• Houston

    No, no..the medical service doesn't suck, the fact that so many don't have insurance suck, the fact that it costs an arm and a leg to get insurance suck and the fact that we might not have a choice come soon, suck..sorry about my wording..
    I am very happy to live here in the states, but yes, some things could be made better for many people..


  • Alas, we are imperfect…the state of humanity. There is no perfect answer because there are no perfect people.

    But back to the original subject, I would be happy to welcome Buana (and Petra from Slovakia) to my home. We're like a large family over here. We say what we want about each other, but let someone else get into the mix and look out! Once someone is part of the family, it applies to them as well.


  • Politics aside, I made the big move five years ago. I decided I wasn't a tree and didn't have roots in the ground so I could go wherever I pleased. I'm so happy I did.

    Of course, I'm going to suggest to you to visit the North Georgia Mountains or somewhere in the mountains in TN or NC. The weather is never extreme and the land is quite cheap these days, not to mention the scenery is lovely. There are lots of horse and cattle ranches, farms, and people raise Llamas and Ostrich in the area, too.

    If you don't want to live in the USA, Chile is wonderful. Have you traveled there? Before I moved to GA, I was looking at vineyards in San Rafael - Mendoza, Argentina. Also, Chile was an option as the climate is lovely and the government much more sound than Argentina's. The fear of unstable governments in SA made me decide to stay in the USA. I picked out Blairsville, GA, on a map and moved, sight unseen. This is home and I love it.

    Now, my dream is to buy a place with more land so I can raise chickens, rescue burros/donkeys (so many people have them here), horses, goats, and, of course, a few more dogs.

    Today's temp at 2 pm EST is 68 degrees in November.

    There is a Gorilla rescue about 20 miles from here. http://www.gorilla-haven.org/ Also, another nearby ranch has rescued Buffalo.

    Whatever you decide, please tell us about it.


  • @Vicki:

    Politics aside, I made the big move five years ago. I decided I wasn't a tree and didn't have roots in the ground so I could go wherever I pleased. I'm so happy I did.

    Of course, I'm going to suggest to you to visit the North Georgia Mountains or somewhere in the mountains in TN or NC. The weather is never extreme and the land is quite cheap these days, not to mention the scenery is lovely. There are lots of horse and cattle ranches, farms, and people raise Llama's and Ostrich in the area, too.

    If you don't want to live in the USA, Chile is wonderful. Have you traveled there? Before I moved to GA, I was looking at vineyards in San Rafael - Mendoza, Argentina. Also, Chile was an option as the climate is lovely and the government much more sound than Argentina's. The fear of unstable governments in SA made me decide to stay in the USA. I picked out Blairsville, GA, on a map and moved, sight unseen. This is home and I love it.

    Now, my dream is to buy a place with more land so I can raise chickens, rescue burros/donkeys (so many people have them here), horses, goats, and, of course, a few more dogs.

    Today's temp at 2 pm EST is 68 degrees in November.

    There is a Gorilla rescue about 20 miles from here. http://www.gorilla-haven.org/ Also, another nearby ranch has rescued Buffalo.

    Whatever you decide, please tell us about it.

    I am really good friends with the woman that runs Gorilla Haven. Jane Dewar…she is having a rough time trying to keep enough support of her facility. There really aren't THAT many gorillas that need 'rescued'...and the establishment isn't taking her project very seriously, sadly. Chimps...now that is another story...this country could probably support about a billion chimp and monkey rescues...


  • Depending on where you look in California there are some nice warm places where they have ostrich and emu farms. The down side is the cost of living in California is higher than in other states.


  • @lvoss:

    Depending on where you look in California there are some nice warm places where they have ostrich and emu farms. The down side is the cost of living in California is higher than in other states.

    I would agree… there are lots of ostrich and emu farms here, especially in No California where the climate is moderate year round... the most problems we have are that rain season is November to March and then NO rain at all.. makes B's a bit difficult in the winter season.. but the temp is pretty mild year round... personally I love it... no humidity...


  • @tanza:

    I would agree… there are lots of ostrich and emu farms here, especially in No California where the climate is moderate year round... the most problems we have are that rain season is November to March and then NO rain at all.. makes B's a bit difficult in the winter season.. but the temp is pretty mild year round... personally I love it... no humidity...

    It really is, perhaps the most perfect climate in the world 😉 and one of the most beautiful places as well. Whenever I visit my sister in Northern Cal…I wonder 'why the he!! don't I live here???"


  • @Quercus:

    It really is, perhaps the most perfect climate in the world 😉 and one of the most beautiful places as well. Whenever I visit my sister in Northern Cal…I wonder 'why the he!! don't I live here???"

    EXACTLY…. of course the cost of living is terrible.... and the state is ready for bankruptcy... but hey.. the weather is super!!!! Coming from the East Coast for the first 32 yrs of my life.. I have decided there is no place else I would rather live


  • @tanza:

    EXACTLY…. of course the cost of living is terrible.... and the state is ready for bankruptcy... but hey.. the weather is super!!!! Coming from the East Coast for the first 32 yrs of my life.. I have decided there is no place else I would rather live

    Yeah, and me growing up in Seattle (but originating elsewhere)…I love having the ocean, mountains and forest so close...yet it rarely rains there. Now, my sister was BORN in Seattle...she complains about it being too hot, and not enough rain and clouds in NorCal....crazy!


  • I suggested Texas because the climate is warm, the cost of living is low relative to, say, California or Arizona, the politicians haven't outlawed everything and the taxes are relatively low.

    I, too, lived in California for a few years. I lived in the Mojave Desert and loved it out there. I escaped, however, when they started outlawing some of my legally obtained possessions and then expected me to turn them in.

    After I left, I was charged income taxes for the five years following my exodus. I had a lien on my credit and didn't know anything about it until I tried to buy a house somewhere else. I had to prove to California that I had moved…dig up W2's, tax returns, copy of my driver license...and it still took two years, numerous phone calls to the Tax Payer Advocate and three emails to Gov. Schwarzenegger's office to clear it up. Needless to say, I didn't get to buy that house. And a record of the lien stayed on my credit report for 7 years that I had to explain every time I wanted credit.


  • @AJs:

    I suggested Texas because the climate is warm, the cost of living is low relative to, say, California or Arizona, the politicians haven't outlawed everything and the taxes are relatively low.

    I, too, lived in California for a few years. I lived in the Mojave Desert and loved it out there. I escaped, however, when they started outlawing some of my legally obtained possessions and then expected me to turn them in.

    After I left, I was charged income taxes for the five years following my exodus. I had a lien on my credit and didn't know anything about it until I tried to buy a house somewhere else. I had to prove to California that I had moved…dig up W2's, tax returns, copy of my driver license...and it still took two years, numerous phone calls to the Tax Payer Advocate and three emails to Gov. Schwarzenegger's office to clear it up. Needless to say, I didn't get to buy that house. And a record of the lien stayed on my credit report for 7 years that I had to explain every time I wanted credit.

    It is unfortunate that Franchise Tax didn't remove the lien from your credit report.

    I'm a California girl, too. I lived in California for 60+ years, but I left five years ago to escape the mass exodus from the Bay Area to Sacramento during the housing boom. Sacramento was a beautiful town with so much open countryside and farmland - it is now wall-to-wall ugly sub-divisions.

    I loved growing up in CA, but as I aged, I found it less desirable to live there for so many different reasons. I do miss some of the luxuries like Napa Valley and the wine country, the north coast, great food in San Francisco, but I wouldn't trade my quiet country life to live there again.


  • Interesting, I grew up on the East coast and lived there for 35yrs… then moved to No California... never regret the choice.


  • It depends on which part of the East Coast you moved from. If it was New York or New Jersey, then, absolutely, California is an improvement. Right now, Nassau County in New York, taxpayers are paying upwards of 60% of their income between city, county, state and federal taxes.

    That's what's great about the USA. If you don't like one state, you can move to another. I just wish people would stop trying to make their new home into their old home. There's a reason why you left your old home.

    And California is a beautiful state. Gorgeous.


  • AJ said, I just wish people would stop trying to make their new home into their old home. There's a reason why you left your old home.

    My, goodness, that is what is happening in the GA, TN, NC mountains. Retirees move here because they love it, but they aren't in love with the mountain communities. Within a month or two of living in the mountains, the new-comers are complaining about everything not being like where they came from. We have a saying here, "Delta is ready when you are!" Many of the counties are dry, i.e. no alcohol is sold in stores or restaurants, and a person can't buy booze on Sunday - you should hear the fussing. I think it is funny that something like alcohol can stir up such a fuss. :p

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