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| | CALI LOVEPage 3 of 3 (1, 2, 3) | | err,, that would be sorts, not sports,,, what happened to the edit feature? | |
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| CALI LOVE
Posted: 6/21/2012 11:15:56 AM | | ^^^Green Thumbz, I don't appreciate your condescending attitude. Of course I know what a good citizen is and I am one., enough said. | |
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| CALI LOVE
Posted: 6/26/2012 1:05:24 AM | I think the global mass media culture is homogenizing places and making
them more like one another. If you go to Cheyenne, WY you're going to
see the same kind of teenaged slackers as downtown Los Angeles.
The geography and climate are the most distinguishing factors now. The
problem with California in 2012 is that you're paying through the nose
for nothing BUT climate. The state taxing agencies (like the Franchise
Tax Board) shake down small businesses for hidden taxes like no place
outside of NY or MA which is why business diversity is falling off in this
State.
I can only reiterate what I've said elsewhere about Palo Alto where I've
lived for 33 years. The downtown has NO bookstore, NO place to buy CDs,
NO place to buy musical instruments or sheet music yet it has six cellphone
stores and five fro-yo shops. It's become a dull town. It's all about tech toys
and overpriced homes. If I moved to 95% of the rest of the USA, my rent
would drop $1000/month.
So why don't I leave? I'm working on it!! | |
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mham
| | Joined: 9/9/2011
Msg: 54 | |
| CALI LOVE
Posted: 6/26/2012 2:59:32 AM | "I am a 6th generation native Californian, since 1849 to be exact. "
I love how this guy acts like he has been living in California for over 260 years. If not, why even mention what "generation native Californian" you are? Nobody cares. I have been living in this state since my birth too, but that doesnt give my word any more weight than someone who just became a legal resident of this state 5 minutes ago. Stop the elitism.
And "you have to be tough to live in California, not for the weak"? Are you out of your mind? Those of us who live here, regardless of what socioeconomic issues persist, live in a wonderful, WONDERFUL place. Of course it has flaws, but don't pretend like you are living in a third world country where you have to be tough as nails to scrape along. That was before even YOUR time on this earth. Comparing one state's "toughness" with another's is as asanine as it is juvenile. We arent an entire state set in the lowtown Favelas of Sao Paulo, so stop the sad song.
And about earthquakes...really? I know we have tumultuous faultlines and according to many geological researchers we are set to have "the big one" at some point, but we really haven't had any REAL recent problems with earthquakes. Take a look at Haiti, Chile, Japan, and some other locations that have taken some recent damage and then try to compare that with with California's recent history. Maybe as a "6th generation Californian" you can treat this forum with some of your personal experiences with earthquakes over the last 260 years, as well. | |
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| CALI LOVE
Posted: 6/26/2012 6:33:29 AM | | Uh, 1849 would be more like 160 years, but who's counting, certainly not you. As far as earthquakes, ever here of Loma Prieta, Northridge, even the 1906 San Francisco earthquake would be "recent" in geological reference. All of those did major damage costing lives and billions of dollars. Life is tough everywhere, not for the weak. As far as being a 6th generation native Californian, very few people can say that my friend. My kids are 7th generation. I'm proud to be a Californian, always will be until the day I die in an earthquake, volcano, flood, fire, tsunami, blizzard, riot or in my sleep surrounded by all my hippie, leftist and former Marine friends. Go Niners, Giants, A's, Warriors, Lakers, Kings, Kings even the damn Dodgers and Padres, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal etc. And yes, I did leave the Raiders out on purpose, Al Davis R.I.P. | |
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| CALI LOVE
Posted: 8/6/2012 6:09:29 PM | I've been in California for 33 years out of my 60 years of life. It has seen better days. You cannot beat the climate but the interpersonal climate doesn't resemble what was around as late as the late 1990s. We've just suffered the two largest urban bankruptcies in US history (Stockton, San Bernardino), the state budget is way in the hole despite worker furloughs, huge educational cuts, and cuts to social programs for the handicapped.
Despite being a "blue" state, which allegedly implies support for middle-class workers, Brown wants to increase payroll taxes and destroy what's left of people's disposable income ... which will put all the retailers in a bigger funk than they're in now. What is this guy smoking? If he went through the public services (police, education, fire, etc.) and stopped the legalized embezzlement by the administrative fat-cats he's cut many billions off the budget. It's not the rank-and-file workers that are killing CA, it's the upper-management, do-nothing bureaucratic figureheads at the top of the service organizations that are kept around while people who do real work are getting laid off.
Finally, I've gone from regarding Californians as idiosyncratic, unique thinkers in the late 1970s, to provocative kooks in year 2012. California's schools, depending on the surveying body, are now about 47th or 48th out of 50 and this is showing up in a much DUMBER social environment.
California has gorgeous nature, a great climate, and more things to do than most places. However, it's huge edge has dissipated since its glory days. During the recession of 2000-2001, CA was the only state from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean (that's 11 states) that had a net OUTMIGRATION so, despite the boosterism on much of this thread, it's PROVABLY losing its luster. I'm preparing to move to Washington state, despite the gloomy winters, because I don't think CA is worth paying 100% higher rents to live in. It was worth it at one time. That time has passed. | |
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| CALI LOVE
Posted: 8/6/2012 8:31:43 PM | You know... our last gubernatorial election was heinous for me. I hated the Republican choice, but I remembered Jerry Brown from the last time he was in office. Nothing he says or does surprises me in any way, matter, shape or form. He did well in Oakland, but a city is a lot different to run than a state is. There is a lot of ****ing about Prop 13, but freezing property taxes has allowed those on fixed incomes to stay here and avoid losing their homes. This would have further damaged the economy.
California's schools, depending on the surveying body, are now about 47th or 48th out of 50 and this is showing up in a much DUMBER social environment.
Well, I would argue that the dumbing down of California schools has had more to do with the high illegal alien population, resulting in a student body that has a high level of students that are ESL. That is going to cut into your standardized testing like crazy. And it's not really something that you can do anything about. Also, schools are overloaded by illegal aliens that breed at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. More kids, with less language skills. Also, budget cuts to education have resulted in services to high achieving students and the arts being cut because their isn't enough money to go around. We lack the kind of infrastructure for uncontrolled immigration.
I am not even going to start my rant about science and math education in the primary and secondary levels. That just drives me insane. Grrrrr.
I actually have more of a beef with the immigration policies from a public health perspective. When a person applies for citizenship to the US, they have to be sponsored and checked out physically before they get here. Sponsorship makes them less of a drag to the already completely overloaded uninsured medical system. The upswing in the cases of TB has been a problem, as has the appearance of the antibiotic resistant TB. And when people who are infected can just wander around and infect others... it's a huge problem.
Issues facing California, such as the growth of the government machine that occurred during the tech boom that is now being maintained at previous levels. When the tech bubble burst... companies went out of business resulting in less of a tax base. Tech companies that survived, began outsourcing their technical support and customer service, resulting in less jobs. So, even tech companies that survive here, are not contributing by providing jobs that might pay a living wage.
Manufacturing has fled California like crazy, and in a state with easy access to shipping facilities and a great cargo rail system? More results of outsourcing. This is a problem for the blue collar community that is neither college educated, nor is capable of finishing a college level education. One thing that I learned working in tutorial services... is that not everyone should aspire to matriculate. So if you learn a trade, there isn't a guarantee that you will ever be able to ply it. The movie industry, doesn't bother to film here anymore. That has been a big hit to the LA metro economy.
I'm preparing to move to Washington state, despite the gloomy winters, because I don't think CA is worth paying 100% higher rents to live in. Well since the real estate bubble has collapsed, you should be able to afford to buy here.
As a Native Californian... I have seen the Golden State become the plastic state. However, I will say that the air quality has improved vastly since I was a kid. | |
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