Political Discussion

Even CA isn’t immune to these things

So my dear wife who is fairly liberal wants to leave Texas for a more left leaning state. She specifically would love to head to California. I had to inform her that there's shitbag Trump type people all over California too. Sadly, in some of the areas she'd like to move to. I could be wrong but there were more people who voted for Trump in that state than any other state he carried in 2020. So it's not the panacea that she thinks it is. There's shitty people everywhere and they're becoming more militant about it because of the endless feedback loop of social media.
 
So my dear wife who is fairly liberal wants to leave Texas for a more left leaning state. She specifically would love to head to California. I had to inform her that there's shitbag Trump type people all over California too. Sadly, in some of the areas she'd like to move to. I could be wrong but there were more people who voted for Trump in that state than any other state he carried in 2020. So it's not the panacea that she thinks it is. There's shitty people everywhere and they're becoming more militant about it because of the endless feedback loop of social media.
while this is true, it is definitely truest that texas is a conservative wasteland where conservatives have been actively fucking up the entire state for like 30 years in a row. that power grid thing is just a travesty

I mean, i'm a floridian, i'm not casting aspersions -- our governor voldemort gave way to the fucking ron disaster moron
 
while this is true, it is definitely truest that texas is a conservative wasteland where conservatives have been actively fucking up the entire state for like 30 years in a row. that power grid thing is just a travesty

I mean, i'm a floridian, i'm not casting aspersions -- our governor voldemort gave way to the fucking ron disaster moron
Well sure but we're in fairly blue Dallas which was my point to her. Outside of the big cities, you're going to get into Trumpland. We see it when we head to the Hill Country for trips to state parks. Trump signs, Let's Go Brandon signs, all dot the landscape. But yes, it's amazing how much they are wrecking the state with either inaction on gun violence, trying to take over Harris County elections (Houston), and giving preference to businesses over individuals in the form of property tax relief. Oh and Abbott trying to destroy our public school system with his misguided push for private school vouchers that even small town Republicans are fighting him on. And this state keeps electing these shitbags.
 

Job market is still strong and unemployment rates are still near historic lows. This means that yet another rate hike from the feds is likely because the economy just will not cool off and inflation is still persistent.


At the same time, Costco and Macys could be sounding the alarm about trouble to come.

So how can the economy both be hot and in trouble at the same time. What's going on here?
 
Well sure but we're in fairly blue Dallas which was my point to her. Outside of the big cities, you're going to get into Trumpland. We see it when we head to the Hill Country for trips to state parks. Trump signs, Let's Go Brandon signs, all dot the landscape. But yes, it's amazing how much they are wrecking the state with either inaction on gun violence, trying to take over Harris County elections (Houston), and giving preference to businesses over individuals in the form of property tax relief. Oh and Abbott trying to destroy our public school system with his misguided push for private school vouchers that even small town Republicans are fighting him on. And this state keeps electing these shitbags.
There's a big difference between "there are a lot of MAGA chuds in the sticks here" and "MAGA chuds run the infrastructure here," and it sounds like you get a lot of the latter in Texas (the whole snafu with the privatized power grid failing in the face of record cold snaps a year or two comes to mind).

I'm not 100% sure what you'd research to figure out what state/city would be ideal for you. From my perspective, Portland is incredibly liberal, but it also gives way to libertarianism which gives way to MAGA-style right-wing extremism; just because our city is considered a liberal enclave doesn't mean we aren't surrounded by a strong right-wing presence (and often our desire to be accepting allows a lot of low-level bullshit to creep in and calcify into high-level bullshit). IMO the latter is exacerbated by the former, leading me to think a more moderate political environment might not drive such a strident discourse. But then there are a lot of deeper, more complicated issues affecting Portland/Oregon which exacerbate both sides.

All this is to say nowhere is going to be ideal. I do think there are cities/town you can live where you don't have to worry about running into cultists the moment you hit city limits. And keep in mind (I have to remind myself this a lot) the one house plastered with Trump paraphernalia and bastardized/mutilated American flags doesn't speak for the other houses on that street; often these people speak really loudly so it feels like there are no other opinions.
 

WashingtonCNN —
The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a cement mixing company that seeks to bypass federal labor law and sue a union in state court for the destruction of property caused by striking workers.

The court said the dispute could continue in state court for now, a move that could chill workers’ decisions to strike for fear that unions would now have to face potentially costly litigation in state court for misconduct during federally protected strikes.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

The SCOTUS further eroding unions yet again.

And the destruction of property was the loss of all concrete that was prepared for that day.
 
It's all been very preliminary, surface level hypotheticals about areas we would love to go to. But there's lots of realities that make a move harder. I'm thankful we have the privilege that we do to not have to worry about this state making life harder for our family like we might if we had a gender fluid child or were a different race. I have an elderly mother still with us that I do a lot for who doesn't want to leave her house. Our kids go to really great public schools here that can open lots of doors for the future. So we're stuck here for at least 5 more years. After that, we're definitely moving to the make things more of a reality phase. We're encouraging our kids to look outside of this state now for college or whatever comes after high school for them. I would've loved for my kids to continue the tradition that's been in my family of attending the University of Texas in Austin. But I have to weigh that against one or both of my daughters staying in a state where they can't even save their own lives or even get the choice to pursue anything if they happen to get pregnant and need to terminate a pregnancy that might be a risk to their life if taken to full term. My niece is over on the West Coast for college and we know she's not coming back.

Then there's part of me that gets angry that I have to consider leaving my home state because of what's being done here. It's like Michael from Office Space. Why should I have to change, they're the ones that suck? The sad reality is I feel places like Texas and Florida are just going to tilt more and more towards the right as they accumulate power and have the means to ensure they can maintain it through redistricting and changing laws to suit their lust for power. That's why I'm glad to live in our little progressive enclave of East Dallas. There's been lots of talk about Texas turning purple but I just don't see it. Yes, we're becoming a minority majority state but I worry there's a segment that sides with the "strong man" and they will vote against their own interests. I simply don't get how Republicans can do what they do here and people keep voting for them. There's a point where it will no longer be worth it to live here, even in Dallas.
 
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I simply don't get how Republicans can do what they do here and people keep voting for them. There's a point where it will no longer be worth it to live here, even in Dallas.
This is the thing that kills me the most about the states like this (not just TX). "things are terrible!" well who's been in charge for the last 40 years fuckers?
 

It is truly astounding how quickly, holistically, and voluntarily Ronald DeSantis transformer-ed himself from the seemingly-inevitable President Damien (what up, Omen III fans) of democratic nightmares to Principal Puddingfingers, smearing his shitty evil custard all over the educational system and uncontrollably red-faced screaming at random kids for wearing outfits he doesn't like and holding hands in the hallways while waging a war against fun, love, and happiness.
I don't mean to downplay the horror that lives inside of that sodden manatee-turd of a man, or the horror he is slowly releasing from the fucking lich-seal he calls a heart into poor Florida, who, despite just fully being Florida all the time, didn't deserve this.
But this was the guy.
This was The Guy.
Ronald DeSantis was supposed to be the fascist messiah. The great Ur-Alpha Male. The one long foretold who would come at last in the end of days, when the hopes of far-right extra-white authoritarian fundamentalist theocracy were at their lowest, to bring aid and succor and the satisfaction of all their most tortured dreams of...well, basically just torture.
Ronald was supposed to be that great man of myth and legend, the darkest fear of the left and deepest dream of the right: the Competent Fascist. The Smart Trump. The one who deeply understood the system and thus could manipulate it to his liking. The one who really and truly did play 5D chess while the rest of us dinked around with checkers. The one so seemingly sensible and normal he could trick moderates and independents into waking up one day and saying "You know what, I'm feeling so good today I think I WILL vote for death and mayhem on an unimaginable scale! I just like that guy so dang much Imma let him brutalize my family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors!" He went to Harvard Law! He came from a middle-class family! He's young and allegedly handsome! It's all coming together for the good old down-home three-dog garage American Nazi!
But he's not. He's really not. He never was. And he never could have been -- because there's just no such thing as a smart fascist. Not emotionally, not intellectually, not strategically or philosophically or practically. The ideology itself is about as clever and complex as a rock to the face: me best + them bad + you do what me say or else you them.
Before I say anything else I want to make it clear as a new day in bloody America: just because he's not smart doesn't mean he's not dangerous, because he is. It doesn't mean he can't win, because he has and he can. It doesn't mean he isn't actively hurting people with malice aforethought right the fuck now, because any idle TV will show this man feasting on human misery with relish, wiping his chin, and ordering more. It doesn't mean he's not to be taken seriously, pudding and all.
There's no such thing as a smart fascist, but dumb wins A LOT of the time.
 
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This is the thing that kills me the most about the states like this (not just TX). "things are terrible!" well who's been in charge for the last 40 years fuckers?
Oh that's easy. They just blamed Clinton then the Democratic Congress for 8 years then Obama for 8 years then Democrats again and now Biden. It's all the Federal Government's fault.
 

So, the vast majority of people are being dropped due to technicalities rather than no longer being eligible. Sounds about right for our government programs.
 
Again, love my hometown. Why do we have to change, they're the ones that suck!

Dallas-pride-skyline.jpg
 
I had to go to Home Depot to get a specific brand of trimmer and leaf blower that I've been studying as I make my way towards all electric lawn care products. I had to wait about 20 minutes to have a team member open the locked cage that held the giant box for the combo kit I was buying. While waiting I walked around and tons of aisles had either stuff behind cages or locked with chains. I asked the guy who eventually helped me just how bad the problem is and he said they've had a ton of smash and grabs over the past year. Just people walking in, grabbing a tool set and running off. Of course, the employees are trained not to pursue as that could be highly dangerous, especially in gun loving Texas. So this was what corporate came up with. Inconvenient for me but I'd rather have this than lose a store I utilize. They just need a better system to call someone over to open the cage. The guy had to walk my purchase up to the front. I'm curious if certain people get profiled on the walk.
 
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I had to go to Home Depot to get a specific brand of trimmer and leaf blower that I've been studying as I make my way towards all electric lawn care products. I had to wait about 20 minutes to have a team member open the locked cage that held the giant box for the combo kit I was buying. While waiting I walked around and tons of aisles had either stuff behind cages or locked with chains. I asked the guy who eventually helped me just how bad the problem is and he said they've had a ton of smash and grabs over the past. Just people walking in, grabbing a tool set and running off. Of course, the employees are trained not to pursue as that could be highly dangerous, especially in gun loving Texas. So this was what corporate came up with. Inconvenient for me but I'd rather have this than lose a store I utilize. They just need a better system to call someone over to open the cage. The guy had to walk my purchase up to the front. I'm curious if certain people get profiled on the walk.
I’ve had mixed results with the way Lowe’s and Home Depot handle this. It always takes forever. Buying hammer drill was easy enough but got the escort. Trying to buy a tool chest, I eventually gave up and ordered it online for pick up. What bothered me that day was the amount of staff walking around who appeared to be doing nothing but could not assist me.
 
I’ve had mixed results with the way Lowe’s and Home Depot handle this. It always takes forever. Buying hammer drill was easy enough but got the escort. Trying to buy a tool chest, I eventually gave up and ordered it online for pick up. What bothered me that day was the amount of staff walking around who appeared to be doing nothing but could not assist me.
Yeah, I guess going forward I'll buy in advance and have them hold it for me or buy online. I try to be really diligent and support my local mom and pop hardware stores but they don't stock Ryobi products. But for smaller items, I go to them every time. And yes, it took a while and eventually I had to go find a guy who could then call a guy and then I still stood around for 10 minutes. Just add a call button so I could get someone myself though I could see that's been used to distract employees so you can run scams.
 
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