CujoQuarrel: Mrtraveler01: CujoQuarrel: lilplatinum: Lunchlady: Because they have laughably low property taxes, people coming in looking for any job (literally anything, even if it's minimum wage), and half the Gulf Coast running from hurricanes and oil spills?

http://taxes.about.com/od/statetaxes/a/property-taxes-best-and-worst- s tates.htm

In other news, Texas pays the third highest property taxes in the country and they are "laughably low". Interesting.

You can tell many people form their opinions on other states based on genuine knowledge...

For most people the way property tax would affect them is how much it raised the money they have to pay for rent.

Did a quick Google search on "Average Rent California" and "Average Rent Texas". Very very non-scientific but for LA it was about $1800 and for Houston about $800. I'd say the LA number is high but in general the cost of housing in Texas will be less than that of California for at least areas in the major cities.

Yeah but the catch is you have to live in Houston.

Never been there but to me one American city is pretty much the same as another. Too many people crowded together.

It's basically LA with crappier beaches and no mountains.

Let's see: California- OK, some crazy laws, lots of culture in certain areas. Awesome wine country. Expensive but can be cool. Plus, San Francisco: Gays, bays and AKs.

Texas: Only contains steers and queers. You don't much look like a steer. Trigger happy racists ready shoot brown people. Plus side: Austin.

Lunchlady: Well it makes sense it a "keep them honest sense" but it's been turned into a political game where politicians can shirk responsibility for their crappy budgeting but still keep the masses "happy" that their taxes don't go up.

That said, if there's a direct local result, like increasing public transport options in LA county, most people will get on board if they can see it affect their life. Frankly I think it's more fair. I wouldn't want San Francisco asking me to fund their trains.

The problem is everyone is always going to vote for the nice things like public transport options, but convincing people to open up their wallets in general is hard enough, getting them to do it piecemeal is farking impossible and incredibly idiotic. After a certain population point direct democracy becomes a terrible idea for the vast majority of governance issues, and having a system that encourages it is part of the reason California has twice as big a deficit as Texas.

Texas has plenty of their own idiotic issues, stemming mostly from governer goodhair and his cronies ensuring that while you create jobs in texas the actual income tax revenue isn't increased... farktards.

trotsky: Texas: Only contains steers and queers. You don't much look like a steer. Trigger happy racists ready shoot brown people. Plus side: Austin.

San Antonio isn't half bad either.

But Dallas and Houston are sprawling hellholes devoid of any personality.

CujoQuarrel: Britney Spear's Speculum: CujoQuarrel: The state has lovely weather but the state government has been out of control for way too many years.

This. It's the damn big State Government not passing Voter ID laws, forced transvaginal ultrasound laws, and Prop 8 that is the problem.

It's the red tape they keep increasing on starting new businesses and the tax rate is horrible.

What red tape? I have started several new businesses in CA and in other states, and I noticed no particular difference in "red tape."

I agree that the tax rate is annoying, but as pointed out we actually get something for our taxes in CA. The tax rate is, however, in part a symptom of a real problem here: the stupid voters with their stupid Props. California has the second-worst constitution in the union. Allowing a single popular vote to amend the constiution is just asking for trouble.

Mrtraveler01: Yeah but the catch is you have to live in Houston.

Meh, Houston wasn't great but if you had to live there for a job its certainly liveable. The cost of living is low, it has good dining, and if you are smart you can live somewhere decent and not be too bad to and from work. Not a dream city but its doable for a time, which makes it better than most places in our dump of a country and certainly anywhere in California.

/only 2 places I'd want to move back to the USA for would be Austin or NYC...

Mrtraveler01: San Antonio isn't half bad either.

Riight, Houston has no personality but a shiatty tourist riverwalk and an old fort make that shiathole a cultural mecca.

lilplatinum: Mrtraveler01: San Antonio isn't half bad either.

Riight, Houston has no personality but a shiatty tourist riverwalk and an old fort make that shiathole a cultural mecca.

Good point, but compared to Houston...

It's obviously not Austin but it's higher up than Dallas or Houston.

/I know, I set the bar to the floor practically

Texas' tax model is intriguingly progressive. The lack of state income tax, and subsequent focus on property tax, is highly preferential to the economically challenged, who are least likely to own property. It also can lend itself to what one might view as the disentrenchment of established power groups (i.e. old people taking up all the land) as landowners are faced with, and may succumb to, the extra burden of supporting less fortunates, who didn't inherit the old ranch when papaw died.

lilplatinum: Mrtraveler01: Yeah but the catch is you have to live in Houston.

Meh, Houston wasn't great but if you had to live there for a job its certainly liveable. The cost of living is low, it has good dining, and if you are smart you can live somewhere decent and not be too bad to and from work. Not a dream city but its doable for a time, which makes it better than most places in our dump of a country and certainly anywhere in California.

/only 2 places I'd want to move back to the USA for would be Austin or NYC...

That would be the only reason I'd move to either Dallas or Houston.

Mrtraveler01: That would be the only reason I'd move to either Dallas or Houston.

Thats the only reason people would move to most cities throughout this country, of the vast swaths of mediocre that make up our great land, Houston is certainly above average. (Dallas not so much, it being a culinary wasteland populated with credit card millionaires).

lilplatinum: (Dallas not so much, it being a culinary wasteland populated with credit card millionaires).

How is that different from Houston?

I honestly could never tell the difference between the two. Maybe you can help me out.

eudemonist: Texas' tax model is intriguingly progressive. The lack of state income tax, and subsequent focus on property tax, is highly preferential to the economically challenged, who are least likely to own property

Um, renters pay property taxes too... The end-user ultimately pays every expense.

Mrtraveler01: How is that different from Houston?

I honestly could never tell the difference between the two. Maybe you can help me out.

Houston has tons of good restaurants, if you actually ate more poorly in Houston than Dallas then you were doing it farking wrong.

As for credit card millionaires, well not even sure where to start since that's a fairly common Dallas stereotype. They always had the reputation as 'the big city' for the various little podunk villages that make up the state and keeping your image up, even if it does mean you are living on pretend wealth, is vital and common. I mean, keeping up with the Joneses is an American think but they have that shiat done.

Houstons by and large far less pretentious, probably because a lot of it's residents are not native Texans and its relative youth.

Plus the Texans are much better than the Cowboys these days.

lilplatinum: Houston has tons of good restaurants, if you actually ate more poorly in Houston than Dallas then you were doing it farking wrong.

As for credit card millionaires, well not even sure where to start since that's a fairly common Dallas stereotype. They always had the reputation as 'the big city' for the various little podunk villages that make up the state and keeping your image up, even if it does mean you are living on pretend wealth, is vital and common. I mean, keeping up with the Joneses is an American think but they have that shiat done.

Houstons by and large far less pretentious, probably because a lot of it's residents are not native Texans and its relative youth.

I see. That is interesting.

Plus the Texans are much better than the Cowboys these days.

And all is right with the world....

lilplatinum: Meh, Houston wasn't great but if you had to live there for a job its certainly liveable. The cost of living is low, it has good dining, and if you are smart you can live somewhere decent and not be too bad to and from work. Not a dream city but its doable for a time, which makes it better than most places in our dump of a country and certainly anywhere in California.

lolwut?

Houston has the shiattiest weather/climate this side of Orlando, the fattest population this side of Wisconsin, and (along with the rest of Texas) the most ignorant population this side of Mississippi. And it has shiatty food, too. Sure, land is cheap, but it is shiatty boring land.

The best thing Houston has going for it is the relatively large amount of non-Texans living there (thanks to the oil companies), which gives you at least some pockets of civilization.

I am hard pressed to think of anywhere I would rather NOT live than Houston.

Dallas has more snow and tornados, Houston has more swamp and hurricanes. They both have traffic, but Houston has smog. Jobs are probably a bit better in Houston, particularl for engineers and medical professionals. Dallas is closer to wide-open country, but Houston is more diverse, which helps contibute to its food, which is pretty damn awesome. People are cool both places, but Dallas has Denton nearby, which is probably the coolest place to live in the state.

Texas is kicking California's ass so hard it isn't even funny.

Also, the "Texas only creates low paying jobs" myth has been thoroughly debunked: "It turns out that the opposite is true. Since the recession started hourly wages in Texas have increased at a 6th fastest pace in the nation."

Im a building contractor. To say i encounter ridiculous overregulation and fees is an understatement.

I live in California and having lived in NE, CO, SD and MN, I will likely live here until I die.

CujoQuarrel: rnld: CujoQuarrel: The others will prob leave or force the state to give them a special tax break.

Probably? Do you have inside information? How long has Apple been in California? HP? Yahoo? The movie and TV studios?

How much of Apple is still left in Cali? Isn't all their goods made in China now when they used to be made locally?

The movie and studios have their headquarters there still but the movies are made wherever it's best economically.

I can see the larger companies headquarters staying if nothing else just due to inertia. But remember they are businesses out to make a profit. Why should they expand there if they can instead put their new ventures in some place that has a greater potential to generate profit?

Where is the business located, not who manufactures the parts is the point.

fickenchucker: How's that old tale go--Ford paid something like $5 a day while most everyone else was paying $3? Smarter businesses pay for employee longevity, sure, but it wasn't like they were getting paid $10 a day or more. If they wanted more than the $5 they would learn better skills within or outside of that factory. And many eventually did.

That's still almost twice as much at a time when the Model-T cost about $500.

Britney Spear's Speculum: I do agree that the state needs to stop looking the other way on illegal immigration and needs to stop catering to them as much as they do. The state treats them like they're an endangered species that needs to be preserved. The benefit of illegal labor is not worth the cost.

California is the #1 agricultural state in the union. You won't find "Americans" doing that work

Huh, an online survey buy chiefexecutive.net says that TX is the best!!! That must mean all this other stuff doesn't matter:

Texas standings against all 50 states on a variety of issues (1st means highest ranking, 50th means lowest ranking).
• State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance - 47th
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores - 45th
• % of Population 25 and Older with High School Diploma - 50th
• High School Graduation Rate - 43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on State Arts Agencies - 43rd
• Birth Rate - 2nd
• Percent of Uninsured Children - 1st
• Percent of Children Living in Poverty - 4th
• Percent of Population Uninsured - 1st
• Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured - 1st
• Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid - 49th
• Percent of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance - 48th
• Total Health Expenditures as % of the Gross State Product - 43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health - 50th
• Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid - 49th
• Health Care Expenditures per Capita - 44th
• Physicians per Capita - 42nd
• Registered Nurses per Capita - 44th
• Average Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits per Person - 47th
• Percent of Population Who Visit the Dentist - 46th
• Overall Birth Rate - 2nd
• Teenage Birth Rate - 7th
• Births to Unmarried Mothers - 17th
• Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth - 9th
• Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance - 50th
• Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms - 40th
• Cervical Cancer Rate - 11th
• Percent of Women with High Blood Pressure - 16th
• Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester - 50th
• Women's Voter Registration - 45th
• Women's Voter Turnout - 49th
• Percent of Women Living in Poverty - 6th
• Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value - 47th
• Foreclosure Rates - 10th
• Median Net Worth of Households - 47th
• Average Credit Score - 49th
• Retirement Plan Participation - 47th
• Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions - 1st
• Amount of Volatile Organic Compounds Released into Air - 1st
• Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water - 1st
• Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Air - 1st
• Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated - 1st
• Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Air - 5th
• Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Water - 7th
• Number of Hazardous Waste Sites on National Priority List - 7th
• Consumption of Energy per Capita - 5th
• Workers' Compensation Coverage - 50th
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor - 9th
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Middle Class - 5th
• Homeowner's Insurance Affordability - 46th
• Number of Executions - 1st

rnld: Britney Spear's Speculum: I do agree that the state needs to stop looking the other way on illegal immigration and needs to stop catering to them as much as they do. The state treats them like they're an endangered species that needs to be preserved. The benefit of illegal labor is not worth the cost.

California is the #1 agricultural state in the union. You won't find "Americans" doing that work

On Jan 21, 2013; after Obama signs bills for open borders and amnesty; they'll be Americans.

meat0918: Texas is nicer.

Not by much.

Anonymocoso: On Jan 21, 2013; after Obama signs bills for open borders and amnesty; they'll be Americans.

Living under Sharia law in FEMA camps.

LOLzorz...

California is so bad, that's why most of the world's tech companies are all here.

Anonymocoso: rnld: Britney Spear's Speculum: I do agree that the state needs to stop looking the other way on illegal immigration and needs to stop catering to them as much as they do. The state treats them like they're an endangered species that needs to be preserved. The benefit of illegal labor is not worth the cost.

California is the #1 agricultural state in the union. You won't find "Americans" doing that work

On Jan 21, 2013; after Obama signs bills for open borders and amnesty; they'll be Americans.

Of course that won't happen. It was Reagan who wanted amnesty and passed the 1986 bill and then W Bush.

Why are you attempting to make it an Obama issue? Misinformed?

California was and is the birthplace of most tech. companies.

Texas offers low paying jobs destroying their environment to enrich a few foreigners (oil companies).

I propose we broaden our state's tax base and literally pay businesses to relocate from other states to ours.

Race ya to the bottom!

LawrencePerson: Texas is kicking California's ass so hard it isn't even funny.

Also, the "Texas only creates low paying jobs" myth has been thoroughly debunked: "It turns out that the opposite is true. Since the recession started hourly wages in Texas have increased at a 6th fastest pace in the nation."

[www.willisms.com image 480x617]

[3.bp.blogspot.com image 400x303]

It's as if manufacturing businesses prefer to set up in places that have lax pollution and environmental regulations.

Or, it's as if CA preferred to attract design, finance, import/export, distribution, agriculture, biotech, entertainment and tourist industries instead of businesses that pour motor oil and dioxin into the storm drains.

Isn't that weird?

I started a business in California. ("Me job creator!") Other than filing a DBA, I had no government interference. Actually, the Federal tax deduction was an 800-lb gorilla, nothing came close to that.

Not to mention, I could LITERALLY walk down the street to find talented and experienced people to work with. No joke. I hired a neighbor.

OK, there's a fuzzy line between white-collar and manufacturing, I was hiring white collar professionals. Whatevs. Maybe Texas does have an edge in the "drilling for oil" manufacturing thing. Don't care. I don't need those kinds of workers.

while im willing to bed TX is an easier state to do business in according to CEos and what not, i cant bleeive theyd put workforce quality and livining environment over Californias? Houston is a toilet. Dallas is just like LA but even hotter and grosser. The only nice place in TX is austin. And there aint no way you can tell me Texas has a better quality of labor force.

in summary: i call shenaningans

Corporate Self: California was and is the birthplace of most tech. companies.

Texas offers low paying jobs destroying their environment to enrich a few foreigners (oil companies).

Do you even know what the main industries in Texas are? Texas is kind of a jack of all trades but not really a master at one true craft (well other than football, bbq, and Tex Mex), but yeah agriculture, airplanes, aerospace, military industrial, computer tech, retail companies, food/beverage companies, and like you said, energy. You act as if Houston, Dallas, and Austin have no industry at all, just a bunch of energy fat cats surrounded by a bunch of slums. Not true. Hell, I believe Texas has very large amounts of wind farms, and don't front and act like major cities in California (cough, gag...LA) aren't dirty shiat holes.

Don't Troll Me Bro!: Huh, an online survey buy chiefexecutive.net says that TX is the best!!! That must mean all this other stuff doesn't matter:

Texas standings against all 50 states on a variety of issues (1st means highest ranking, 50th means lowest ranking).
• State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance - 47th
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores - 45th
• % of Population 25 and Older with High School Diploma - 50th
• High School Graduation Rate - 43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on State Arts Agencies - 43rd
• Birth Rate - 2nd
• Percent of Uninsured Children - 1st
• Percent of Children Living in Poverty - 4th
• Percent of Population Uninsured - 1st
• Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured - 1st
• Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid - 49th
• Percent of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance - 48th
• Total Health Expenditures as % of the Gross State Product - 43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health - 50th
• Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid - 49th
• Health Care Expenditures per Capita - 44th
• Physicians per Capita - 42nd
• Registered Nurses per Capita - 44th
• Average Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits per Person - 47th
• Percent of Population Who Visit the Dentist - 46th
• Overall Birth Rate - 2nd
• Teenage Birth Rate - 7th
• Births to Unmarried Mothers - 17th
• Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth - 9th
• Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance - 50th
• Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms - 40th
• Cervical Cancer Rate - 11th
• Percent of Women with High Blood Pressure - 16th
• Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester - 50th
• Women's Voter Registration - 45th
• Women's Voter Turnout - 49th
• Percent of Women Living in Poverty - 6th
• Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value - 47th
• Foreclosure Rates - 10th
• Median Net Worth of Households - 47th
• Average Credit Score - 49th
• Retirement Plan Participation - 47th
• Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions - 1st
• Amount of Volatil ...

We have a winner!

Wittenberg Dropout: Don't Troll Me Bro!: Huh, an online survey buy chiefexecutive.net says that TX is the best!!! That must mean all this other stuff doesn't matter:

Texas standings against all 50 states on a variety of issues (1st means highest ranking, 50th means lowest ranking).
• State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance - 47th
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores - 45th
• % of Population 25 and Older with High School Diploma - 50th
• High School Graduation Rate - 43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on State Arts Agencies - 43rd
• Birth Rate - 2nd
• Percent of Uninsured Children - 1st
• Percent of Children Living in Poverty - 4th
• Percent of Population Uninsured - 1st
• Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured - 1st
• Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid - 49th
• Percent of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance - 48th
• Total Health Expenditures as % of the Gross State Product - 43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health - 50th
• Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid - 49th
• Health Care Expenditures per Capita - 44th
• Physicians per Capita - 42nd
• Registered Nurses per Capita - 44th
• Average Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits per Person - 47th
• Percent of Population Who Visit the Dentist - 46th
• Overall Birth Rate - 2nd
• Teenage Birth Rate - 7th
• Births to Unmarried Mothers - 17th
• Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth - 9th
• Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance - 50th
• Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms - 40th
• Cervical Cancer Rate - 11th
• Percent of Women with High Blood Pressure - 16th
• Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester - 50th
• Women's Voter Registration - 45th
• Women's Voter Turnout - 49th
• Percent of Women Living in Poverty - 6th
• Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value - 47th
• Foreclosure Rates - 10th
• Median Net Worth of Households - 47th
• Average Credit Score - 49th
• Retirement Plan Participation - 47th
• Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions - 1st
• Amount of Volatil ...

We have a winner!

I second that!

Cubansaltyballs: Father_Jack: while im willing to bed TX is an easier state to do business in according to CEos and what not, i cant bleeive theyd put workforce quality and livining environment over Californias? Houston is a toilet. Dallas is just like LA but even hotter and grosser. The only nice place in TX is austin. And there aint no way you can tell me Texas has a better quality of labor force.

in summary: i call shenaningans


California's labor force is second to none... the same is true with living expenses.

Seriously, wtf is going on with housing and rental prices in the Bay Area?

its back up to 2000 levels huh. it dipped after web1.0 bubble popped a bit but seems to be back again.

then again, salaries are up too.

Who would've thought CEOs would rank a state full of low-wage imbeciles high up in such a survey?

dragonchild: Wherein once again the world's sixth-largest economy in the world is called an unmitigated failure by Texas?

Honestly, Texas has a shamefully obvious inferiority complex. The state has so many businesses and so many rich people, yet it just can't get over being inferior to California everybody.

FTFY.

I don't care how great Austin is. The rest of the state is a dump, and Austin isn't big enough to balance it out. I'd live in Mississippi or Arkansas before I'd live in Texas. At least they're not full of Texans.

RickyWilliams'sBong: Who would've thought CEOs would rank a state full of low-wage imbeciles high up in such a survey?

dragonchild: Wherein once again the world's sixth-largest economy in the world is called an unmitigated failure by Texas?

Honestly, Texas has a shamefully obvious inferiority complex. The state has so many businesses and so many rich people, yet it just can't get over being inferior to California everybody.

FTFY.

I don't care how great Austin is. The rest of the state is a dump, and Austin isn't big enough to balance it out. I'd live in Mississippi or Arkansas before I'd live in Texas. At least they're not full of Texans.

while i get your sentiment, noone should ever live in mississippi under any circumstances. TX is filled with arrogant dbags, sure, but its at least part of the 21st century.

Father_Jack: RickyWilliams'sBong: Who would've thought CEOs would rank a state full of low-wage imbeciles high up in such a survey?

dragonchild: Wherein once again the world's sixth-largest economy in the world is called an unmitigated failure by Texas?

Honestly, Texas has a shamefully obvious inferiority complex. The state has so many businesses and so many rich people, yet it just can't get over being inferior to California everybody.

FTFY.

I don't care how great Austin is. The rest of the state is a dump, and Austin isn't big enough to balance it out. I'd live in Mississippi or Arkansas before I'd live in Texas. At least they're not full of Texans.

while i get your sentiment, noone should ever live in mississippi under any circumstances. TX is filled with arrogant dbags, sure, but its at least part of the 21st century.

It is? The state whose governor brags about executions and suggests approvingly that his constituents would murder the Fed chairman if he ever visited? The state that allows a bunch of creationists to determine its curriculum?

Mississippi is just backwards. Texas is proudly backwards.

RickyWilliams'sBong: Mississippi is just backwards. Texas is proudly backwards.

You don't know shiat about this country if you think Texas is somehow more backwards than any where in the deep south. farkin moron, I'd rather live anywhere than Florida, especially shiatty ass north Florida. Pot/kettle, I think you might get it.

fickenchucker: WhyteRaven74: fickenchucker: People are paid what they worth.

Henry Ford thought his workers were worth far more than anyone else thought those exact same people were worth. Turns out he was right.


Agreed. We're saying the same thing. People work for the best money the can, and employers pay only enough to attain their business goals.

How's that old tale go--Ford paid something like $5 a day while most everyone else was paying $3? Smarter businesses pay for employee longevity, sure, but it wasn't like they were getting paid $10 a day or more. If they wanted more than the $5 they would learn better skills within or outside of that factory. And many eventually did.

I don't dislike blue collar jobs. I bet good electricians make as much or more than I do. But the simple punch-press operator sure doesn't. It's all in education whether white collar or blue collar. That's the point.

That's a extremely flawed and shortsighted measure of "worth". Consider this- aliens (or God, take your pick) come to Earth and force us to eliminate half of all professions. No-one will be allowed to perform those tasks for pay ever again.

How do we pick which jobs get the axe? By your metric, the world will no longer have teachers, police and firemen but will still be stuffed with business executives, atheletes and game show hosts.

Dollars paid does not equal worth. Unless you want to redefine the word "worth".

soakitincider: mainstreet62: soakitincider: i live in texas and have a wage that pays amply

But you still live in Texas.

it's a great place to live; i own several plots of land around the state and reside in austin and enjoy the many different things in general texas has to offer.

From what I've heard Austin is Texas In Name Only.

Splinshints: Most CEOs in most states think their state is bad for business because they feel it to be true in their gut. They're not going to be truly happy until they're paying no taxes, using local slave labor and getting a daily beej from the local comptroller.

It doesn't really matter what they think, though. It's always good to gauge them to make sure there aren't real and serious problems that could give them a legitimate reason to leave your state, but the fact is that you can move whatever cornpone business you want to Texas, but you have to work from Texas if you do and that's going to stop most smart employers.

Go ahead and try and find competent employees in a state renowned for having one of the worst educational systems in the nation. And good luck convincing people to move there from other states. Nothing says "quality of living" like a third world school system, rampant poverty, superfund dumps every forty feet and one of the lowest rates of health coverage in the nation. Gee... I can stay right here and work or I can move to the farking desert and put my family's future at risk in a school system that probably can't teach them to read and a state where if I get laid off I'll probably die of pneumonia because I can't afford to see a doctor... Decisions, decisions.

I read an essay once that postulated that the continuing assault on public education in America was just the continuation of Jim Crow by other means. Gut the public schools while cutting property taxes, so that while your homeowning white, middle-class families can afford to send their kids to private school with the money they're not paying in property taxes, the largely-black and -hispanic tenant poor are stuck in continually-declining public school systems that continue the cycle of poverty. If the reasoning of the article seems a bit incomplete, I've a feeling I'm not recalling something important, but it is a tempting theory nonetheless.

Anyway, to add my anecdotes to the pile, I've gotten about a half-dozen overtures in the last few years from firms in Texas that wanted to take me on as a lateral hire. I tell them they'll have to pay me triple what I'm getting now, plus gold-plated insurance and retirement packages and paid moving expenses, to make up for the quality-of-life hit I'd take by moving to Dallas or Houston. Generally, they didn't seem all that surprised by my reaction; most seemed to expect it and have an appropriate follow-up offer ready.

hammettman: Maud Dib: dragonchild: Wherein once again the world's sixth-largest economy in the world is called an unmitigated failure by Texas?

Honestly, Texas has a shamefully obvious inferiority complex. The state has so many businesses and so many rich people, yet it just can't get over being inferior to California.

Bullshiat.
Umm, then why are so many Californians moving to Texas?

[ww4.hdnux.com image 193x471]
Link


Seriously, quit it, you are ruining my city, you pompous assholes.

That's a pretty stupid misleading graphic, I would expect nothing less from the Houston Chronicle.

California is the most populous state, nearly double the next state on that list, Florida. It would make sense by averages and general migration that they sent the most. In fact, California is as big as the next four states on that list, which together sent 100,955. As a percentage of the state's population, California is very near the bottom of that migration list.

I suspect the Texas school system dropped the study of percentages from its math curriculum long ago.


Do you understand what the graphic is saying? It's saying that people are FLEEING California. Forget about the numbers compared to other states, that's an minor side issue....The chart shows that people are sick of dealing with CA an are leaving in record numbers.

If CA was so great for businesses, people should want to go to CA...not leave it.

TheJoe03: Not trying to make excuses

That's funny, because that's exactly what you did.

Texas is poor and it's a terrible place to live by any reasonable standard. That's just a fact. It's one of the most impoverished states in the nation, the impoverished in Texas get little assistance, it has one of the nation's worst educational systems, it has terrible health coverage, it's covered in toxic waste dumps (Texas is also 2nd in the nation in hazardous waste production)....

Wow. What a libertarian Utopia.

LawrencePerson: Also, the "Texas only creates low paying jobs" myth has been thoroughly debunked: "It turns out that the opposite is true. Since the recession started hourly wages in Texas have increased at a 6th fastest pace in the nation."

You're either terrible at math or terrible at logic in general. It doesn't matter how fast hourly wages are increasing, that doesn't say one way or another if Texas is full of low paying jobs. If your hourly wage goes from federal minimum to $14.50/hr it went up 100% (and wages in Texas didn't go up 100%) but you're still being paid crap. Especially if you're not working a full forty hour work week.

/ I say you're bad at math or logic, but that's not fair to you.... you could also just be a liar

Keep farking that chicken, republicans. Keep holding up Texas as the bastion of conservative policy that it is. Because you won't get any argument from me on that point. It certainly is a great example of what happens when you listen to conservatives: wealthy business owners make off like bandits and everybody else gets a third world education, mediocre wages and lung cancer they can't afford to treat.

My only question is, once you've wasted Texas and left it a smoking, diseased husk full of sickly factory workers and pools of toxic waste, where are you going to exploit to death next? I recommend Mississippi.