All States Are Not Equal.

Sometimes I think that Californians are too polite in keeping our proud history and glorious state's attributes to ourselves.

While it is not right to brag and boast, sometimes our silence diminishes our greatness.

Sometimes we have to speak up. I did today.

I see a lot of threads that appear in the GD from Southerners always essentially feeling they are picked on and how the rest of the country is not better or worse than they are. But is that really true?

I have never seen one thread in the GD from a Californian bragging how great we are, how much better our state is than the rest. Why is that? Probably because we have too much class.

All states are not equal. California is one of the greatest places in the U.S. to live, if not the world.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4043176#4044832

Our filthy liberal money and all.

I agree, I love my state dearly.

I love my Golden State more than the other 49 put together.

And I like you, melody.

The greatest gift my grandparents ever gave me was moving out of the south and to California before I was born.

:thumbsup:

I'd spend summers here in Southern California between my family living in Texas, Argentina and Peru. I came out forever in 1969. My biggest fear is that I won't die here in my beloved California.

Your grandparents must have been remarkable people. I am forever asking people: Who was the one that first made the trek out west in your family? Was it your parents? Grandparents? Great-Grandparents, an Uncle, an Aunt or did you just come out on your own? Who was the pioneer in your family.

Your grandparents gave you a great gift and what I like is that you acknowledge that. I really like that.

so are many of the other states in the NE .... toss in a few of the coastal states, and that would be my personal preferences ....

Having said that: I lived in SO CAL from age 10 through age 48, and while I learned to dislike SMOG and TRAFFIC and HEAT and GANGS .... I still loved the beaches, and the Sierras, and the deserts (in winter), and the amazingly vast cultural opportunities ....

I now live in Portland Oregon, and I just fucking LOVE IT here ... One thing that should be recognized: Both Washington and Oregon also have the wonderful 'beach/mountain/desert' thing going .... The beauty of the Northwest is breathtaking, and the living here, with the CLEAN COOL air, and the stupendous amounts of fresh water, and the DEEP green foliage, the amazing produce, a beer culture second to none, and wine regions that may soon surpass California's reign in North America .... The living here is hard to beat ....

THAT being said: Trajan is in discussions with an aerospace start up in the Southbay area (Redondo Beach, Hawthorne etc), and just may be returning to So Cal after an absence of 5 years: an absence that included stints in SW Missouri (Ozark's are pretty, But WAY WAY backward for me - I could not leave fast enough) ... and Boulder CO (another glorious and wonderful place to live) ...

So ... the big state to my south ... the place I called home since elementary school and through 25 years of a career, might just be in my sights again ..... My Oregon DU friends don't know yet ...

FIRST thing I will do: sit on the rocks down from Cliff Dr. in Laguna Beach, just south of where Victor Hugo's used to be, and take in a beautiful beach sunset ....

Yeah .... I miss that ....

We will see ....

In many ways, Washington and Oregon are the 'new California'. Certainly, there's a zeitgeist up there that is nearly futuristic and that I admire.

But...don't you get sun challenged?

I can't bear it when it is overcast here in L.A. for more than a few days.

I'll be in Laguna tomorrow coincidentally.

I'm sick of being threatened by the state to "Click it or ticket", "slow for the cone zone or we will fine you $1,000.00", don't smoke, don't talk on your cell phone, don't let your dog in the front seat of your car, no beer on the beach and on and on and on. We are probably the biggest nanny state in the country and I, for one, am sick of it. Oh yeah, and another thing, every time I see one of those "report drunk drivers" signs on the freeway all I can think of is changing "drivers" to "Presidents".

Don't let the door hitcha where fetal development splitcha.

three more people in the parking lot. Three more people in the coffee shop, three more people eveywhere and this place is sooooo full of people that you can't turn around and spit anymore without breaking the law! If I leave California now, I can never afford to come back? Come back to what? Overcrowding? Inflated real estate? dilapidated infrastructure? A nanny state on steroids? Give me a break! I have lived here since the 50's and I know what California used to be. This nanny state ain't it.

You'd like their lack of taxes, their lack of good roads, their lack of museums, symphonies, universities.

No "nannies" there.

Be careful what you wish for.

I'll take it, with all its faults.

I think Howard Jarvis really screwed up this state. Now, the Republicans can prevent any tax increase no matter how much education, the unemployed, the disabled need the money. I think inequality in Calif. is increasing. On the positive side, at least it will hopefully keep allowing lesbians and gays to get married.

Unfortunately, even Governor Brown trying to articluate that 13 favored industrial and commerical real estate, not just homeowners, it just never got through.

Prop 8 was a great initiative that never had a chance against the well funded Prop 13.

Prop 13 really needs to be revisited.