did it ever occur to you that both California and NY have TONS of rich people?
Did it ever occur to you that both California and NY are expensive because they're popular? Once again you know nothing about economics. The way you and others are yakking around, you make it sound like NYC and California are like Mississippi with Beverly Hills prices. Sorry it doesn't work that way.
California has the sixth largest economy in the world. Shall we talk Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Alaska?
These California-bashing threads really should be merged.
Do people wake up in the morning in Texas or Arizona or anywhere really, and just decide it's a good day to bash California? What is the problem? Envy maybe?
Some conservatives, such as lovecrowds, are insecure that being conservative is the right way to be, so they resort to bashing the worse parts of places that are not conservative, while ignoring the fact there are plenty of conservative places that are quite bad and backward where very few people want to move to.
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Your hypocrisy is overwhelming!
