the 100% directionless thread

CALEMT

The Other Guy/ Paramaybe?
4,524
3,348
113
Yep, absolutely. That said, without pigeon-holing the entire state into the “Yosemite Sam” character firing their pistols wildly in the air, those who do act this way usually never leave their tiny corner of the world.

Exactly. In my mind with my views and my hobbies I live in a kick *** state. Yet, I don't boast how my state is better than everyone else and the whole "don't mess with ______" state. I also don't give my opinions on other states without either A living in/ lived in that state or B extensively visiting that state. I give my opinions on CA because I lived there for 24 years, I give my opinions on WY because I've gone there every summer for the past 20 years, same for OK.

I don't get the whole my state is better than yours. I quite frankly don't give a flying ****. Congrats... you're a loudmouth that thinks the sun rises and sets in your state... theres 49 other states that have their own unique qualities about them.
 

PotatoMedic

Has no idea what I'm doing.
2,703
1,541
113
Once I have a house and some more time I'm going to find someone to get me into falconry.
 

Lo2w

Forum Captain
420
195
43
Oh, I noticed basically everyone at work has a personal backpack they bring. What all would one put in such a bag? Things like extra deodorant, socks, snacks, (my switch), etc?

In mine I had protocol and map book, extra ear tips for my stethoscope, OTC meds like pepto, excedrin and sleeve and some snacks.
 

Carlos Danger

Forum Deputy Chief
Premium Member
4,510
3,234
113
I hold no personal ties to my state in terms of politics. Honestly, I’m not tied any political party in the first place.

I totally get not being into politics, or caring much about one political party over another. But politics is like the weather; it happens and it affects us whether we choose to pay much attention or not.

I spent the first 30 years of my life in rural NY state and it was a pretty good place to live for the most part. Over the past couple of decades, politics there have changed dramatically and as a result it's a very different place to live than it used to be. Expenditures on welfare programs and government pensions have driven much faster than average increases in state spending. As a result, taxes and fines and fees of all types have gone way up and NY is now the highest taxed state besides CA. NY has the second or third most debt per capita of any state, and one of the highest homelessness and underemployment rates. It is considered one of the worst states for business due to the regulatory and tax environment. NY is mostly rural with a strong outdoor / hunting / firearms culture, tens of thousands of normal, law abiding members of which were turned into felons instantly with the passage of the SAFE ACT in 2013 in the wake of the CT school shooting. As a result of all this, people are leaving the state in droves. Every one of these changes was a result of politics.

Of course, many people are in favor of high taxes, generous welfare benefits, high levels of government spending, strict gun control, and rigid regulations on business and industry. My point here isn't to argue against those things, it's just to prove that there are important reasons why politics matters to people.
 

Carlos Danger

Forum Deputy Chief
Premium Member
4,510
3,234
113
With that being said, every day Texas creeps a little closer to being like California, and I’m super OK with that.

DIdn't you have a string of other posts not long ago where you whined about wanting to move back to California but not being able to afford to?

Has it ever occurred to you that there might be a connection between the politics and culture in California, and the fact that it is so expensive to live there?
 

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
4,997
1,461
113
Indeed I did. And I feel that a nuanced approach to state spending and taxes would be ideal. CA is just a little too expensive, but Texas isn’t that much cheaper (just enough to stay) and Texan environmental policy is horrendously weak. It’s not terrible yet, but I think that the free-wheeling Texan approach to state infrastructure and government only works with a profitable extractive economy and California is better-positioned to address post-oil challenges. Decreasing extractive non-agricultural yields make state budgeting hard when the vast majority of state budgets are directly funded by taxes on those resources, and as we’ve seen in Texas from oil busts, state agencies and services are directly impacted to a greater extent than states with more diversified economies and income streams.
California would’ve been a lot better off if the state GOP hadn’t committed mass political suicide with Prop. 187 in the 90s.
 

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
4,997
1,461
113
As it stands, Texas is financially where California was in the mid 1990s. All the social issues are window dressing- it’s ultimately about the money and the environment.
 

CCCSD

Forum Deputy Chief
1,755
1,081
113
The social issues in CA ARE NOT window dressing. Your research is faulty and incorrect- dangerously so...like all the idiots in CA voting for fixing the “social issues”.
We are daily losing safety and security, along with freedoms in CA because of those very individuals creating laws you so blithely admire.

CA is a ****ed up Third World State. And getting worse.
 

DesertMedic66

Forum Troll
11,268
3,450
113
In order for me to buy a normal 5 gallon gas jug for my dirt bike I must sign a document stating that I will only use said jug for water, even though it is not designed for water and is sold by racing fuel companies and has their logo on the side of it, all while they know I am still going to use it for gas.
 

VentMonkey

Family Guy
5,729
5,043
113
AEDFEDC0-65AD-403C-9B17-6A7C8A9FB03C.jpeg

Exactly what I—and I’m sure many-a-parent—think of Elf on a Shelf.

Thanos, you sir are the victor in this epic battle of parent vs. child...
 
Top