Post: #26

California is in big trouble....I keep hearing rumors that Los Angeles will eventually default, and thats going to be the end of it.

If you own a business that is mobile, why not go to Texas with zero state tax??

Of course I talk a lot of shit, but I live in TAX hell NYC....

California is the only state that lets the citizens "vote' on tax increases....If they did that in NYC, the 75% of our population on welfare would vote up the tax rate to 99.8%

Its sad, California is probably the most beautiful state...

Post: #27

(12-15-2012 05:54 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  Are you saying my scenario doesn't happen, ever? I know from first hand experience that it does, and on a regular basis. The scenario I laid out is VERY simplified but the fact is that California labor laws lean heavily on the employee's side of affairs. I've been dealing with HR departments for the last 10 years and have seen the most ridiculous rulings and handouts in favor of over-privileged workers.

Maybe I'm mistaken, I don't sign the check myself, but I drive through neighborhoods on the regular where families are living in garages and the zoning department is none the wiser. When I get a flat tire replaced, I pay cash and never get a receipt of sale. When I speak Spanish to the taco truck owner, I pay less than the no hablante behind me. There's a reason to the stereotype of the laborers in the Home Depot parking lot.

Do you work in H.R for big Ag? Because they are the big employers. I know old cats who were breaking child labor laws back in the 70s by working next to their parents in the fields on school days.

California is regional, too, so what goes on in the valley might be different from the cities.

Post: #28

(12-15-2012 05:16 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  Yeah. I know the City of SD is much different than East and North County, which is why I said lean (overall). I spent a summer out there a few years ago. I think in state and local politics SD leans right.

OC is republican as a whole, though cities like Santa Ana are more democratic. The rich parts of OC are def right wing no doubt.

This is kind of interesting:

In 2008 SAN DIEGO COUNTY TURNS BLUE: MORE REGISTERED DEMOCRATS THAN REPUBLICANS, REGISTRAR REPORTS http://eastcountymagazine.org/san_diego_...s_blue_238

In 2012 San Diego Republican voters outnumber Democrats by 100 http://www.cbs8.com/story/19456530/repor...ats-by-100

Only 100 more Republicans in the whole county. So it's pretty damn even these days.

San Diego is not the conservative stronghold of yesteryear.

Also, keep in mind, that a California Republican is not the same wack job that is in other states. Most people in California care about things like the environment and on social issues they are pretty liberal.

The Tea Party never caught on in California. I would wager most people in California probably don't even know what it is.

Post: #29

I will break this down later when I get home form work..

California is a huge state with a wide variety of socio-economic and political perspectives.

Some places are liberal, some places are conservative.

We have strict areas, lawless areas, billionaires, criminals, and everything in between.

One city can be a worldwide center for technology and 4 miles away will be practically 3rd world.

We even have large areas that want to secede from California and form their own state.

NorCal and SoCal are practically 2 different states.

San Francisco is almost a separate entity from the rest of the state.

It's impossible to generalize about CA. Our population is too big. Our economy is like to 7th biggest in the world.

Some counties are police states, some counties are funded by Marijuana.

It all depends where in California we are talking about.

Post: #30

(12-15-2012 01:39 PM)ElJefe Wrote:  most progressive and open-minded people.

I don't believe that

Post: #31

I'm suprised by this. As a Brit I've always thought California was like the land of milk and honey.

Post: #32

(12-15-2012 06:38 PM)lush1 Wrote:  I'm suprised by this. As a Brit I've always thought California was like the land of milk and honey.

That's what it used to be and some areas are. But I say that's over

Post: #33

It used to be....California was milk and honey since the 1800's gold rush.

It really is liberal policy gone beserk, the housing crisis also really hurt them bad financially.

Post: #34

@painter okay now that I can agree with. The bureaucratic machine in this state (and most cities) is ridiculous and I'm in full agreement that liberal policymaking has created way too much government. You can't even post a sign in the window of your business without applying for a fucking permit from the city first.

Gio is right though. I'm speaking from the perspective of L.A. I know there are parts of this state that are still the wild west in terms of Uncle Sam nosing around in your business. Shit, meth labs are still rampart here because you get sleepy little towns like Alturas that are still unheard of and property prices are still dirt cheap.

@Eisenbard we're talking about two very different scenarios. You're talking about lower income areas that have somewhat of a lawlessness behind them, and there are CERTAINLY plenty of areas like that all over california. If anything, they're part of the problem, since they don't have to adhere to the intense restrictions that legitimate businesses do AND don't contribute sales tax.

I'm talking about migrant labor, for whom it's ALL too easy to get false documents, work in the U.S. with full employee benefits, and they'll STILL have the gall to file class action lawsuits for a long list of reasons.

At my current job, we've got a situation where all of our housekeepers, about 30 of them, are filing a class action for back pay due to unpaid vacation hours. Because the company had a shitty H.R. manager previously who didn't keep tight records, we have no way of knowing whether or not these people actually got their vacation pay, but unless we provide proof, the judge automatically awards the case in the housekeepers favor. Half of them probably aren't even legal, and knowing what I know of these folks they're just getting their share of the pie and taking the company for a ride. I've seen this shit happen countless times over the last 10 years.

I would absolutely 100% never own a business in California. You just wind up being a target. If it's not your employees, it's the local EPA. If it's not them, it's the city, or the county, or the Health Department, or the Labor department.

Post: #35

Haha, can't even post a sign without a permit. In my city they started taking out stoplights and putting in traffic circles. They looked pretty good but of course they couldn't stop there, they put stop signs at all four streets. That's one of my pet peeves. I'm about to head out over to a neighborhood where they have these parkways. I shit you not, there's stop signs 20 feet apart from each other!

I'm sure in LA there they've got the traffic signals all timed right. Here you have to literally floor it from one light to the next, otherwise you get stopped every block. They say it would take genius level traffic experts to fix, I could do it in about five minutes if you let me at the timers.

I have this fantasy of getting a heavy duty pickup truck and rigging up a big metal hook that you could raise up from the bed, drive down the street and rip out every traffic signal. Unfortunately they've got fucking spy cameras on every block, probably wouldn't get very far before every cop in the city came after me.

Post: #36

I like living in LA. Its diverse, there are a lot of things to do and the weather is great. The location is great for trips to asia, hawaii, easy trips to vegas or wherever. The taxes suck, but I'm not ready to go live in some crappy town where its mini-mall hell, I'll pay the extra 10% for the premium of living here. Eventually I'll probably leave though when I want to slow down my lifestyle and just take things slow, but I'm not there, I'm not going to waste my time away in a 2nd or 3rd tier area. I'm never bored here and if I get stir crazy I just take a 30 minute flight to Vegas, a 2 hour flight to cabo or a 6 hour flight to Hawaii....all of the flights are under $400.

I could care less about the impending pension time bomb, the invasion of illegals, the terrible schools or whatever people are throwing there. I can easily pick up and leave any time I want, its the good thing about having freedom of movement and options.

I don't really think here in California, you can really raise a family in a fairly safe area if you're not making over $200k a year, which is why I think people leave. You basically have to send them to private school if you don't want them to be in gang infested high schools.

Post: #37

Don't get me wrong. I love it here. There's nowhere else I'd rather live except MAYBE NY. I just wouldn't start a business or a family here.

Lights aren't timed here. It drives me nuts. I remember a few years back there was a ballot measure to time traffic lights, and it would cost such and such amount of dollars. I remember thinking, "Shit! They don't already do that?!"

Post: #38

Yeah, and for being such a "golden state" our roads are 3rd world. Even in Beverly Hills...going down Sunset or Willshire Blvd....potholes galore, its insane how bad our roads are.

Post: #39

(12-15-2012 07:57 PM)PartyonBro Wrote:  The location is great for trips to asia, hawaii, easy trips to vegas or wherever.

I disagree with the "wherever" part. Asia, Hawaii and (parts of Mex) are basically the full list of places "easy" to travel too.

That is another big reason California is in my rearview; it is a pain to travel from there.

Quote:I'm never bored here and if I get stir crazy I just take a 30 minute flight to Vegas

This can work up until you have crossed the 100 night threshold in Vegas.

Then, drinking bleach seems more appealing than a Vegas trip.

Quote:I don't really think here in California, you can really raise a family in a fairly safe area if you're not making over $200k a year, which is why I think people leave. You basically have to send them to private school if you don't want them to be in gang infested high schools.

Agreed 100%.

$200k a year and a family, you are pretty damn broke in CA. If you want to live in a nice hood, you need way, way more than that.

Post: #40

well, its easy for me since I live 5 min from the airport...yeah, east coast is better for europe i guess but I've been going there yearly for the last 4 years so its not that bad. i guess i'm just used to it, travel isn't that big of a deal to me since i can actually knock out and sleep pretty well on flights. i think the best thing is that not living in a place where there is snow/inclement weather, its pretty easy to book direct flights.

I've been thinking down the line to live in Vegas or something and just make quick trips to California or have a satellite pad here I can kick it, but everytime I stay more than 3 days in Vegas I realize there is no way in hell I can live there. I'm pretty sure the other destinations where Californians go to...I couldn't live in either....texas...yeah, maybe Austin...maybe. Arizona? dunno, I'd get sick of it fast.....

Just so many damned options out here even though its spread out.

I'm way over 100 trips to vegas...still not sick of it personally...just so much to do there and so many options. plus its really really cheap and easy once you get a system together.

Post: #41

So I guess there is no more California Dreaming. Damn and I never got that far west.

Post: #42

(12-15-2012 01:39 PM)ElJefe Wrote:  @ Gmanifesto: I sympathize, but I can't help but laugh. Did you not argue rather vehemently in the run-up to the election (or was that MikeCF?) that more liberal places were cooler, either by causation or coincidence? And a 52 percent marginal tax rate on income is not bad at all, when considering certain European countries. Denmark has a marginal tax rate of 56 percent that kicks in at earnings above USD75,000 and consumption taxes come out at about 30%, assuming you don't buy cars or stuff like that. In total, the marginal tax rate for a lot of people is close to 70%.

I personally wouldn't live in Denmark based on all the negative comments from this forum, haha. With their tax rates, they're at least getting better healthcare, cheaper/better educational opportunities, not having to pay for ridiculous car insurance rates, outrageous car registration/inspectiom/maintenance fees, and of course better public transportation systems.

Yeah Cali may have a comparable or slightly lower tax rate but the amenities their hard working taxpayers receive do not come close to what western Euro countries get so there is no fair comparison between the two.

Post: #43

(12-15-2012 08:30 PM)PartyonBro Wrote:  I'm way over 100 trips to vegas...still not sick of it personally...just so much to do there and so many options. plus its really really cheap and easy once you get a system together.

Damn, that is some serious Vegas time.

Did you mean to say 100 nights or 100 trips?

100+ trips is like once a month for ten years.

That could easily be 300+ nights.

If you have done that, I would think you would have the place pretty well covered.

Post: #44

yeah, I've been in California since 95...in college my aunt and uncle were comped so I'd go with them sometimes twice a month.... as long as I drove their car there, they paid for everything, ate for free, saw free shows, got spending money and had nights free to myself...not a lot of going out then though... In the early to mid 2000s, I'd go maybe 4-5 times every summer...then a bunch of random trips here and there...manny pacquiao weekends, bachelor parties, even weekday trips for events. Its not a real big deal to me to go there, its really like going out for the weekend...LA nightlife is pretty wack so I enjoy going there where there's a lot more freedom. I mean its EASY to go there without missing any work if you live in California...I've even "commuted" from there several times...basically go out sunday night, fly out of Vegas at 6am and then go straight to work.

I mean I didn't feel like I really went there this much this year and I've gone 6 times already.

Post: #45

Shit if people are leaving California, where are they moving to? I think the rest of the U.S. sucks, California is still by far the best state. There maybe other cool spots like Austin, but they are still surrounded by shit (Texas).

Post: #46

Yeah I can only imagine living in a big city but most of them aren't in tax free states. I mean miami is probably the only one I would want to live in. If there is a better overall option then California, I would like to hear it

Post: #47

(12-15-2012 12:32 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  It's the goddamn Police State:

More people moved out of California in 2011 than moved in, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau, signaling that the Democrat-run state’s economic woes continue to drive residents away.

Most statisticians attribute California’s net loss of 100,000 people last year to its high cost of living, increased population density and troubling unemployment rate.

The widening middle class in Mexico is also encouraging some immigrants to remain in that country instead of moving to California.

Texas — home to lower taxes, less regulation and what the Manhattan Institute calls a “labor pool with the right skills at the right price” — is one of the most attractive destinations for companies departing from California, according to the Census Bureau.

California has been hemorrhaging residents since 2005, but some experts say good news is on the horizon.

“We expect over the next couple of years that we will add jobs,” Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation chief economist Robert Kleinhenz told NBC News.

“This year, we’ve added jobs in California at a faster pace than in the nation as a whole. So, we are moving in right direction. As that happens, we’ll see the migration numbers turn around some.”

The Census Bureau reports that 468,428 people have moved to California from other states, and 269,772 have moved to the state from other countries


Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/12/census...z2F8vFzinN

Dude, considering the anti conservative rant you were going on a while back, I must say that I am having a good chuckle over you posting this. This is the end result of it all bro, why you so surprised?

Considering the current class war underway and all the people clamoring for more free shit, expect to see this nationwide as the Dems move further left and they win another 8 years after Clinton runs.

55 reasons why California is the worst state


Some of it is snark, but much of it is nothing more than fundamentals that have resulted from liberal policy making.

Good night sweet prince!

Post: #48

(12-15-2012 09:51 PM)Hooligan Harry Wrote:  

(12-15-2012 12:32 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  It's the goddamn Police State:

More people moved out of California in 2011 than moved in, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau, signaling that the Democrat-run state’s economic woes continue to drive residents away.

Most statisticians attribute California’s net loss of 100,000 people last year to its high cost of living, increased population density and troubling unemployment rate.

The widening middle class in Mexico is also encouraging some immigrants to remain in that country instead of moving to California.

Texas — home to lower taxes, less regulation and what the Manhattan Institute calls a “labor pool with the right skills at the right price” — is one of the most attractive destinations for companies departing from California, according to the Census Bureau.

California has been hemorrhaging residents since 2005, but some experts say good news is on the horizon.

“We expect over the next couple of years that we will add jobs,” Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation chief economist Robert Kleinhenz told NBC News.

“This year, we’ve added jobs in California at a faster pace than in the nation as a whole. So, we are moving in right direction. As that happens, we’ll see the migration numbers turn around some.”

The Census Bureau reports that 468,428 people have moved to California from other states, and 269,772 have moved to the state from other countries


Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/12/census...z2F8vFzinN

Dude, considering the anti conservative rant you were going on a while back, I must say that I am having a good chuckle over you posting this. This is the end result of it all bro, why you so surprised?

Considering the current class war underway and all the people clamoring for more free shit, expect to see this nationwide as the Dems move further left and they win another 8 years after Clinton runs.

55 reasons why California is the worst state


Some of it is snark, but much of it is nothing more than fundamentals that have resulted from liberal policy making.

Good night sweet prince!

Ha. Good catch.

Harry, I know it may seem contradictory, but I have reasons why I hate conservatives.

And I have reasons why I hate liberals.

Trust me, I have a unique situation and everything I do and support is in my own best interests.

Post: #49

(12-15-2012 09:51 PM)Hooligan Harry Wrote:  

(12-15-2012 12:32 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  It's the goddamn Police State:

More people moved out of California in 2011 than moved in, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau, signaling that the Democrat-run state’s economic woes continue to drive residents away.

Most statisticians attribute California’s net loss of 100,000 people last year to its high cost of living, increased population density and troubling unemployment rate.

The widening middle class in Mexico is also encouraging some immigrants to remain in that country instead of moving to California.

Texas — home to lower taxes, less regulation and what the Manhattan Institute calls a “labor pool with the right skills at the right price” — is one of the most attractive destinations for companies departing from California, according to the Census Bureau.

California has been hemorrhaging residents since 2005, but some experts say good news is on the horizon.

“We expect over the next couple of years that we will add jobs,” Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation chief economist Robert Kleinhenz told NBC News.

“This year, we’ve added jobs in California at a faster pace than in the nation as a whole. So, we are moving in right direction. As that happens, we’ll see the migration numbers turn around some.”

The Census Bureau reports that 468,428 people have moved to California from other states, and 269,772 have moved to the state from other countries


Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/12/census...z2F8vFzinN

Dude, considering the anti conservative rant you were going on a while back, I must say that I am having a good chuckle over you posting this. This is the end result of it all bro, why you so surprised?

Considering the current class war underway and all the people clamoring for more free shit, expect to see this nationwide as the Dems move further left and they win another 8 years after Clinton runs.

55 reasons why California is the worst state


Some of it is snark, but much of it is nothing more than fundamentals that have resulted from liberal policy making.

Good night sweet prince!

Just read that article.

If anything, it makes things better for a player.

Get all those rich fuckin businessmen (read: competition) and families out of here! Keep the steady supply of airheaded prom queens chasing an acting or modelling career!

Most of the issues on that list don't affect a modern player.

G already broke down the big ones: tons of cops, expensive ass tickets, early last call, can't smoke anywhere. Talk about a buzzkill.

Post: #50

You guys won't like to hear this (probably) but the best roads in the US are in Texas, bar none. The weather's optimal, not as good as California, but when you're rolling down the highway the Texas roads are virtually unblemished. I don't know how they do it, it has to be weather, I've lived everywhere, Northeast, Northwest, Midwest, Southwest, deep South, nobody keeps their roads like Texas. It's not a place you want to get caught fucking around by the cops, not even Austin, the authorities there will beat you down HARD, but if you got a nice car and want to hit the least amount of bumps you want to be in Texas.