I was in the post office today waiting in a long line among a bunch of annoyed citizens. There were only two postal employees handling the windows, and one of them was absorbed by a couple who were filing for passports. So, basically, there was one guy serving the thirty customers waiting in line.
The folks in line were bantering to try to ease the boredom. Somehow “California” came up (perhaps it’s that State’s fault for the crappy postal service?) and several people found it necessary to diss the Golden State. One guy loudly chimed in, “That place sucks!”, and even the postal clerk, who should have been concentrating on his work, announced that he “wouldn’t live there if he was Brad Pitt and was worth a million dollars”. (I doubt that: he’s got a lously job in a Post Office and looks like he couldn’t get laid in a whorehouse!)
“Gee, folks, you don’t live in California, so…why the hate?”
Like probably half of the retired folks living in Mesquite, Nevada, I am an émigré from California. And, like most of my elderly peers, I didn’t leave California because it is a crummy place but, rather, because it is cheaper for retired folks to live in Nevada. “I’m on fixed income”, as the saying goes. There is no state income tax in Nevada: that’s $500/month in my pocket.
Maybe the ex-Californian wisecrackers in the post office line had to move to Nevada to stay afloat financially? There’s no shame in that: shit (and age) happens. Right?
There are a lot of California haters out there, most of whom haven’t lived there. A lot of the bad-mouthing is political, as the state is the most populous (i.e. has the most Congressional seats and electoral votes), has the most diverse racial makeup, and consistently votes Democratic. Right-wing political partisans hate that, and love to denigrate anything that comes out of California. It’s a Red vs. Blue state thing, I guess: some people obsess over that.
I was born in California (as was my wife Charlie), I was raised and schooled there, enjoyed a lengthy career there, raised a family there, and would probably still live there if not for economics.
California, like New York, is “where the action is”. If one wants to succeed wildly in a business endeavor, the chances are much greater in megalopolises than in sleepy rural areas and declining cities. There are a lot of billionaires in California, not so many in North Dakota, Wyoming or West Virginia. There are a lot of corporate ladders to scale in California. In fact, there are probably more businesses in California than there are people in Montana! (But, at least, they have a “Big Sky”!)
Cost of living is high in California, for sure. Of course, wages and job opportunities are greater there, as well. So, in the maximum earning years, there is a better chance of economic success in California than any other state. That’s why one-tenth of Americans live there. Are they stupid to do so?
It is, therefore, ironic that Republicans consistently throw shade on California. Supposedly, the G.O.P. is all about economic vitality, but conservative politician windbags endlessly ding the “failure” of California…even though the state’s economy is larger than all but a handful of nations in the world. Accordingly, it is difficult to see how California leaders are fucking things up so badly.
Taxes are high in California. Of course, the quality of infrastructure is very high: this is one reason why business thrives there. As someone once said, “The price of civilization is taxes”. Folks who don’t like high taxes shouldn’t go there: stay on your half-acre parcel served by dirt roads, where the nearest hospital is 30 miles distant, there is no cell service, and local town shops were boarded up thirty years ago. But, hey, at least you can shoot your guns there whenever you want.
There is no doubt that the Golden State engenders a lot of jealousy among non-Californians. Many folks who haven’t lived there, or can’t afford to live there, or can’t get hired there, or can’t afford to vacation there, envy Californians. And so, they come up with lame taunts. I ran across a lot of this when I was in the military. Guys from the South, in particular, felt it necessary to bad-mouth West Coasters…as if the southern states had much to brag about. Bad weather, crappy economy, “bad loser” politics, missing teeth…I’ll take a pass on that region.
If low housing and fuel costs are so great, why don’t more people live in Alabama?
One thing that is undeniable is the diverse beauty of California. Spectacular coasts, towering redwood forests, the snow-capped majestic mountain ranges, the solitude and beauty of the desert regions, the gorgeous grape-growing valleys, the Golden Gate, San Diego Bay, etc. One only has to drive through the boring Midwest (or most of Texas along I-10) to appreciate stunning variety of the California landscape.
I still feel like a Californian, even though we’ve had a home in Nevada for three years now. We still spend one month a year in Oceanside, near San Diego, in our RV.
If we win the lottery, we’ll probably move back.