10 reasons why so many people are moving to Texas

[steve2470]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22649624



I'll just list the 10 points verbatim:

1. Jobs
2. It's cheaper
3. Homes
4. Low Tax
5. Pick your own big city
6. Austin in particular
7. Family-friendly
8. Fewer rules
9. Texans are normal people
10. And they're not going anywhere

[liberal N proud]

1. In searching for jobs, I see a lot of jobs for Dallas area

[IdaBriggs]

2. Between the bad schools, everyone with guns, high incarceration rate --

among other things, it isn't a place I'd be taking my family for a permanent home.

Please keep in mind I realize there are undoubtedly enclaves of decency and civilization, but whenever a state has to make a law that you aren't allowed to make "campaign contributions" in the middle of a vote in their state capital, I think you have crossed over into Crazy Land.

Disclaimer: I live in Michigan. We have Detroit where many of the same stereotypes undoubtedly apply, and please don't ask me to explain how we ended up with the folks currently in Lansing. Sigh. That being said, Texas seems nutty to me. Also those wacky southern states where they kill people for being the "wrong color" and wanting to vote/get educated/being "uppity" - huge yuck.

And before I can be properly castigated for "region bashing", I *know* that everywhere has its share of "yuck" issues. Odds are good if you are on DU, you are fighting to make things better. I appreciate that.

But the school/incarceration/gun Texas stuff -- seriously,

[raccoon]

3. Also don't murder anyone in TX; you are quite likely to get the death penalty. :silly: nt

[Logical]

5. Or get off for standing your ground! n-t

[IdaBriggs]

6. Or get arrested for it, even if you didn't do it, because you *still* might get the death penalty.

Even if your representation falls asleep, you are underage, or mentally impaired, or PROVEABLY INNOCENT.

(shudder)

[2ndAmForComputers]

181. One more reason to love New England.

[RKP5637]

203. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[Warpy]

259. And New Mexico

yes, we finally got civilized a few years ago and got rid of the DP.

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. Love it here. And my son's school is awesome.

And our Mayor is an out Lesbian. Moved from Michigan because I couldn't stand the decided shift to the right and nuttier and nuttier people every day. Sorry Houston wins out over Pick-any-city, MI, any day.

Can't say I miss Michigan in the least after 27 years in the armpit of that state. So, I guess there's two sides to every coin.

[IdaBriggs]

24. Sounds like you are in one of the enclaves of civilization and decency.

I remember reading (and this was quite a few years ago, so please keep that in mind) that they didn't have "building inspectors" verifying quality construction of homes because they cost money, and it was cheaper not to have to do things to this crazy "code" thing. Anyway, some family was suing because they bought a "new home" (not knowing it hadn't followed normal building codes), and within a year started having problems with the electrical, plumbing, and cracking walls (because the foundation hadn't been done properly), but they weren't winning in a lawsuit against the builder because it was "buyer beware" and they could have had it inspected more thoroughly than however they had done it if they had wanted to (something about the inspection certificate was provided by the builder?).

Just did the google thing and found this -- maybe things are getting better?

http://www.texaslawyers.com/coomer/texasbadfoundationlawyer.htm

Texas Defect Home Claims and Abolishment of the Texas Residential Construction Commission

Texas has recently decided to abolish the Texas Residential Construction Commission also known as the Builder Protection Act. This Commission was created by Texas homebuilders to protect them from liability from construction defects and other negligent construction homebuilding techniques.

The Commission was primarily made up of building industry insiders and was made a necessary step to go through prior to being able to file suit against a Texas Builder. This step is no longer necessary and the TRCC now recommends that consumers that have defective homes, contact a Texas construction defect lawyer if they are having trouble with a negligent home builder.

Traps for the First Time Home Buyer (Texas Faulty Foundations, Plumbing Leaks, & Faulty Wiring Lawyer)

First time home buyers are especially vulnerable to toxic or defective homes. First time home buyer often have to rely more on the expertise of a real estate agent or builder and can often get caught by a real estate agent or a builder that is more interested than a commission or making a profit than helping a buyer get a good home.

Many first time home buyers can get caught up in the emotions of buying their first home and do not understand that it is important to research the builder that they are buying from and to have an experienced home inspector inspect their potential new home for any major construction problems. These construction problems often are hidden by the negligent builder, but an experienced home inspector combined with researching a builder can often uncover most major construction defects.

[kentauros]

35. We don't have "enclaves" here.

Before W was installed by Karl Rove, we were a Democratic state.

Maybe you're confusing the smallish city of Austin as an enclave. Look at an election map sometime (and not an electoral map!) to see how almost all of our cities are turning blue. Only Corpus Christie seems to be a holdout on that, and I'm not sure why. I figured Beaumont/Port Arthur would be more conservative than Corpus, seeing as how Beaumont is the southern end of Crazy-Conservative East Texas.

[IdaBriggs]

43. I read the Molly Ivins book "Shrub" but I still can't figure out --

how that "person" was able to make Junior into a Governor, then President.

When you bankrupt not one but FIVE companies, and make all of your money bilking the citizens into paying for a stadium on land that you stole - there will always be a



for me!

Ach, locally we have Detroit -- not a lot of room to talk about corruption, eh?

[kentauros]

49. W got into office here the exact same way he got into the Oval Office:

he was installed through stolen elections and outright lies during the campaign process. Karl seems to be a master at that. I have no idea where they found him. Maybe he was a failed clone of Ronnie.

[ScreamingMeemie]

188. The funny things is, after opening day, the Bush's seats at MInuteMaid have been empty.

[kentauros]

197. I didn't know that.

Pretty funny, really

[madinmaryland]

284. I guess that would explain why El Supremo is not a Rangers fan anymore!!

[alarimer]

297. He is the very definition of a "post turtle".

An old rancher is talking about politics with a young man from the city. He compares a politician to a "post turtle". The young man doesn't understand and asks him what a post turtle is.
The old man says, "When you're driving down a country road and you see a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle. You know he didn't get up there by himself. He doesn't belong there; he can't get anything done while he's up there; and you just want to help the poor, dumb thing down."

[kentauros]

300. Ha!

That's a good one, and so true!

[alarimer]

295. I lived in Corpus Christi for 15 years and I can't figure out why they are so red still.

I don't think it's conservatism, exactly. Local elections are non-partisan, but for a city that is majority Hispanic, they elect more than their share of conservative white men. Something fishy there, I think. Entrenched racism, a "good old boy" network, something.

[ScreamingMeemie]

40. I wouldn't call Houston an "enclave," would you?

I found what you "found" to be interesting because, as a real estate appraiser--licensed in MI--Michigan has far worse troubles when it comes to foundation issues and pcv's in the water off Saint Clair Shores/Grosse Pointe... There is a reason why basements aren't built in Texas--the clay. Michigan should stop attempting to build basements in areas that can't support them.

[IdaBriggs]

50. It stood out for me because I've never heard of such a problem in Michigan.

Of course, I *love* my building inspectors! Lol! I believe it was in 1995 that I read the news story about the steps that made it impossible for the family to get compensated for the building stuff; we bought our first home in Michigan around then, so it made an impression, and when I talked with people (realtor and family), they explained why it wasn't an issue in Michigan (because the building inspectors check things out through the permitting process - not to say the occassional bad egg can't/won't bribe, but then the wrath of whatever would fall upon their head, etc.). The entire idea of just *trusting* some guy who has every incentive to do things cheaply/incorrectly *especially* when he doesn't have to worry about consequences because he can't be sued struck me as entrenching Corruption into the system.

Realistically (in hindsight) that was when Junior and his ilk were screwing things up. Hmmm.

It looks like from what I found that they figured it out and are fixing it.

And yes, from what I am reading lately, the cities of Texas are bright blue, surrounded by seas of red and purple. To be fair, that happens in a lot of states, tho. (And a lot of the problems in Detroit were allowed to fester into disaster because they always turned out the Dem vote, thus meaning the state Republicans didn't care, and the state Democrats didn't want to upset the apple cart - sigh.)

[kentauros]

67. As I learned from reading many of the threads after the Moore, OK disaster,

far too many people have no idea about the geology and soil make-up of the continent. And they have no inclination to look it up because of the assumption that "we have basements here, so why can't they build them there" type of "observation."

I don't presume to know the geology and soil of Michigan, though I can safely assume that it's conducive to the building of basements. As such, that fact becomes ingrained in people's minds that basements are the norm everywhere, and thus, no need to look up the geology and soil content.

I'm no expert, just have a strong interest in knowing things like terrain (it's part of my work in mapping, though.) In general, you don't build basements near a water-body due to the usually higher water-table. Here, the water-table goes pretty far inland because most of the southern coasts consist of clay, silt, and sand. You won't begin to get to the bedrock until you're many tens of miles inland. And in Texas, you quickly have the inland problem of limestone and granite at the surface, so no basements there, either

[ScreamingMeemie]

151. Ask PassingFair about Michigan foundations...

They had huge problems.

soil not conducive to foundations+highway grade construction equipment on side roads = major foundation issues all along the east side of the state.

[Yooperman]

64. Of course you didn't live in the U.P....:-)

Other than the long winters... it's a wonderful place to be. Clean air... Hunting & fishing ... hiking & camping... no rush hour traffic... wilderness in every direction... and the most amazing of the Great Lakes ... Lake Superior.

You can have the big city and polluted air.

Put me on a lake with a canoe and a fishing pole where I don't see another human all day... and I am happy.

YM

[Ikonoklast]

107. ...mosquitoes the size of B-52's....

Black flies that can make you wish that the B-52 sized mosquitoes would come back...


Just tryting to help.

[kentauros]

110. Yeah, but the Mockingbirds, green lizards, and frogs

make short work of all that free food.

If only we had more of them to take on the 3"-long flying roaches, though...

[Ikonoklast]

120. That's what these are made for.

They make them in larger sizes, too.

If you only have a close miss the only thing you usually accomplish with flying cockroaches is to piss them off.

[kentauros]

123. good thing I hadn't yet taken a bite of my lunch!

Now, if we could somehow re-classify flying roaches as Liberal, I'm sure we could trick the republicans into getting rid of them for us

[ScreamingMeemie]

167. Even my cats are afraid of "waterbugs." I love how that is code word for what they really are.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

264. Just hide the food and small children.

[IdaBriggs]

113. My father's family is from Crystal Falls; many of them worked in the mines.

The family pasty recipe is incredible (with the secret ingredient being Rhutabega).



The U.P. is amazing.

I love the colors of Michigan - our blues and greens are (sigh) breathtaking.

On Edit: And our fall reds, gold, oranges and purples = AMAZING.

[kentauros]

134. You have to grow up with "fall colors" to really appreciate them.

It's only 'okay' for me.

Whereas, let me see views like this


(Big Bend National Park)

or even this


(Rice University, Houston)


and I'm in awe!

[ScreamingMeemie]

161. Grew up with fall colors, and winter snow wipes any pretty that they are from memory.

Don't care to see another fall up North. Winter and snow shovels follow too far behind.

[kentauros]

171. I think the other thing about fall colors is that it's in my head what comes after:

trees that look dead because there aren't any leaves on them!

Give me a sprawling, evergreen live oak any day!

Oh, with climate change, we may see more snow here, but it melts so fast that you get to laugh at the local news-people breathlessly telling people to stay off the (only wet) roads

[IdaBriggs]

328. The smell and taste of fall in Michigan make it wonderful.

Apple cider mills, with fresh donuts, are an absolute must. The air is crisp, the leaves a reminder that seasons change, and warm fires for cuddling....we got married in October. Fall always seems like the beginning of new things to me - maybe because of associations with school starting?

[kentauros]

332. I know that's what y'all like and are used to.

And that the colors represent the changing of the seasons. Sure. Not necessary here. So, I'm used to green all year round, i.e., evergreens like live oaks and pines. That and having just two seasons: Summer, and Not Summer

Now, it does get exciting when tropical storms and hurricanes show up

[IdaBriggs]

340. You have itchy, wandering feet, right?

Come visit in the fall. True offer - apple cider, donuts, pasties, and some pretty leaves. I will even introduce you to my favorite middle eastern restaurant. If you schedule it right, you can also do an amazing local science fiction convention.

PM me if you can be enticed. Did I mention the donuts are the old fashioned kind, with a hint of cinnamon, served hot in brown paper bags?

[kentauros]

341. Thank you for the quite kind offer.

I don't know just how itchy and wandering my feet are, only that my plans for such things include my GF, and she's still in NZ (moving here next year, once the immigration stuff goes through.)

The donuts sound delicious, making me think of having some Central Texas kolaches (the real kind, not those "pigs-in-a-blanket" kind

[IdaBriggs]

325. To be fair, snow in December/holiday time = Awesome.

Mid January, DONE. And by the end of February, a visit to a sunshine state is a MUST!

[Yooperman]

310. Very nice....

Last edited Fri May 31, 2013, 01:28 AM - Edit history (2)

I lived out west...Nevada and Utah and I can agree... there are some spectacular landscapes....

But as you said ... growing up with trees all around... that is what I like...Here is a picture I took a few years ago of a white pine... I am still in awe of these amazing trees.



and one of my favorites....



and lastly... we have an awesome bridge. The trolls have to cross this bridge to get to God's Country.

[kentauros]

323. That's a nice shot of the pine :)

A little bit'o'green amongst the yellow and orange

I can't see your second image, even using IE. I'll have to see if it shows up on my browser at work (64-bit there vs. 32-bit here, as I think is the problem, using the same browsers.)

[Yooperman]

346. I think I fixed the problem...

added one more also..

YM

[kentauros]

366. Thanks!

And yes, the scenery is beautiful

It doesn't take my breath away as it does for other people. We all see awe and wonder in different ways. I think my favorite form of that kind of beauty is something any place in the country can have, if removed far enough away from light-pollution:



(McDonald Observatory)

[Yooperman]

369. Agreed....

Here in the U.P. the largest "city" is Marquette.... 40k or so on a good day...

When camping in the wilderness with no city lights in any direction for 30 or more miles... you can see the sky like the picture you posted.

Once growing up on the small family farm we had... we were outside looking at the stars on a clear summer night. My Mother was outside with us and she says..."It's it amazing that those clouds are there every night!" LOL...

Of course we explained to her that those weren't clouds but the arm of the Milky Way galaxy!



YM

[kentauros]

370. Okay, I had to stifle a laugh on that one!

I'm glad you were able to educate her. I bet it's a family joke now, right?

I'll have to post some of my night photos taken at my parents' place out in the country. Not nearly as spectacular as the full Milky Way, but pretty cool nonetheless. Night-photography is still my favorite way to use my camera

[Yooperman]

371. Oh we had a good chuckle...

But we never made a big deal of it...she never finished H.S.... and although she hadn't ... she was always there helping the kids...(15 of us) with our homework even as we were in high school.

I play scrabble with her online everyday... she is usually ranked in the top 3 of all those I play against... I am currently ranked 9th... lol...

I would love to see more of your night shots. I have a Nikon P 80 ...a great camera but limited to an 8 sec shutter so I can't really capture a night sky.

YM

[kentauros]

372. That's cool :)

I know my sister plays one of those scrabble-like games online with my mother, too. If you want to boost your vocabulary, have fun, and donate to a good cause, try Free Rice

You can still take photos of the moon with an eight-second shutter time. I believe the current DU photography contest is for HDR-type images, and I don't think I've seen an HDR treatment of lunar photos

I'll have to post my better images this evening as I don't have access to them at the moment. Post some more of your Fall Colors photos, too

[kentauros]

373. Okay, three nighttime images, including one at eight seconds:

Twilight After Sunset

30s, f/11.0


On Rotated Pond

8s, f/4.0


Sunrise

15s, f/6.0

Those shots are all in Dripping Springs, out in the country. I have others, but maybe we ought to take this to the Photography group

Those images above were made with my Canon rebel XTi, still with the kit lens. I'll need to research that kind of thing a little more before I get another one. I use my little Canon Powershot more than the XTi, partly because it's easy to carry, but it's also got a nice lens and telephoto on it. And, it takes better shots of the moon than the XTi for some reason...

[Yooperman]

374. Very cool!

My brother and a sister have rebels. There are times my P-80 is preferable as it is also much easier to use. I once went to a little league game my nephew was in and of course I took my camera... my sister came with her rebel and the wrong type of lens. She really couldn't take any amount of shots that were effective. I on the other hand was able to take some great action shots... the zoom was perfect for taking some great photos of him pitching.... some nice stop action of batters swinging.

I just love my Nikon. My next camera will again be an upgrade of my P-80.

I agree we should start a thread in the photography section. I will go there and start one.

Cya there.

YM

[IdaBriggs]

326. Gorgeous! The browns and reds are beautiful,

But truthfully, just for visiting for me. It feels "too big" for me. Plus, lakes in Michigan!

[Yooperman]

307. My Dad... several Uncles and even myself...

worked in the Underground Iron mines. I was fortunate to get 2 years underground before the last underground mine closed in 1980.... that being the Mather "B" mine in Negaunee.

The shaft was 3,000 feet straight down and on 12th level (the one I worked on) you took a train in 2 miles to get the the ore body.

Simply the most amazing job I have ever had.

Rutabagas ARE essential for a good pasty! Onions... can't have too many onions...

Say Ya to Da U.P. eh!

YM

[IdaBriggs]

327. Onions, rutabaga shredded, potatoes, and ground beef

With salt-and-pepper, wrapped in a flaky pie crust....I am getting hungry just thinking about it!

Awesome about the mines for you - it was my grandfather and before's generation for us; they came down to southeast Michigan in the 1930s. I would have expected it to be for the automotive work, but grandpa was a builder.

[redqueen]

78. Thanks...

I was thinking of you as I read this, and hoping you'd see it and add your thoughts.



I live in a deep red part of the state, with good schools and nice neighbors.

[ScreamingMeemie]

162. I have to say the people are nicer, on average. The corner store is for stopping to chat

a second, neighbors lend sugar... my neighborhood is about 30/30/30/10 racial makeup. It's nice here, and I haven't regretted moving for a second.

[redqueen]

168. I'm so happy to hear it's worked out so well for you.

I work down the hall from a woman who moved here from Ohio and she also comments on the friendliness.. from the other side though, as in: she complains when she runs into an aloof person.

[ScreamingMeemie]

170. Ha! My joke is that everyone in Houston is so very nice, until they get behind the wheel of a car!

[redqueen]

172. True!

[KamaAina]

93. True, but

as I recall, you had to hunt so hard to find a decent school district that you ended up a mile and a half from a bus stop, thereby cutting yourself off from my transit-dependent self.

edit: The very idea that there exists a place on the outskirts of 'Murka's fourth-largest city that is a mile and a half from a bus stop is repugnant to me, as is the fact that Arlington, with a population of 300,000, has no bus service at all.

[tammywammy]

129. Arlington's getting a test bus service

With DART & The T. I think it's a two year pilot program and then they can see if there's even enough interest in sustaining it.

[KamaAina]

149. You may wish to share that with DU's Public Transportation and Smart Growth group

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1130

Now if we could only do something about ScreamingMeemie's neighborhood.

[ScreamingMeemie]

164. The Metro station (it's huge) is right around the corner from me on Kuykendahl.

I can get from here downtown to MinuteMaid, and then over to Rice University (that's my absolute favorite place!) and Hermann Park on public transportation. Houston's gotten pretty good at it. Far better than Detroit's public transport...which ran a bus down Jefferson, which was a hike for some.

[KamaAina]

169. Is that new?

When I wargamed it a few years ago, it told me "Sorry, there is no service within a mile of this location."

[ScreamingMeemie]

173. I think the "find a bus stop" thing is messed up... because there are bus stops

along Louetta (the main drag to my neighborhood):

http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/ParkRide/Kuykendahl.aspx

[KamaAina]

179. Good to know.

[Lurker Deluxe]

213. Heh

I hate that damn thing. I come down Kuykendahl every morning (I work off Rankin) and the traffic always slows right there from the usual pace of 60+ on a two lane at 5:30AM.

Get outta my way you bastages.

I moved over to Champions from Jersey Village to cut my commute to work from 24 miles each way to 18 miles round trip.

But yea, public transport is gotten actually really good in Houston with the addition of the downtown rail system and park and rides that drop you to the major hubs, well riding in special lanes to move past the gridlock. You can get from pretty much any corner of the city to downtown, and then all around downtown through public transportation.

[kentauros]

266. The rail is wonderful!

Luckily, there were never any accidents with the stupid drivers when I rode it. I am glad I don't work downtown anymore, though. Contractors to oil companies pay more than the oil companies themselves.

The light rail does have one downside, and that's riding it during shift-changes at the Medical Center. It becomes standing room only for those few stops.

[clarice]

126. Houston? Me too ! nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

165. Howdy neighbor!

[Gothmog]

354. I am in Fort Bend county

I work in the Galleria area but live in Fort Bend county where I get to work on political issues with Juanita Jean and others trying to turn Texas blue

[uponit7771]

135. +1

[callous taoboy]

33. I teach in a great Texas school, thanks.

And while I live in a very red town, people here know my politics and my atheism and I am still treated well.

[IdaBriggs]

38. Good to know!

Great teachers impact lives forever!

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. Thank you!

My son attends in the Klein ISD district with progressive teachers and *gasp* real sex education even...

The only issue I have with his school is the STAAR testing. But, in Michigan, we had the MEAP, which is just as much of a bullshit testing process.

[IdaBriggs]

56. Do they even use medically accurate descriptions?

Heaven forbid! Lol!

I am in the middle of dealing with my six year old daughter getting in trouble for kissing (one of) her boyfriend(s) in school.

Yes, my kindergartner kissed a boy. He is one of her MANY boyfriends (she has at least one in each of her activities, and is even planning to marry some of them).



I *think* we have impressed upon her strongly that she is NOT to do that Ever Again. Fortunately his mother seems nice.

[ScreamingMeemie]

156. Hahahaha... You're going to have a lot of fun as the years go by.

Also, I remember you expecting, and I can't believe she's a kindergartner.

[IdaBriggs]

329. Me either! They "graduate" kindergarten this week.

I thought the kissing was confined to my daughter, but it turns out her twin brother keeps kissing one of the girls in his class, who he tickles every time she cries (because she is new and missing her mommy, and he wants to cheer her up).

Did I mention that my daughter told her teacher that it was okay for her to kiss the boy, because her mother (moi) "knows" she has lots of boyfriends and is fine with it?



They start first grade in the fall - where has the time been going?!?!?

[Lurker Deluxe]

62. I live in Champions

If I had a child, Klein would be the school they would go to.

I love this area of town.

[clarice]

127. Hello from Copperfield !!!!!! nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

152. Super close! I'm in the Wimbledon/Spring Creek (Louetta) are!

I love it here too.

[clarice]

183. Hell, we're practically kissin' cousins. lol nt

[maddezmom]

72. I also live in TX and we have great schools in The Woodlands

The article posted even discusses the myth about bad schools here.

"You hear about the high drop-out rate but Texas education scores pretty well at national tests for 4th and 8th graders in math, reading and science. The aggregate is about average.

"The perception is that Texas has poor schools but it's not correct. Across the country in general, we don't have schools as good as we would like them to be."

In eighth-grade maths, for instance, Texas scored higher than the national average and outscored the three other big states of California, New York and Florida. On Sunday, an education budget was approved that restored cuts made in 2011.

[Lurker Deluxe]

86. Freind of mine stays of Robinson

I get out there at least once a month for a BBQ and sit around the backyard tossing "shoes" drinkin' a coupe beers and just general good times.

Love that area.

Have lawn seats for Sabbath at the Pavilion ... great live venue.

http://www.woodlandscenter.org/index.php?page=photo_gallery&ga=17

[maddezmom]

117. It is a great venue

Have fun at the concert.

[redqueen]

84. That's great to hear. nt

[callous taoboy]

95. We also have Luckenbach, which is the center of the universe.

[TheFutureWillCome]

128. your state

has a higher gun ownership per 100,000 people, and a higher gun murder rate per 100,000 people. Texas also has a more diverse population than Michigan...So maybe you should cool it on all those stereotypes.

[GeorgeGist]

4. Texans are normal people

[Redford]

11. Actually Ted Nugent is from Michigan

You could not pay me to set foot in Detroit much less live there. We may be overpopulated with Repubs but I would not live anywhere but Texas! By the way, my school district is considered the best in the state and one of the best in the nation.

[IdaBriggs]

25. We have Ted Nugent, you have Junior --

I will squirm in embarrassment about the one who brings shame to my state.

Can I ask if your school district is racially diverse? My understanding is that the graduation rates can be tied directly to race in Texas?

(And again, we have Detroit, so not a lot of room to talk here. Sigh.)

[Lurker Deluxe]

55. .

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=2147500870


You are more than welcome to post the rates for the state of Michigan ... I did not, to save you the embarrassment.

[IdaBriggs]

58. Congratulations! (Michigan rates below)

From the link on Texas:

Each of the state’s four major ethnic groups showed strong gains. Rates for African-American and Hispanic students increased five percentage points or more over the past year.

Graduation rates for African-American students rose from 73.8 percent for the Class of 2009 to 78.8 percent for the Class of 2010. Hispanic students’ graduation rates were 73.5 percent in 2009, climbing to 78.8 percent for the Class of 2010.

Graduation rates for white and Asian students surpassed the 90 percent mark with the rate for white students at 91.6 percent while Asian/Pacific Islander students earned the highest rate at 93.8 percent.

I *thought* I read something about the numbers being manipulated by only counting the kids who finished high school, and masking the ones who are "encouraged" to drop out -- is this old data/since dramatically improved?

And Michigan - well, let us just say SUCKS!!!

http://www.all4ed.org/files/Michigan_wc.pdf

ALL: 70%
White: 77%
Asian: 76%
Native American: 49%
Hispanic: 44%
African American: 38%

[Lurker Deluxe]

68. The stereotype

The stereotype of Texans being backwards uneducated hillbillies is long since outdated.

The diversity in this area of the state is beyond anywhere I have ever been in the US. I would invite any of you to find more diverse schools/workplaces/or local government representation.

http://www.houstontx.gov/council/index.html

Gerrymandering has kept the House representation they way it is for way to long, but with the changing demographic even that will not keep this state Red very much longer. Texas will emerge as the leader in more than one area within the next decade.

Count on it.

[IdaBriggs]

109. I will cheer a Blue Texas every step of the way!

[Paladin]

119. Could have fooled me, given your hostile posts, here.

Have you ever even been to Texas?

[IdaBriggs]

125. Yes, several times on business.

And while I support a Blue Texas, I still don't want to live there for the reasons I've listed.

I also acknowledge that my state (Michigan) has areas where we need to improve.

[Zoeisright]

194. Then why do you keep sending asshat repukes to office?

I'll believe Texas is okay when Gohmert, Perry, and the rest of those blithering idiots are voted out. Until then, Texas is on my shit list.

[Lurker Deluxe]

209. Where you from?

What are we comparing to?

Texas has gerrymandered the districts unfairly to get those reps in, something that is sure to change once the Gov changes hands.

Not like Texas is the only state that sends Repugs to federal office.

[ScreamingMeemie]

215. Meet Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annise-parker/houston-texas-gay-marriage_b_3255619.html

snip-

An out lesbian since high school, I never expected the "typical" beginnings of parenthood. And today, as we come up on Mother's Day, I still know it would have been hard to imagine just how my life partner, Kathy, and I would stumble into having a family.

It all began in 1993 when I met Jovon, a teenager whose grandparents had kicked him out for being gay. Kathy and I took him in without hesitation -- homelessness is always a tragedy, and a rejected child needs not just a bed but also an accepting embrace. Just like that, Jovon came into our family and never left. And we never looked back, later adopting Daniela and Marquitta from the custody of CPS and expanding our family to five.

As the mayor of America's fourth-largest city -- and the first openly gay mayor to lead any major U.S. city -- I know that many people view me as a role model in the world of politics. Winning public office shows other LGBT Americans (and their families) that things are changing, that we can live openly and successfully. But it is as a parent -- surely my most important role -- that I hope to be seen as a model, too, because even as families like mine are increasingly accepted and welcomed, there's a long way to go.

-snip


So...ummmm...yeah.

[kentauros]

272. You did read the part about the gerrymandering of the districts, right?

And we're not the only state in the union with that very problem. We can all thank Tom Delay for that particular woe.

Changing all of that damage takes time. I find it unfortunate how many of my "fellow" Liberals turn out to be so impatient with regards to this kind of change. However, it is easier to hate than to actually help us do something about it...

[kentauros]

70. Here's something, too, about the diversity of Houston and the surrounding areas:

Houston region is now the most diverse in the U.S.

I've known this for years, from reading The Houston Press and generally observing not only the people around me, but the kinds of restaurants and groceries available in town. Come here and at least spend an hour at Phoenicia Specialty Foods to get an idea of our diversity.

[Honeycombe8]

335. Howdy, Neighbor!!!! I'm here in Dallas. Maybe will relocate to Houston in the future.

A big how-do to you!

[kentauros]

338. That's Big Tex Mark-V, right? ;)

I read he burnt down recently, but! They're building another one

Howdy back northern neighbor! Come on down!

[Honeycombe8]

343. Yep...it's Big Tex! And yes, he burned, poor thing. But a new one is being built.

A new, improved version. I saw a pic but don't remember much difference.

[LeftInTX]

155. I'm in San Antonio

Our school district is extremely diverse.
It's a huge military town.
My kids are mixed Armenian-Mexican. My daughter went to homecoming with an African-American.
The valedictorian and speaker at my son's graduation was Asian.
One of the Indian students had a dance recital at the school. (She studied Indian dance and was pretty much a pro. It was awesome to watch)

Everyone is pretty much accepting of everyone else.

ETA: Just reminded me that it's time to head on over to my favorite Middle-Eastern market.

[X_Digger]

265. Re 'accepting' ..

I'm proud of folks in TX for this one..

Kind of blows the stereotype right out of the water..

[LeftInTX]

270. That was really neat!!!

[juajen]

153. Some years ago, I lived for a couple of years in the

Garland school district outside of Dallas. This was the best school my children ever attended, and the food was to cry for. Honestly, parents were always heading for the school to have lunch with their kids. Famous chicken fried steak, and delicious coconut cream pie were just part of the menus in that school Case you are from there and wondering which one I am referring to, it was Brandenburg. It also very capably kept my gifted children engrossed. I missed that school for years. Kudos to the very good schools in Texas.

[Major Nikon]

189. Shrub is from New England

He was born in New England, educated in New England, and spent his summers in New England at the Bush compound growing up. He was transplanted to Texas.

[Jennicut]

289. He was born in New Haven, as I was...in the same hospital. But about 31 years apart.

It was Grace-New Haven Hospital, now Yale -New Haven. Bush is about a year older then my parents who were both born in that same hospital. Weird but all true. CT is small and that is one if the best known, biggest hospitals in the state. But is W like a nutmegger? Not really. He moved to Texas at 2 and has the accent and all. I don't think he fit in in New England but his father did.

[Major Nikon]

296. He doesn't have the accent

I was raised in West Texas. No way Shrub could pass himself off as a native. He faked it by throwing in a few stupid phases he thought were colloquial, but I had never heard before.

His dad was a carpetbagger who moved to West Texas because there was money to be made at the time. Shrub was educated in New England and they summered in Maine. His dad had to be in Texas much of the time, but it's hard to imagine Shrub spent much time in Texas growing up. When he did reside in Texas, it was always in the suburbs until he bought the pig farm in '99, and never really spent much time there.

He lost his first election because his opponent correctly portrayed him as a Yankee.

[Gothmog]

353. Bush is not a true Texan

I was at a parent meeting at a private school in Houston where they bragged about rejecting W and Jeb. The dean of admissions from Yale was there and she told the audience that W was a legacy admission

[Major Nikon]

357. The truly sad part about Shrub's stupidity is that it wasn't the worst thing about him

The truly sad part about Shrub was how he was so easily manipulated. Sad part for the country and Texas.

[kentauros]

46. I like to think of myself as normal.

The Bush family hail from the north-east, including poppyseed.

Of course, by listing off the worst, would it be too much trouble for you to show everyone the best we've given the nation?

Here, I'll help you start:

[redqueen]

89. I claim Bill Moyers too.

I know he wasn't born here but if we get saddled with Bush then I'm claiming Moyers too.

[kentauros]

91. There ya go :)

Like W, I think he claims Texas as his own, too. What an amazing man!

[ZRT2209]

277. Ann Richards

[tabbycat31]

76. every state has their fair share of crazies

And W is from CT.

(Not a Texan, haven't been there in 20 years, but my late kitty is from Texas).

[formercia]

132. The Bushes are originally from OH.

Keywords: Buckeye Steel.

Look at any old Rail Car and it's wheels and running gear were probably cast at Buckeye.

[PasadenaTrudy]

7. I'll stay in CA, thanks... n/t

[Auggie]

28. Me too

[Booster]

41. God, me too. I'm originally from Texas & you couldn't pay me enough to move back.

When my Texas friends brag about Texas I tell them "you need to get out more". Every state offers something better than Texas has and the humidity & mosquitos are enough reason for me to stay in CA.

[Arugula Latte]

65. The places I've been in Texas have been super flat. (But I guess Austin is hilly.)

Still, the vast expanses of flatness and sagebrush (dotted with oil rigs in west Texas) did nothing for me.

But, I know a lot of people like Texas. So to each his/her own.

[hobbit709]

8. Out of those ten, the reason I came was #6.

[Johonny]

9. race to the bottom economy

hey people in China flock to Foxconn too

And they're not going anywhere because once you get stuck in the race it is hard to get out...

[snooper2]

10. Demographics of Dallas

In case some folks still think it's all old white men with cowboy hats---



As of the census[1] of 2010, the racial makeup of Dallas was 50.7% White, 25.0% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 17.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 42.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non Hispanic whites made up 28.8% of the city of Dallas. Hispanics outnumbered blacks for the first time in the 2000 census as the largest minority group in Dallas.

The city has historically been predominately white but its population diversified as it grew in size and importance over the 20th century. Almost 25% of Dallas' population is foreign born.[3] The largest minority group in the city are Hispanics and Latinos—Dallas is a major destination for Mexican immigrants seeking opportunity in the United States because of its relative proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border. The southwest area of the city, especially Oak Cliff, is predominately or completely Hispanic. The southern and southeastern areas of the city, especially Pleasant Grove and South Dallas, are predominately black. The northern and eastern parts of the city are mostly white and the northwestern portion of the city is home to a fairly equal mix of Hispanics and Asians. The city also contains localized populations of Chinese, Korean, Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, German, Arab, Polish, Russian, Romanian and Jewish peoples.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Dallas

[Buns_of_Fire]

27. I lived in Dallas for a while. I liked it.

A little warm in summer (the rear view mirror melted off my windshield one day when I was dumb enough not to crack the windows while it was parked in the DART lot), but I found that, by and large, people are people everywhere and they're all bad drivers. Except for me, of course.

I did get hooked on Whataburger, though.

[ErikJ]

362. Texas is Arkansas with oil.

[G_j]

12. the health care?

what health care? The ER of course...

[LeftInTX]

159. I go to the doctor

Most Texans do. Even those with Medicaid.

[G_j]

244. Texas has the nation's highest percentage of uninsured

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE94Q02K20130527?irpc=932


Texas Legislature passes measure to prevent Medicaid expansion

By Corrie MacLaggan
Mon May 27, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Republican-majority Texas House and Senate on Sunday sent Governor Rick Perry a proposal to prevent the state from expanding its Medicaid program as outlined by President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law.

<snip>

Democrats have called on Perry to drop his opposition to expanding Medicaid in the state, which has the nation's highest percentage of uninsured people. About 24 percent of Texans are uninsured.

-------
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/21/182180240/texas-medicaid-debate-complicated-by-politics-and-poverty

Texas Medicaid Debate Complicated By Politics And Poverty

by SARAH VARNEY
May 21, 2013 3:01 AM

<snip>

For now, uninsured patients in the Rio Grande Valley pay what they can for basic medical care, but specialty care — to follow up on a lump in the breast, for example — is almost always out of reach without some type of insurance, including Medicaid, according to Dr. Henry Imperial, the Brownsville Community Health Center's medical director. "Once you diagnose a cancer, then what? How are you going to give me chemotherapy or surgery or radiation therapy?" he asks.

Hospitals in Texas end up with millions in unpaid bills, and the counties, by state law, have to provide basic medical care to destitute residents. That has led a number of counties in the Rio Grande Valley — and elsewhere — to pass resolutions supporting the Medicaid expansion.

For local Republicans, that mild act of defiance against a powerful governor — who is opposed to every provision in the federal health law — can seem like political suicide. It's not something they're eager to draw attention to.

....

[LeftInTX]

250. I know

I used to work at the county hospital maternity ward. Obviously having a baby is not the same as cancer. Local governments pick up tabs for uninsured. It's crazy. I can't stand Rick Perry and their opposition to Medicaid expansion. It will save the state money, but nope, they refuse.

Those with Medicaid can get a doctor, yet those who don't qualify are stuck.

Rick Perry and the Teabaggers suck!!!

[datasuspect]

13. last time it was urban cowboy

back when reagan created the rust belt.

tons of yankee bust outs ended up in good ol' texas back then.

[billh58]

14. Good.

At least we will know where they are when the secession happens.

[Blue_Tires]

15. Anyone who wants Tejas can have it...

It's definitely not for me....

[SoCalDem]

20. Our son did a year in Texas..and hightailed it back to Seattle

They hated the weather..the food was good, the pay stunk..they are glad to be home in Seattle.

[Nimajneb Nilknarf]

16. Someone told me about a jolly club called the Texas Gay Rodeo Association

Sounds like a lively bunch of happy fellows.

http://www.tgra.org/texas-tradition-rodeo/

[Sheldon Cooper]

17. JR Ewing? Dallas Cowboys?

Is that article from the 1980s?

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. Right?

When I think Texas these days (as a transplant to Houston), I think:

[Sheldon Cooper]

23. That's Anise Parker, isn't it?

First openly GLBT and female mayor of Houston, I believe. Harris County seems to be going purple, while Houston proper looks pretty blue. If I were to ever move to TX, it'd be either Houston or Austin for me.

[ScreamingMeemie]

36. It is. And you are right on both counts of "firsts."

There's a lot of transplants from the North here, and the community is quite diverse.

[mc51tc]

21. Some great liberal Texans!

It is hard to be a liberal and live in Texas. However, we have had and have some great ones.

Gov. Ann Richards comes to mind as well as the late, great Molly Ivins. We still have Jim Hightower too! Looking back and comparing to what our leaders believe and look like now, LBJ is looking like a big ole liberal more and more as time goes by. Who would have thought - miss you LBJ being able to get things done in D.C.!

Thank you AUSTIN for being our true "blue" city leading us to purple from red soon! Keep Austin Weird is so true!

[mc51tc]

47. Lady Bird Johnson - Our Environmental First Lady

One of the greatest Texans and best First Ladies! Your legacy lives on and on!

http://www.wildflower.org/ladybird/

Lady Bird Johnson

"The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become."

[AnotherMcIntosh]

269. And a major shareholder/director of Haliburton before her demise just a few years ago.

Before that, she and her former husband LBJ gained a great deal of their wealth by being stockholders in the predecessor to Haliburton during the Viet Nam war.

[Laelth]

242. LBJ was definitely a liberal, if also a cantankerous SOB.

And I will always revere the memory of the late, great Molly Ivins.

You have to be tough to be a liberal in Texas, but there are plenty of liberals there.

-Laelth

[DBoon]

336. And you always have C. Wright Mills

for that angry left perspective

[kentauros]

339. And Juanita Jean!

Juanita Jean's - The World's Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, Inc.

[Gothmog]

355. I live in Fort Bend county

Juanita Jean is working hard to turn Texas blue. I have already received a couple of e mails about registering voters on Juneteenth

[DBoon]

379. That's hilarious!

I love it

[n2doc]

22. Family friendly?

Bullshit. It is not 'family friendly' to have a crap school system. And woe to you if you aren't a fundy, you will be ostracized big time.

4 is bullshit too. Low taxes if you have a 'farm homestead' scam (putting a cow or 2 on your property to drastically lower property taxes). But high property taxes in cities and on any regular homes, and high sales taxes.

8 Fewer Rules? Hope you don't have to live next to a fertilizer factory, or drink the water, or breathe the air near an incinerator plant.

I will give them Austin (although it is NOT cheap to live there), jobs (but be careful what type of job you get, and remember, no safety rules), homes (except Austin, and some areas around the big cities and the coast).

[JoePhilly]

160. Three years in Lubbock was plenty enough TX for me.

[Daemonaquila]

228. Hey, Lubbock is YOUR fault.

There are great places to live here. Some real dives, too. You have the choice.

[Ilsa]

221. Good and accurate post. nt

[n2doc]

234. I lived there for 6 years

And while there are good people and good places in Texas, it had enough things that drove me nuts that I could not wait to leave. Even Georgia, where I landed, is better. If I could have lived in Austin I would have stayed, that city is great. However, the traffic there is terrible and housing, as I noted, is pricy. I didn't much care for San Antonio (too much sprawl) and hated Houston and Dallas.


I do miss the BBQ there, though. And the Mexican food.

[HappyMe]

26. If people want to move there, good for them.

Reasons I won't move there:
Rick Perry
Too damned hot
Too many guns
Rick Perry

[mc51tc]

30. Very good reasons you post!

Plus, Texas is running out of water, but most deny "climate change" as being the reason! Brain washing from birth is hard to overcome here too! lol!

[Arugula Latte]

51. Don't forget: Bush Crime Family

[HappyMe]

52. Yeah. I didn't even

want to type out the dreaded name.

Rattlesnakes too. Or do they fall under the Bush family heading.

[Arugula Latte]

57. Probably so. Along with scorpions.

[uponit7771]

137. *****TEXAS WILL BE TURNING BLUE******* Reason enough for me!

[HappyMe]

141. WHEN PIGS FLY!

I see no reason to move to Rick Perry Gun Land.

[derby378]

368. There will still be liberal Democratic gun owners in Texas once it turns blue

I don't see a problem with this.

[MotherPetrie]

285. Ditto! I will stay in my all-blue, highly taxed state!

[graham4anything]

29. Hillary will turn Texas blue in 2016, blue Gov., Texas house in 2016,and 2020 re-gerrymander it back

[hamsterjill]

31. As a LIFE LONG Texas, I welcome all Democrats.

Someone made the point to me recently that many people were moving from California to Texas, and that the majority of those would be voting for Democratic candidates.

I'm fine with that.

A turnabout is fair play - after all, it was in the 80's when all of the Republicans moved to Texas that things went "south" down here. I am anxiously awaiting Texas to be blue again! Come on down!

[Ishoutandscream2]

32. Thanks, Steve. The haters will be saying harsh things

And they probably secretly applaud when bad things happen to us. But that's just a sickness they have.

But, all in all, even being a liberal in quite possibly the most conservative county in the US, I still love it here. You have to learn to live with others who have differing opinions. Some are my most dearest friends. And, on my block, there are more families who have come from other states than Texas. We have been welcoming people from all over the US for several decades now.

[steve2470]

34. You're very welcome. I'm in a red county of Florida, so I understand completely nt

[kentauros]

90. "You have to learn to live with others who have differing opinions."

This appears to be an alien concept on DU, and I personally just don't get why. I've lived in Texas almost all my life (living in Connecticut from age 5-7 doesn't really count because the only adults I ever knew were my parents, parents of friends, teachers, and Paul Newman, who seemed quite nice; he'd have made a great Texan!)

Thanks for the thread, too, Steve! (in spite of the haters)

[steve2470]

92. you're very welcome !

Florida and Texas have a lot in common, so I do understand and sympathize.

[kentauros]

97. Thank you

And I do try to correct the haters when they use the idiotic "Floriduh" for y'all. No state is perfect, and I do find it exceptionally ironic how much hate we get when they keep electing republicans to higher office in the northeast, and some parts of the west coast.

As much as we'd like to separate ourselves from East Texas, we can't, as I'm sure people in Washington state can attest with their own eastern portion

[geek tragedy]

37. Did Rick Perry write that article? Blech. nt

[roody]

39. Austin is very expensive.

[ZRT2209]

279. compared to other housing markets?

[roody]

290. Yes, housing. My nieces moved to

IA from Austin and will never return due to cost of living.

[Jennicut]

44. My parents lived in Texas when my father was in the army at Fort Bliss.

It was the early 70's. We are from Connecticut so it was a huge culture shock. My Dad said it was incredibly hot in El Paso where he was stationed. I think the heat scares the hell out of me. I am spoiled. 90 degree weather for three months in the summer is enough for me. It 's going to be 90 today and that is unusual in May. Needless to say, everyone is freaking out and getting their air conditioners out.
I also happen to like snow. Even our crazy blizzard this past winter that took 3 days to dig out from.
And my Dad said the bugs were huge. And Texas is too big. I live in a dinky state where it takes an hour and a half to get to the other side of, if that. Even if we are one of the most expensive states to live in, we have some things going for us. Sorry, Texas. But I would visit on a vacation.

[kentauros]

148. No need to apoloogize

You love your state and you're open to the idea of visiting us down here. We'll welcome you any time!

Connecticut is a beautiful state, from what little I remember as a kid. It's just too cold for me. I don't even start to sweat until reaches 90F down here. But I will turn on the a/c when it reaches 80F indoors

[Jennicut]

293. I drove with my husband to Florida two years ago.

We went to Disney. It was so hot there I got a heat rash running around Magic Kingdom with my kids. I am no good in temps over 90. I do love to travel and think Texas is an interesting place. I just got back from a cruise from NJ to Bermuda with my parents two weeks ago. It was actually only 70 there. It's hotter in CT right now.
Anything regarding politics against a state is silly. Every area has it's good and bad things about it. But big bugs scare me, we got nothing in CT to compete, just saying...

[JustAnotherGen]

45. I'll stick to the North East thanks

It's an easier flight from Newark to Rome or Newark to Rochester NY than anwhere in Texas. We have elderly folks in those cities/countries we are responsible for.

[Arugula Latte]

48. That picture of the rodeo is supposed to be a positive thing?

I wish they'd ban those disgusting, cruel, inhumane torture fests.

We have a giant one here in Oregon, the Pendleton Roundup, and it makes me sick. That is one "tradition" that needs to fall by the wayside, pronto.

And for people who say "it's part of the culture," well, the same can be said for dog fighting. So what. Cultures evolve.

[narnian60]

199. Of course, not everyone who lives here

supports the rodeo and its cruelty, but I think you knew that already.

[kentauros]

283. Yeah, people from outside of Texas have a hard time understanding

when I tell them I've been vegetarian since 2001, here in the heart of beef-eating and the biggest rodeo in the country. I have to just put up with the traffic and such when it's on.

Thankfully, there are plenty of veggie choices to eat out, including a few all-vegetarian restaurants. And I have to mention the falafel made here

[Arugula Latte]

288. My question was addressed to the person who posted the image.

It was put under a bunch of images that, as I understood it, were supposed to illustrate why Texas was so desirable. I understand not everybody in Texas supports rodeos. I just didn't understand why that picture was there to convey a "positive" image of the state.

[steve2470]

294. The image is a montage of images from the BBC story itself nt

[Arugula Latte]

311. Okay. I guess they were hitting all the Texas stereotypes.

Cowboys? Check. Other kind of cowboys? check.

[arely staircase]

292. they aren't mandatory

nt

[Arugula Latte]

345. They are for the animals that are forced to participate in their own abuse.

[arely staircase]

348. i wasn't talking to them

nt

[Politicalboi]

53. I live in Ca

And you couldn't give me Texas. I couldn't care less if they seceded either. Go for it Texas.

[narnian60]

190. Born and raised for 25 years in S. Calif.

Moved to Houston 35 yrs. ago. Had the same thoughts about Texas. Still here and love it except for the summer heat & humidity.

[Major Nikon]

318. I feel the same way about CA

Just sayin'

[leftyohiolib]

54. FERTILIZER PLANT EXPLOSIONS NEXT TO YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL

[Daemonaquila]

231. So?

Let's see - first off, it was an ag co-op storing chems for local farmers not a fertilizer plant, and second, it was there long before some idiots decided to build a school and homes there. It's kind of like building your house next to the airport then complaining about the noise.

In the blue enclave of Manhattan, how about those pesky downtown bombings near lots of peoples' homes and schools, not to mention official inaction in getting people back into their homes after a hurricane months ago?

The things that people will say to support their own biases floors me. Texas' craziness is no different than any other state's. Just another one of 50 flavors.

[LanternWaste]

59. It's a nice place... like most other place.

It's a nice place... like most other place. It also has its drawbacks... like many other places. Some good people, some not so good people, and even a few bad people. Some nice places to go, some bad places to go. Some industries here always seem to be hiring someone, while other industries here never seem to hire anyone.

It's not really unique in either its good side or its bad side-- but I imagine both of those sides will have their dogmatic and extreme parishioners who cling desperately to the idiotic belief that it's either X or Y, and 'never the twain shall meet...' (and if you see any of those idiots... give them a hug-- they could certainly use one.)

[kentauros]

154. Do you write for a living?

Because if you don't, I think you should. I always like your posts

And there are a few people on this thread that could use some hugs, too

[angel823]

211. this longtime lurker and Texan thanks you

for your level-headed outlook.

And I especially like your "hugs" comment!

Angel in Texas

[mc51tc]

60. Some Texas trivia!

Austin, Dallas, and Houston - three huge American cities named after men in its history. What other state can make that unique claim. Show me, and no I am not from Missouri!

[Sheldon Cooper]

73. Well, my entire state is named after one of the founding fathers of the state.

Can you guess?

[mc51tc]

80. I am guessing Pennsylvania after William Penn

Am I right?

[Sheldon Cooper]

87. ding ding ding!!!

You are correct, sir!

[FreeJoe]

121. I've always loved the thought...

of traveling back in time and telling Sam Houston that his name will be the first word any human ever speaks on the surface of another celestial body. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." - Neil Armstrong.

[Laelth]

249. In Georgia, we name our counties for famous Georgians.

That rule applies to all but the oldest counties in the state. The oldest ones are named for various, English trustees of the Georgia colony.

President Carter's novel, The Hornet's Nest, explains the origins of many of our county names.

-Laelth

[AnotherMcIntosh]

275. Excuse me, but isn't Montgomery County named after Richard Montgomery,

a Scot-Irish descendant who was born in Ireland, came to the colonies, and fought against the British during the Revolutionary War? His ancestry is traceable back to France in 1066 when one of his ancestors (and probably cousins) emigrated to England and decided to stay.

You say that there is an exception for the oldest counties. Maybe Montgomery County is one of them.

[Laelth]

281. I think Gerogia adopted him. ;)

But, seriously, you are absolutely correct. Montgomery was a great Revolutionary war hero, but had no connection to Georgia that I can find.

That said, many Georgia counties are named for famous Georgians, as President Carter makes clear.

-Laelth

[mc51tc]

313. I so admire President Carter!

He is not only a great former President and man, he is also a great writer and author. His books make for great reading.

[moondust]

61. Guns everywhere!

And militant gun owners! State motto is "Don't mess with Texas!" (Or else!)

Most executions!

Corporations rule!

[tammywammy]

100. "Don't mess with Texas" is an anti-litter campaign.

The Texas state motto is "friendship".

[moondust]

105. Maybe they should have mentioned "litter" in the phrase.

It's interpreted as a motto since it's all over the place on billboards, etc. I've personally never heard of the official motto being "friendship" and I lived in Texas for two years.



More edits:

Maybe you don't see all those guns because they are concealed?

Other states don't have to use tough guy threats to keep their countryside beautiful. A little sign once in a while about the fine being $xxx for littering seems to be sufficient in most places.

[tammywammy]

114. For someone that wants to imply how stupid Texas is...

You could have at least Googled "don't mess with Texas". First link: http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/ And the link's description right there on Google is, "Anti-highway litter campaign organized by the Texas Department of Transportation."

I'd recommend the next time you want to try using those fancy internet search engines and check stuff out before you post.

BTW, I can't even tell you the last time I saw a gun that wasn't on a police officer's hip.

[moondust]

118. See my edited post.

[NCTraveler]

142. Careful now.

They have only been in Texas for two years. They weren't aware that Texas offered google.

[tammywammy]

146. Those search engines...

tricky.

[LeftInTX]

184. Gosh, don't most places have litter campaigns?

We have our cute litter jingles too.

But we also have these guys: Stevie Ray Vaughn's PSA - Don't Mess With Texas.

<"

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

Willie Nelson


It's a litter campaign. I agree that A-holes like Rick Perry have abused it.

[Daemonaquila]

233. Wrong.

"Don't mess with Texas" is the ANTI-LITTERING campaign. http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/

Living in Texas among gun lovers is no different than living in any other state. People are just less uptight about it than in some other parts of the country. I've seen a heck of a lot less violence and stupidity here than I did in inner-city Minneapolis when I lived there.

[moondust]

258. I'm glad you like it.

Seriously.

[hfojvt]

63. as I wrote on FB

it's only "low tax" if you are NOT in the bottom 40%

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/159

It's the 5th most regressive tax state in the nation, and also has the 6th highest poverty rate.

I sorta figured all those people were moving to Texas because it is really close to the Rio Grande.

[octoberlib]

256. +1

They're trying to pass the same regressive tax scheme in NC and the people here are protesting. It's certainly nothing to brag about.

[fishwax]

66. fewer rules? maybe for fertilizer plants and oil companies, but not for people

8. Fewer rules

"Texas is liberal in the classic sense, it's laissez-faire, so there's a lack of regulations," says Grieder, and this can apply to the obvious (business regulations) or the less obvious (city rules).

"The classic social contract is - we're not going to do a ton to help you but we're not going to get in your way. That's not 100% true of the state but there's that strand in the state."

Mortgage lending is an obvious exception. But there has been strong opposition to banning texting while driving and a proposed tax on soda.

And Governor Rick Perry is poised to sign off the strongest email privacy laws in the US, which would require state law enforcement agencies to get a warrant before accessing emails.

I'm rather skeptical of the claim that there are fewer rules, aside from fewer business regulations. The email privacy bill sounds like a good step, but Texas still has Blue laws, dry counties, anti-gay laws, anti-choice regulations, and so on.

And the fourth highest incarceration rate in the nation.

There are plenty of good things about Texas, but I think the "fewer rules" is a bit of a myth.

[bmbmd]

69. I don't know much about living in other places-

but I by-God love living in Texas.

[mc51tc]

71. Breaking news: Motorola to Open Manufacturing Facility in Fort Worth

Facility to hire 2,000 to make smart phones.

Motorola is opening a Texas manufacturing facility that will produce the first smartphone ever assembled in the U.S.

More Texas growth, I guess.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/video/#!/news/tech/Motorola-to-Open-Manufacturing-Facility-in-Fort-Worth/209489701

[HappyMe]

75. I'm still not apt to move there.

[CreekDog]

74. Yes, I take seriously this article which pictures JR, rodeo and the Dallas Cowboys

as if anybody has moved to Texas for any of those things since the 80's.

[NCTraveler]

145. Check out the economy in Huston.

Yes, many people are moving there. Many young college students.

[Lunacee_2013]

77. I was born in Texas and I still live there and I just have one thing to say...

Please God, let the new-comers be liberal!

[Puzzledtraveller]

79. Most my family is from and lives in Texas

San Antonio, New Braunfels, I love it. Would not mind living there.

[AndyA]

81. I know several people who've moved from Texas in the last few years

and a few others who want to leave. These are long time residents, too, over 20 years in most cases.

I lived in the DFW area most of last year, and thought it was awful. It takes forever to get anywhere, and the quality of life is not what it used to be. At one time, I thought it would be great to live in Dallas, but not any more.

[cali]

82. A chacun son gout

but no thanks

[navarth]

83. Real nice thread

if you enjoy Texas-bashing, or Michigan bashing. FUCK that. Where is the good in it?

For the record, I'm proudly from Detroit and I love it. I've been to Texas (Dallas in particular) and I didn't like it at all. SO THE FUCK WHAT.

I've got nothing against Texas, it's just not my cup of tea. Again, so what? Texas gave us Molly Ivins, Bill Moyers, Jim Hightower, and Kenny Dorham (look him up).

This thread is stupid.

[ScreamingMeemie]

186. Well, my son's a loyal Lions fan, even if he likes living in Houston more...

...so there's that.

[navarth]

223. That's understandable

The Lions are a Sacred Cause. As far as liking Houston more......everything's a matter of taste I think. I've been to lots of cities and the only one I really liked better than Detroit was NYC. But it's all a matter of taste isn't it? Hence my comment about this being a stupid thread. Good luck in Texas. Send some love to Detroit; we need it way more than Houston.

[ScreamingMeemie]

226. Half my family still lives there, so that's easy to do.

It was tough, for me, to see someone who lives in Michigan (and knows of its own problems) bash on the state I chose to live in. All states have their ups and downs...there is no Utopia... our congresscritters have seen to that.

I mean, look what happened to my birthstate of WI?

[Puzzledtraveller]

85. the entrenched and irrational Texas hate seems to be keeping the rec's at quite the low

[mc51tc]

88. So true! This many replies usually has more rec`s for sure!

[kentauros]

94. It is indeed irrational, ain't it?

I mean, I never see California getting bashed for giving us St. Ronnie. Or if they are, it's never on this scale. I guess because everything is bigger in Texas, so is the subsequent hate from outside our borders

[Puzzledtraveller]

99. There is a rich muticultural heritage throughout Texas too

Which is widely celebrated by numerous celebrations in many of the cities. For example, Folklife Festival, Fiesta and several others in San Antonio.

[kentauros]

103. The Kerrville Folk Festival is one of the biggest (though I've never been

due to how far it is to travel.) I have gone to a couple of the Turkish Festivals in Houston, and they're always fun for a few hours. Great food, too

And it seems like there's always a belly dance show going on some evening in the city

[X_Digger]

271. Not to mention Diwali & other festivals

There's a thriving indian community, with hindu, sikh, buddhist, jainist.. more religious festivals and places of worship than you can shake a stick at.

[kentauros]

276. My GF and I went to the Indian temple south of here,

in, of all places, Pearland. It wasn't too long ago that Pearland was one of the most conservative areas of town (perhaps second only to Sugarland, Tom Delay's old district.) They never would have "allowed" such a thing to be built there. When we visited, I noticed how much that area has grown with subdivisions, so the demographics have changed with its growth

I know there are several Buddhist temples here, though I haven't visited them yet.

[mc51tc]

102. Irony!

Yes, it is very ironic that "liberal" California gave us St. Ronnie who did his best to destroy the programs of the "Great Society" by the "conservative" LBJ from Texas. We have short memories in this country for sure.

[callous taoboy]

96. Similar to racism in some respects.

[mitchtv]

195. don't feel too alone`

I come from NY, home of Hate on NY club; and now I live in CA, and we get a whole lotta hate directed at us, more than any others I think, and not just R's.

[Major Nikon]

317. I'm guessing that most of the negative comments are from those who have never been here

Or at least have spent little time here.

[AsahinaKimi]

98. No thank you...

I love my state..

[kentauros]

104. We all love our states, for the most part,

and I'd rather see more of those kinds of threads on DU, than the "Let's all dogpile and pour on the irrational hate on (insert most-hated-state-here)" kind of threads. This one didn't start out that way, certainly, but the haters predictably turned it into that.

California is a lovely state! I just couldn't live there due to the climate not being what I love and am most acclimated to, i.e., wonderful heat paired with equally wonderful humidity

[AsahinaKimi]

106. What? You never heard of

Blythe California?

[kentauros]

108. No, I haven't heard of it.

But then again, California is an equally large state like Texas

I do like the partially invisible sign on the middle-right, though. If only all signs could be like that!

[AsahinaKimi]

111. Hottest place in the state...

I lived for a while in Scottsdale Arizona. When it was 115 degrees, Blythe was 120. Yeeehaaa!

[kentauros]

112. Okay, but if the humidity is less than 80%,

forget it! I consider the air to be "dry" if the humidity gets below 60%. And then I have to deal with the static!

[AsahinaKimi]

116. But you know there are probably places just like you are looking for..

I would love to go see San Diego.. but San Jose is one of the fastest growing cities in the State. Its population is probably past San Francisco by now. I guess if I had to chose another place to live.. I might pick one or the other.

[kentauros]

122. There probably are.

I still love Texas, and when my GF gets here from New Zealand, she wants us to set up a B&B in Dripping Springs, Texas (she fell in love with it when we visited my parents there this past March.)

[AsahinaKimi]

191. have to chuckle...

Dripping Springs...what a name!!...

[kentauros]

198. The drought's kind of ruined the name,

but when the aquifers were full, the water literally dripped out of the exposed strata. You'd see wet rock layers where the road cut through a hill

[Daemonaquila]

236. Dripping Springs? Really?

I have to drive through pretty regularly, and I don't get why anyone would like that town. It's like Boerne, a once-rural town that's been co-opted into a bedroom community for the nearby big city. Once you get farther out toward Johnson City, it's still pretty in that neck of the woods.

[kentauros]

245. My parents live about five minutes west of town,

out in the country. Maybe that's what my GF liked, but I think she also likes the general terrain and landscape. She wants to leave NZ, as hard to imagine that is for the rest of us.

[LeftInTX]

202. Kimi:

I've lived in Texas for 30 years and I hate the weather!!!

Before that I lived in Seattle, California, NJ, Wisconsin, Japan
I lived on the coast in California and the weather was so mild.


I think Kentauros has an exceptional fortitude!!!!

[kentauros]

212. I've come to the conclusion in recent years why I love the heat:

my body temperature averages around 97.5-98F

Thus, I cool off fast and can tolerate hotter temps (such as sitting in my car, in August, windows up, and engine off, for a few minutes; great way to warm up from your average "walk-in freezer" office building.)

[AsahinaKimi]

214. Than I guess you would do well in Hot Tubs..

I have been in one, where you had to step in a shower, and slowly lower the temperature.. of the water before entering the hot tub. OMG.. yikes. Some of them are too hot for me. I would sit for a little bit, jump out..hit the cool water, and then go back in.

[kentauros]

220. Hot tubs are nice.

I prefer saunas though. Maybe a little water poured on the rocks, for added humidity

What I'd really like to have in a house (or apartment) is a Japanese-style bathing room, with the soaking but, and shower for cleaning. I've only seen them in movies; I'd like to experience that, too

[AsahinaKimi]

230. Funny thing...

A few years ago I was in Scotland and was shocked at a bed and breakfast we stayed at. They had an old fashioned four legged Bathtub. It was the type, you could fill it so high, when you laid down in it, the water would come up to your neck and entirely cover your body. Most places I have lived in have either had a shower only, or if they had a bathtub..the water would barely reach your knees while laying down or the water would run out.

Yes I understand about kids drowning in bathtubs.. and yes I understand about conserving water.. BUT omg, there is nothing better than soaking full body in a bathtub,with water up to your neck.

The only way to have that now, is to have a back yard Hot tub that is FENCED OFF and locked, with a really high fence. Another words, you have to be Rich to have your own hot tub (Unless you build it yourself.)

Just outside of San Francisco used to be a place called FLOATING WORLD. IT came with six 2 person hot tubs, and one 4 person hot tub that you could rent for an hour. (Being in a hot tub for more than that is just dangerous.) I would kill to go to a place like that again, but they were forced out of business. Maybe too many people were having sex in them.

In any case if Ever I go back to Japan to visit, on my to do list, will be Onsens and Roten Buros. I appreciate a good soak in the tub.

[kentauros]

241. My mother has one of those claw-foot bathtubs :)

I've never used it, but there was a similar one in a house my family used to own in Austin. It's great being able to soak under the bathwater

You might want to see if there are any spas or new age type places that have "sensory deprivation tanks." The water is kept at body temp, but it's also high-salt, so you float higher in the water. If you're claustrophobic, though, probably not a good idea to try one. But, 45-60 minutes in one is really nice! No sound gets in, so it's just you and your thoughts

[LeftInTX]

219. When I first moved here the "walk-in freezers" bothered me!!

Then something called menopause happened.

Suddenly they don't feel like "walk-in freezers" anymore.

[kentauros]

225. So, that's a plus to the pause

I'm in the habit of keeping or carrying a jacket with me, both to work and to restaurants. Unless I'm eating outside, restaurants are another freezer-like environment for me. I've watched people give me truly confused looks when I put on my jacket while they sit there in shorts and short sleeves

[Major Nikon]

319. Short sleeve weather virtually year round

Not a bad tradeoff for two months of high temps. I spend a lot of time outdoors so the heat doesn't bother me that much anyway.

[kentauros]

324. The key is to keep replenishing yourself.

I think it's 8oz of water per half hour, at least as I recall from safety training in recent years. You'll sweat plenty in the humidity, yet you can stave off heat-exhaustion with plenty of fluids

I figure my GF will get me outdoors more often once she's moved here. The people of NZ seem to spend most of their time outdoors, or at least with all of the windows and doors open!

[AsahinaKimi]

222. I have never been to Texas.

I have seen massive snows in Upstate New York. I have experienced cold weather in Utah, where is piled up snow 3 feet high in under a half hour. I have lived in Scottsdale Arizona..(Really liked it there, but there was no Ocean.) I have lived in Idaho for a year, lived in Missouri, lived in Northern, Southern and Central California. I have visited at least 40 US states, and 7 different countries (France, Spain, Italy, UK, Canada, Tahiti and Japan) and of all of that... The best weather ever was in Tahiti. Maybe I need to move to Hawaii, well isn't that nearly everyone's dream?

[kentauros]

232. I envy you :)

I'd love to have visited so many states (and would still love to see more.) Although I am thankful to have visited New Zealand. Next time I go back we'll have to take a trip to the south island, too

And yes, I think most people would love to live in Hawaii, myself included

[ScreamingMeemie]

238. Not mine, but only because I'm a big fan of road trips...

...and Hawaii only has so much road to trip on.

[AsahinaKimi]

239. Well it always seems I run into two kinds of people..

Those who want to be in Hawaii, and or those who want to be in Alaska. At least from Alaska you can do a major road trip. I suppose the only thing that scares me about Hawaii would be the occasional tsunami. If I did live there, I would want to be very high up on a hill.

[LeftInTX]

210. Kentauros:

See my reply http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2922970

Gotta admire anyone who is acclimated to this heat and humidity!!!!
Can you put that acclimation in a can and send it to me???? Pretty please!

[hrmjustin]

101. Texas is a beautiful state and I am not surprided people are moving there.

I just wish they would people that we could work with.

[mc51tc]

115. Life is not fair! Just ask Granbury Texas residents

No federal assistance for Granbury tornado victims

Despite the massive damage toll, it did not rise to $34 million, the level required to trigger a federal response.

Tornado-Ripped Granbury Continues to Recover

http://www.nbcdfw.com/weather/stories/Tornado-Ripped-Granbury-Continues-to-Recover-209431621.html

[FreeJoe]

124. Good points and bad points

I've lived in NY, CA, TX, and OK. I'm currently in a suburban enclave just north of Houston,TX and am happy enough here.

A few good points not mentioned:
1) Houston has a very diverse population. This has lead to it having one of the best collections of restaurants in the country. Even better, they are affordable restaurants.

2) The Houston Medical Center is one of the best in the country (provided that you have sufficient insurance).

3) Some very good public universities with not terrible in-state tuition rates.

It's a really big state, so it is easy to overgeneralize. Parts are deep south redneck. Other parts are very western (as in cowboy west). Parts are heavily hispanic. Parts are very urban/suburban and parts are extremely rural.

[kestrel91316]

130. Destroyed natural environment, unregulated industrial polluters,

unending drought, ghastly heat and humidity, no worker rights, no zoning to keep toxic waste dumps from appearing next to your lovely home, and no women's rights..............sounds heavenly.

[Lurker Deluxe]

205. No worker's rights

Damn sure hate that.

I mean I've been with my company, headquartered here in Houston Texas, for just about 10 years. All I have is 176 hours of PTO a year, a fully vested 401K with a 7% match, 11 paid holidays, and an outrageous $76 biweekly health insurance premium. Them MF'ers. But, all things the same we did have two reportable accidents ... three years ago. Not to bad for a company of mostly offshore workers, not a single reportable incident this year.

Well ... it gets worse from there. From here I have to drive to Champions Forest which is ... get this of all the f'd up toxic waste, ohh wait ... the entire community is a bird sanctuary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champion_Forest,_Texas

Them women gots it bad though, our mayor is one of those women hatin ... ohh, Snap ... no she's an openly lesbian very popular mayor.

It is Texas though, and if you think it's hot now just wait a couple more weeks and then we'll talk. I work in an unairconditioned shop in the middle of the Foreign Trade Zone by the big airport. Ohh damn, a zone? WTF!!

Where is it that you stay that has all of things that Texas has destroyed? I mean our National parks are just a measly 675,000 acres, and our state parks (many of which are wildlife refuges) only come to 586,501 acres. That's over a millions acres of park land ... and we did not even talk about the lakes and rivers.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/texas

http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/parks/overview.html

Where is it your from?

[kestrel91316]

247. I'm from a state that doesn't spit on people of color, women, liberals,

the environment, or science, as a matter of public policy.

There may be some good people in Texas, but they are greatly outnumbered by the type I consider a danger to my existence.

[Lurker Deluxe]

251. Does it have a name?

Or is it just one of those states that is 90% white?

[Bluenorthwest]

305. It is California, where since you got snarky, it is not legal to discriminate against LGBT

people as it is in Texas, which would like to be 110% straight.

[Lurker Deluxe]

308. Hang on now

Since this was addressed to Kestrel ... unless you is her.

Where in California.

Please elaborate.

I have shown you the make up of my backwards ass city with the diverse city council and openly gay mayor, where in Cal-I-For-nia are we talking about. Big state, just like Texas.

Where, specifically, are we talking about??

Toss those stones and all .. careful, they might bounce back a little.

Which one of your representatives are we going to talk about, which one of your locals.

Let me know. It is not legal in Texas to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation ... love to have that conversation.

[tammywammy]

309. Texas would like to be 110% straight???

You might wanna let the Houston mayor know that, as well as all the GLBT parents in San Antonio. (Factoid: San Antonio has the highest percentage of gay parents than any other city.)

Are there bigots here? Yes, just like every other state (see the current rash of assaults on gays in NY). You should put that broad brush away since there are plenty of people here that don't think that way. Also, there are also plenty of non-religious people here too. In fact the majority of my friends and acquantices are not religious at all.

[upaloopa]

131. The state that thinks critical thinking should be outlawed

in public school. There are things more important than those you list. You headed for a state full of economic slaves.
The whole South is turning I to a third world nation of it's own.

[narnian60]

314. Taught here in Texas for 25 years,

and teaching critical thinking skills was/is high on the list of things that must be taught.

[Trajan]

133. Texas blows ...

low taxes = poor public services ...

there is no way around it ...

I could swear this was written by Tom Delay, who scratched it out on his cell wall with a shiv

[Major Nikon]

315. Actually there is a way around it

As far as public services go, Texas relies more on local governments for funding most of it through property and sales taxes. So you get great public services in the affluent areas and everywhere else gets the shit end of the stick. It works the same in other states, but the effect is greatly magnified here.

[KittyWampus]

136. Fewer Rules & Jobs= Dangerous living conditions & crappy wages with little protection.

Fewer Rules- your house and neighborhood blow up because of fertilizer next door.

Jobs-because there are no rules and businesses are free to exploit workers.

[Paladin]

138. News bulletin for you no-nothing "Texas sucks, except for Austin" types:

FYI, Austin stopped being cool 20 or 30 years ago. Austin is now Houston, with a few lakes, some mostly mediocre live music, and shittier traffic. You want "cool" in Texas? There's plenty of it---try Fort Worth, Port Aransas, Blanco or Marfa. I mean, actually TRY these places, instead of assuming the whole state is populated with nothing but a bunch of Rick Perry clones. If you people applied the same level of clueless stereotyping to Jews or black people, you would be drop-kicked out of DU in less than a day.....

[tridim]

158. Uhm SXSW?

It's not that Austin is "cool" per-se, it's a college town. College towns are almost always fun!

[Paladin]

174. Uhm....SXSW is when my Austin friends like to be out of town.

There's just not that much charm to watching mid-western college kids puking on sidewalks.

And I'm aware that Austin is a fun college town, having received my degree from UT Austin some years ago. Back when Austin was cool.....

[redqueen]

175. It has retained some of its weird charm... but SXSW was ruined by greed and marketing years ago.

Ok maybe not ruined per se... but neither the festival nor the city are what they once were. But that goes for everything. I just hope the Austinites who keep fighting to keep it weird come out on top.

[zappaman]

182. Forget SXSW...Psych Fest is amazing!

http://www.austinpsychfest.com/

[kentauros]

178. If that's your criteria for a fun town,

then why not consider Houston? Here are all of the colleges and universities we have:

University of Houston
The University of Houston–Clear Lake
The University of Houston–Downtown
Texas Southern University
Rice University
Houston Baptist University
University of St. Thomas
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing
Texas Women's University Health Science Center Houston
Baylor College of Medicine
The Houston Community College System
The Lone Star College System
San Jacinto College
Lee College

There are a few more I'm not familiar with listed here

[tridim]

193. Good sell, but I'm not moving to TX.

Sorry.

I'm just defending Austin because I've had many good times there.

[kentauros]

200. Then spend a holiday here.

You don't have to move here to love it

[NCTraveler]

139. I am glad to see many posters sharing positive information about Texas.

There are some truly wonderful things about the state. The fact that many of their cities are becoming the youngest and most vibrant in the country tells me that the region as a whole will be shifting politically over the coming years. A young progressive family member of mine recently moved there after college. She loves it. Unfortunately Florida lost a good progressive.

[kentauros]

196. I don't know if your user-name means you like to travel

but if you do, have a look at this site: Texas Highways

[NCTraveler]

267. Thank you very much. I do like to travel.

I always go by car due to a fear of heights. I know, I take a greater risk because of an irrational fear, but you have to try to enjoy what you are doing. When I am going to visit someone I am always able to get good local information from them. But along the way I have to rely on sites like you just gave me. I really do appreciate it.

[kentauros]

268. You're welcome :)

And I've read that AmTrack has special carriages for taking your car with you. Might be worth looking into for longer trips

[NCTraveler]

273. I plan on taking my car with me on a train to DC.

The route is set up very well for me. I live in Florida. It will just be a one time thing for the experience. The cost isn't all that effective and it is not as quick as you would think. That being said, neither one of those issues is too bad and I am sure it will be a fun experience. One of the great parts about traveling the way I do is planning the stops on the way. I find some of the neatest place. I also find some duds. The train doesn't really allow me to choose.

[Skittles]

143. I've lived in North Texas a long time

if this is considered wonderful, I feel truly bad for the state of the nation

[kentauros]

201. You need to stop kicking people's asses, then.

[Honeycombe8]

337. North Texas has been bery bery good to me.

I moved here years ago for the economy, from a very depressed Louisiana economy during a recession. It was a good move. It would've been better if I'd moved to Houston, I think, but Houston was having trouble then, too, so I ended up in the DFW area.

It was a good move economically. A sound, diverse economy. Cost of living lower than the national average. Clean. I miss the deep south, though (rain, green lawns year 'round, nary a triple digit day), so may relocate to Houston when I semi-retire (if I'm able to find part time work...doubt I can fully retire).

[justiceischeap]

144. You know, Manhattan was once an affordable place to live

then people started flocking there and it drive the real estate values up and now you gotta earn 6 figures (or there abouts) to live there.

[Rosco T.]

147. Austin/San Antonio and El Paso are blue islands...

.. in a sea of red madness.

[kentauros]

206. You need to look at a recent election map then:

(from 11/13/12)

[Rosco T.]

227. I see nothing that disputes what I said....

.. I only speak of where I live/lived.

[kentauros]

235. Have a closer look at that map.

You only listed less than half of the blue cities in Texas. You seem to see red in place of Beaumont/Port Arthur, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Brownsville/McAllen. The Valley is nothing but blue counties now.

Also, you never mentioned those were only places where you lived. The map provided certainly disputes the idea that only El Paso, San Antonio, and Austin are the only blue parts of the state.

[Rosco T.]

248. Ex-fricking-cuse me....

I SAID

"Austin/San Antonio and El Paso are blue islands... in a sea of red madness"

DO YOU SEE THE WORDS ONLY IN THERE? ANYWHERE?!? HMMMM????

[kentauros]

253. No. but:

"in a sea of red madness" is pretty explicit in excluding anything else.

"Only" isn't the only word able to imply exclusion.

[Rosco T.]

257. Oh for fracks sake.....

“The correct way to punctuate a sentence that states: "Of course it is none of my business, but -- " is to place a period after the word "but." Don't use excessive force in supplying such a moron with a period. Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about.”

― Robert A. Heinlein

[kentauros]

263. Yeah, I shouldn't have used the word "but."

"However" would have been better as it says the same thing without negating everything you said before the use of "but."

Anyway, Texas is far from being a "sea of red" as shown in that election map, and its a map that uses population densities while also not limiting itself to electoral votes only. The latter is the kind of map you'll see referenced most often on DU because it appears to be the only kind of election map that matters to the haters.

[DainBramaged]

150. And the number one reason

stupid is as stupid does......

[tridim]

157. I'd consider Austin, but that's it.

It is a bit scrub-brushy though. I like green.

[kentauros]

163. Come to Houston, then.

It's greener and bluer than Austin.

Austin's changing, yet the idea remains solid in DUers that don't live here that it's the only place blue enough to move to in Texas.

[Major Nikon]

299. Lots of different landscapes in Texas

East Texas is quite green. Around Houston the grass is green in January.

[Zen Democrat]

166. Please send Democratic voters. We're taking back Texas.

And I think Rick Perry and the RW Lege is helping tremendously! Denying Medicare to 1.5 million in attempt to thwart Obamacare for starters!

[mc51tc]

180. Thank you!

You are so right about Obamacare. Millions of Texans are waking up to this scam of Perry`s to ruin so many lives in his state. Just wait until Texans see how much better off the people in places like California have it in 2014 when it comes to health insurance. The exchanges in California are much cheaper than anyone imagined just a few months ago. ACA is going to work. I predict many red states will turn blue because of this soon.

[GoneOffShore]

185. If the climate was better, maybe.

[Texasgal]

176. I love Texas!

I'm not sure that I could live anywhere else...except you could bribe me to move to San Fransisco.

[closeupready]

177. Been there only a couple times, not really by choice.

I like the Southwest, but Texas you can keep. Sorry, I really don't like all that Bible-thumping and the faux Wild West mentality they all have.

[kentauros]

208. I've lived here all my life,

and only come across that kind of thing rarely. I think it's all a myth perpetuated by those that don't want anyone else to live/move here.

[ScreamingMeemie]

217. At almost 5 years, I've not been able to find that either.

What I've come across is Little League Games, great recycling programs, involved parents, etc...

Funny.

[closeupready]

243. Sorry, didn't mean to disparage - if you say it's not true,

it's probably not. Probably just a perception. (I do get tired of the Northeast, let me tell you - people's perceptions of here are mostly true, lol.)

[kentauros]

246. Okay :)

I think one problem I see on DU is that people make those assumptions but they also approach us with an attitude or just have an antagonistic character. We don't like people copping an attitude, so if some of us react rudely in return, that's probably what's going on.

[OutNow]

187. 22 years in Texas - Reason Number 1 - Jobs

I lived in Texas for 22 years: just about 1/2 in Irving (close suburb of Dallas) and 1/2 in Round Rock (close suburb of Austin). I moved to Texas in the mid 80s because that's where the jobs were. My megacorp employer was shifting lots of jobs from the Northeast to Texas. I liked Irving. Lots of diversity, Martin Frost was my Congressman, the schools were good, and Irving was the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The best thing about Round Rock was it was close to Austin. The schools were good, but the local and national politicians were all dumber that shit Republicans. Ditto for my most of my neighbors. My yard signs for elections, and against the war in Iraq never lasted more than a couple of days before they disappeared. I learned to buy yard signs in bulk.

After my first year in Texas a long time friend (from the Northeast) asked how I liked Texas. My answer at that time, almost 30 years ago, is same answer I'd give today. If you are Caucasian, with a good education and a good job, Texas is fine. You can afford to find the good things in Texas such as Port Aransas and watching the Dallas Cowboys play football. But if you're poor, and especially if you are a minority, life in Texas is very difficult.

[Zoeisright]

192. Here's Number 11:

Stupidity.

[Tikki]

204. The wingers on my local newspaper's BB website are forever saying they are moving to AZ or TX, but I

see them there on that web site, year after year...still posting their hateful, stupid stuff.

Maybe I should post the above list on that site..I think most of those people stay here (in Coastal California)
because of the weather and family, oh, and the view.

Tikki

[Apophis]

207. I've been there once and absolutely hated it.

No thanks.

[Kolesar]

216. How are the libraries?

That's what I want.

[LeftInTX]

237. I've got one a little over a mile from my home

I've got a huge over-due fine.

As for it being a research type library, no. It's a typical city library branch, but you can always order books via inter-library loan from anywhere in the country.

There is a medical school (UT Health Science Center) near me and they've got a great library. Public parking is free evenings and weekends. You can pull up and park right next to the library after hours. You can also pay to park during school hours. Rates are very reasonable. ($1.00 per hour)


The UT- Health Science Center is unique in that is truly open to the community. It has a track where lots of people walk and volleyball leagues that are open to the public.

There is also a law library at St. Mary's law school. I've done research there too. Spent some time digging up CFRs and Texas codes.

[bif]

218. Just visited some friends in Texas

I live in a suburb of Detroit. I'll take Michigan over Texas any day. I thought it was funny that everyone we met who moved from Michigan was trying to convince us to move down there.

[AlinPA]

224. Being from PA, I can't knock Texas. Stupid people here voted in an ignorant teabagger governor,

a right-wing teabagger US senator, 13/18 US house seats are republicans and the state legislature and state senate are controlled by republicans. Talk about stupidity. Plus they are fracking the hell out of the state with the help of the asshole governor.

[Egalitarian Thug]

240. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh separated by Missouri.

First time I heard that I laughed the rest of the day. Of course, it was easy to laugh because I didn't have to stay there.

[HockeyMom]

229. What? Not GUN rights?

[kimbutgar]

252. I've been to San Antonio, Houston and Galveston Texas

I couldn't live there if you paid me. I'll stick to living in San Francisco and Callifornia. I don't want to live in fear that some gun nut will shoot me if I look at him the wrong way and he feels threatened. You can take the polluted, low paying jobs, cheap lifestyle, low tax paying unfunded schools and keep it. Normal people in Texas is an oxymoron.

[William769]

254. Did shrub move out of the State?

[Major Nikon]

302. He lives in a gated community

The only time I ever see or hear about him is when he attends Rangers games. Other than there he is pretty much persona non grata everywhere, and since Nolan Ryan is getting out of the Rangers, he may soon be there as well.

[Javaman]

255. funny...

while people are moving here, my GF and I are thinking of leaving. We live in Austin.

[JPZenger]

260. Texas has the lowest health insurance rate in the country (and it will stay that way)

There also is incredible poverty and illiteracy in some of the forgotten counties along the Mexican border.

[rl6214]

261. I wasn't born in Texas

But I sure got here as quickly as I could.

[rastaone]

262. Must like the cold :)

What? how did the weather not make the list?

[Tikki]

278. It is hot and humid in the Summer in a lot of Texas...Maybe not West Texas?

We lived in Western Louisiana and visited Houston often and it was hot and sultry there in the Summer.


Tikki

[ananda]

274. Austin is really struggling with population influx.

Very slow traffic.

High rents.

High cost of living in general.

[MrScorpio]

352. That was exactly the case thirty years ago.

I shit you, not.

I imagine that it's gotten exponentially worse over the span of years.

[joeybee12]

280. I will say this, the people I've met from Texas are very, very friendly...

Still can't get over George Bush and Ted Cruz, though.

[steve2470]

282. This has been the most informative Texas thread yet

I'm glad I posted it

[kentauros]

286. I'm glad you started it, too!

It's been fun. I love helping people learn something good about my home

[arely staircase]

287. k&r, however

our tax structure is fucked up. it relies to heavily on property taxes and sales taxes. so if you are say a teacher who doesn't make a big income but inherited a little property when your parents died you will see that income eaten up with taxes (even though there is no state income tax)

[alarimer]

291. Texas does have superior BBQ to all other states, and better music too.

The BBQ is VASTLY superior. I'm sorry, Carolinians, but BBQ is NOT pork. Whatever that slop is you put on the bun (with cole slaw!) tastes good but it sure as hell ain't BBQ!

What other state has given us so many great artists like Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, to name but a few.

North Carolina had given us James Taylor. Fine if you like that sort of thing. Case closed. Verdict: Texas by a country mile.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

316. Re-open the case: Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Nina Simone,

Last edited Fri May 31, 2013, 09:39 AM - Edit history (1)

Carolina Chocolate Drops, John Coltrane, the Avett Brothers, Tift Merritt, Tres Chicas, Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, the dBs -- just to name a few. I'm not native to this state and it sucks in oh-so-many ways thanks to Teabaggers taking over in 2010, but it kicks ass as far as music. And beer. And beaches. And mountains. And...

BBQ? Meh. Give me Korean BBQ at Seoul Garden and I'm happy...

[alarimer]

375. Well you do have a point

the BBQ still isn't BBQ, though.

Re: the election.

Many people in my office complained about Bev Perdue and how "corrupt" she was. I have no idea about that, but I do know that the current crop appears to be worse AND they are bound and determined to "reform" the tax code (really "deform" it), which from basic math, likely means services will be slashed and we state employees will take it on the chin. I'm predicting layoffs. I wonder how my colleagues who voted for these monsters will feel about that when their jobs are on the chopping block? I'll try to refrain from saying "I told you so."

Although, I must be losing my mind, but McCrory sounded somewhat reasonable on the tax reform thing, in that he does not want to extend the sales tax to food and medicine. My standards for reasonable need to be calibrated, obviously.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

378. Considering Rucho's insane plan, McCrory does sound somewhat reasonable...

so I'm with you on the losing the mind/calibration thing. Rucho wants to tax Social Security, along with food and prescriptions. AND eliminate the mortgage deduction. He's a pro-fracking cancer on this state.

Far-reaching Senate tax plan closes loopholes
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/30/2927179/nc-lawmakers-get-details-on-three.html

Well, I do want to see Austin and San Antonio (during the Christmas festival), so I'll be sure to try the BBQ. I better be orgasmic.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

298. I have spent a startling amount of time in Texas -

over the years, in all parts of it.

You couldn't pay me to live there. Seriously. And for several of the reasons that people are allegedly flocking there.

Jobs. Sure, if you like low-paying jobs with few worker protections.

Low taxes. Low taxes = fewer State services, lower investment in infrastructure, lower commitment to the extra things that make living in a place (i.e. parks, culture) worthwhile.

Fewer rules. That one there makes certain parts of Texas an absolute shithole. Pollution, land use, species protections, overbuilding -- all dramatically effected by those "fewer rule" Texas loves so much.

I will pass on Texas. God bless those that love it.

[tularetom]

301. Who the fuck are all these people who are allegedly moving to Texas?

Because I have a hunch that a lot of them are actually moving there from Mexico.

(Not that that's a bad thing, you understand, but I don't think a lot of American citizens are willingly relocating there).

[last_texas_dem]

303. I've spent most of the first thirty years of my life in Texas, probably mostly because

I'm too lazy and/or incompetent to get out. I'm sure that is the case for many people living in the same state as they started out in throughout the U. S. I'm not necessarily a "bloom where you're planted" kind of guy, but I also don't really expect my surroundings to change my outlook all that much. That said, and no offense intended towards anyone who *does* feel this way, it's difficult for me to even imagine wanting to relocate to this place. In a relatively high-turnout presidential-year election, 56% of our registered voters casting ballots elected to send TED CRUZ to the U. S. Senate. That really says more than I even feel like thinking about at the moment about the mentality of the majority of the people in this state.

[Bluenorthwest]

304. Fewer rules? Texas has lots of terrible rules against medical marijuana, and yet it is

one of the 29 States in which it is legal to discriminate against LGBT people in anyway you please, housing, employment, you name it, no rule to stop bigots from being bigots because the rule about equal protection under the law is meaningless.
So aside from that, the intense heat, the most virulent oil based GOP in the nation, I love Texas. Great food, people are friendly, it is not as solidly Republican as some think, great music, beaches, cities. But some of the trademark conservative traits keep Texas off the residential possibilities list for now. I do visit happily.

[MrScorpio]

306. Ten reasons why I won't be moving to Texas

1. After living there for two horrid years, I swore on my Mother's grave that I would never set foot in that state again. After 28 years, that pledge is still holding strong.

2. Texans.

3. The God awful heat, the insects and the drought.

4. Texans.

5. I have no family members there. Everyone I know is up here in my home state of Michigan.

6. Texans.

7. Saw a few bumpers stickers down there that read, "Welcome to Texas, now leave." So, left and never went back.

8. More Texans.

9. I didn't feel comfortable there at all. The only place that I've ever felt that way about. Perhaps it was because practically every stranger that I came across in that state would look at me like I was crazy after I greeted them. I asked my boss at the time, a dyed in the wool Texan and overall good guy, why was everyone so unfriendly (Rude, actually)? What happened to that "Southern hospitality" that I had always heard about? Well, he corrected my mistake right there... Turns out that I wasn't "Down South", I was in Texas. Which, of course, was a handy-dandy explanation for any weird incident that I ever came across during my time there, from the asshole yuppie wannabes, to the doped up hippie wannabes. No one bothered to explain to me why The Klan had its own TV show on public access at the time or why it seemed to be SOP to treat anyone who wasn't a Texan like human garbage. But that's neither here nor there.

I will say, on the other hand, that I did enjoy the food, the music scene in Austin and the wide open Texas highway system.

My biggest dislike came from in spite of all that great stuff. Instead, my biggest problem with the place, which even concerns me to this day... Well, I can't see any reason why the situation is better now than it was back then. And that reason, above all others, why I don't think that I'd ever go back is of course...

10. Still Texans.

So be it.

[Major Nikon]

320. Texas is the #3 state in foreign born residents

With more moving here every day.

There's nothing monolithic about Texas. Each area of the state is different in culture and landscape.

[KatyMan]

321. Pretty big chip you have there...

I would say your post is offensive, but I think it's rather sad. It's too bad you were unhappy here, but it really sounds like your brought that with you.
And Texas is of course not in the South. If anything it's the start of the Southwest.

[MrScorpio]

347. I'm not going to expound...

On what happens when someone's own personal experience is treated with a dismissive tone. That's just the kind of stuff that happens on the Net all of the time.

And yes, I did admit to my mistake of not referring to Texas as a southwest state, versus a strictly southern one.

However, I do assure you that my attitude about the state was something that did not come with me when I went there, but was something that developed during my stay there. I went there with a keen sense of interest in a new place, curiosity and an open mind.

And as I said, I found quite a few things that I enjoyed there... Only to counter-balanced by those experiences WITH Texans.

For one, I quickly found out that practically every native Texan I met believed that ANY place that wasn't Texas just WASN'T AS GOOD AS Texas. I was in a "paradise" and I should enjoy the privilege. (I didn't know that "paradise" was three steps away from Hell during any Summer day and chock full of fire ants.) Also, while IN Texas, places OUTSIDE of Texas technically DIDN'T exist. Or that Texas, all by itself was believed to be self-sustaining by the Texan natives.

I really tried to make friends there. But an interesting development happened... It turned out that every single "Texan" friend in town that I made turned out to be a transplant from somewhere else: New York, Chicago, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, Oklahoma, Virginia, Florida, Brazil... Anywhere but Texas. The friends that I made off-base were very close ones, yet with them I discovered that the only level of welcome that non-Texas residents could ever achieve there was merely a mild degree of tolerance. And that was allowed, only if, they diminished their own degree of non-Texaness, to be supplanted by an adopted Texas-like persona.

During my interaction with my friends, I also found out that own experience wasn't solitary one. I had an on-base buddy, the Okie, who pretty much helped me figure out what the freaking problem was. One night he came back to base, exasperated that he was treated like crap in town that night. There were a bunch of us in the Day Room on a Saturday night (which should have been a clue about why a group of healthy, young GIs would rather spend time on base than going out on the town that night), my friend was upset because he was treated like crap, Okie accent at all... (I thought that my problem up to that point was that I didn't SOUND like I was from the place).

When my Okie friend relayed his experience, every single other guy in that day room (there were roughly twenty other guys) voiced an agreement. I realized that the problem wasn't me that night, the problem was this place we were all in. The problem is that Austin really didn't like GIs, especially GIs from any place OTHER than Texas. All of my Texas GI friends were in love with the place and vice versus, however my non-Texas friends couldn't wait to leave and were treated as if they weren't supposed to be there.

Given that, I failed to understand HOW I would EVER be happy in such a place.

So, after two years I left for good and went to Korea, then to other parts of the world after that.

In ALL of my subsequent travels, my Texas experience was never duplicated in any way. All throughout Asia, Europe, every other state that I've ever visited and lived, I was welcomed as a stranger, a friend, even a family member.

And not ONCE was I ever made to feel unwelcome because I wasn't from THAT particular place.

So, you made say that I have a "chip" on my shoulder... But the fact is that wasn't the one who placed it there.

[KatyMan]

349. Well, being stationed here as a GI

is a lot different than living here.

The friends that I made off-base were very close ones, yet with them I discovered that the only level of welcome that non-Texas residents could ever achieve there was merely a mild degree of tolerance. And that was allowed, only if, they diminished their own degree of non-Texaness, to be supplanted by an adopted Texas-like persona.

Again, this sounds like something you brought with you, especially if you were a young person. Young people take everything personally. I work and have worked with many many people from out of state and from out of the country and you know what? Nobody cares where you're from. You might get some good natured ribbing about being from out of state, but if anyone says the same thing doesn't happen in their state they're lying. Texas is different than Michigan. The climate is different, social interactions are different. If you can't adapt positively to a new environment, don't blame the new environment.

Nobody "makes" you adopt a Texan like persona. I don't even know what that is other than some fake cowboy image the rest of the country wants to foster on us (altho teabaggers here dig the image too, it's true).

And your friend from OK knew what was coming to him when he came here. I suspect he was given a hard time because he probably was an OU guy in the land of UT and Texas A&M. It's a football rivalry. It's fun. It's not mean spirited. The very same treatment an Okie gets in Texas happens to a Texan in OK.

And seriously, have you paid attention to what's gone on in Michigan in the past few years? That state is redder than Alabama judging by the actions of the governor and legislature. You might argue that the state is gerrymandered, but why does that argument work for you and not for Texas?

[MrScorpio]

351. Well, I'm wondering here...

Is your point that I should disregard my own past experience there and take a liking to Texas today, for whatever particular reason?

I don't see why I should... Because, I'm never going back.

Besides, Michigan is my home and it's always been that way, in-spite of the fact that the government is currently held hostage by the Taliban wing of the Republican Party. In national elections, this is a blue state. We voted for Obama TWICE and currently seat two Democrats in the Senate.

Texas? Well...

Also this part of Michigan that I'm living in now is all BLUE.

Again, this is my home and my family is here. Texas, on the other hand, was a bad experience that I'm glad to leave behind.

One other thing, that was the only place that I've ever been that treated out of state GIs like crap. Bergstrom is no longer an Air Force base and somehow, I get the feeling that the folks there in Austin were quite pleased that it became just a regular local airport. That way, they don't have to deal with as many out of town GIs... You know, us "Yankees" and stuff.

Pretty much everywhere else I've been, well... they liked us guys, no strings. But there in Austin, they found reasons not to like us. "Yankee, Okie"..., You get my drift. And my Okie friend, just to let you know, he was pissed from the treatment he got. This wasn't just the good natured ribbing from rivals, he was insulted and ignored. Ignoring out of state GIs was common practice, I found. Not to mention the general segregation of Austin at the time, being a black guy from Detroit myself, looking for other black folks there.

I never got an answer why the Klan had it's own show on Public Access in a supposedly liberal part of the state while I was there. And, yes, I asked.

Texas and myself are better off without each other...

Later in life, I've met other non-Texans who feel quite the same way as well. Mine was not an isolated experience.

[KatyMan]

360. I'm not suggesting anything to you.

if you had a bad experience here I'm sorry, but your judging a state the size of France with a population of 20 million people on that experience. And more Texans voted for Obama than most other states, we were just outnumbered; not by a whole heckuva lot tho.

Your home is in Michigan and I hope you get to stay there and enjoy yourself and have a great life. But you need to understand that the broad brush you're using to paint Texans can certainly be used to paint people in Michigan or even Wisconsin. Idiots and bigots are everywhere.

[MrScorpio]

364. My problems with Texas centers mostly on it's Capitol City…

Of course, Austin is just one facet of the entire state…

But I always heard that it's the best place for liberals, in that we would feel at most home there…

Seeing how I've spent my time in Austin for two years, I would posit that it's not really the best harbinger that the rest of the state would fare any better in my own case.

[KatyMan]

365. MrScorpio, let's just agree that we have

a difference of experience and opinion. We all vote blue on this thread and that's what counts.
I wish you a fantastic weekend free from dumbass republicans.

[Zorra]

344. A friend of mine moved from California to Texas to find work six months ago.

I warned him not to go.

He's back in California now.

[KatyMan]

350. Back to the state that elected Issa?

See? Everyone has rednecks. For example, the well know expression: "Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in the middle".
Personally I love California. But don't pretend everyone there is a good Democrat who only wants the best for society.

[Zorra]

356. He feels people weren't all that nice to him in Texas, wages were low where he moved to,

he could not find a decent job, and the weather sucked.

He is from a relatively conservative area in Eastern California.

And my friend is an apolitical quasi-libertarian kind of "redneck", blue collar country with a big heart.

[KatyMan]

359. I lived in California for about a year in the 80s

and there were plenty of people that weren't nice to me. But I don't hate it there, and I would love to live there as soon as they solve the earthquake problem (as in, making them not happen .

Compared to many parts of California our weather is brutal, but compared to a whole lot of the rest of the country it's really nice here. In Houston we're just starting to hit 90 degrees, everything is in bloom, we get some nice thunderstorms occasionally...good times.

[Zorra]

367. Yeah, people are people everywhere, true. I know there are good people in Texas.

I love a lot of the music that came out of Texas. SRV, Freddie King, Willie Nelson, and the Dixie Chicks, etc

Forgive me, I had awful experiences with heartless people in West Texas 35 years ago. My partner and I probably would have died by the side of the road there, begging with signs and upside down canteens for water, if we had not made it to an exit before we collapsed from thirst and heatstroke. Even when we got to a water cooler at a motel lobby in a Howard Johnson's and tried to get a drink, the woman behind the desk smirked, flipped a switch, and shut off the water cooler so we could not get any water. Fortunately, there was a restaurant there and they served us.

I have never, and will never, ever, ever, set foot or 4 wheels down in Texas again. I do not believe it is a safe place at all for out of state non-white LGBT persons, and I definitely don't want to end up doing 10 years in Cristina Crain because some bigot cop doesn't like the way I look.

I have never lived in California. I grew up in the very rural northwest and now live in rural AZ.

[Yo_Mama]

312. I think it's jobs ^ 10

Seriously, life just sucks if you can't get a job. The unemployment rate in Texas is in the 6s, and that brings a lot of people to the state.

[Liberal_in_LA]

322. i hope dems are moving to texas

[LostOne4Ever]

330. Number 11

The Wide open plains of central and west Texas allow for some of the most Beautiful sunsets and star viewing anywhere.


Also, texas is inching its way toward being a swing state. The more liberals that move down here the sooner that happens and then democrats will have an unbreakable hold on the executive =D

[wickerwoman]

331. 11. Missed the boat on global warming

I have nothing against Texas or Texans but I honestly think in 30 years it will be uninhabitable due to global warming, water shortages and peak oil driving the cost of air conditioning out of the reach of normal people.

I would never move there or invest any money in property there unless I had absolutely no other choice and if I was living there now I would be doing everything in my power to get the hell out while the getting is good. Ditto Arizona and New Mexico.

Why sign up to be an inevitable climate refugee if there are any other options?

[Major Nikon]

358. Au contraire mon frere

[font size=4]

Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state.



[/font]











Just sayin'

[wickerwoman]

361. Wind power isn't going to solve drought or famine.

It's isn't going to move enough food and other supplies necessary to feed the population of Texas's cities across a Texas sized desert. And that's assuming the more northern states and Canada can produce a surplus after feeding their own citizens.

[Major Nikon]

363. It will for Texas

Until civilization ceases to exist, there will always be a need for electrical power. Texas is investing heavily in renewable power. Under your famine scenario, states that have food will be trading it for power, regardless of whether some starve or not.

[Major Hogwash]

333. Plus the food, especially Tex-Mex food.

I never even heard of a "breakfast burrito" until I was stationed at Ft Hood.
They were addicting as hell!!
And all of the different bean dishes with rice, guacamole, with sauces of every kind.
I must have gained 10 pounds in just the first 4 months when I was there.
And the girls of Texas . . well, what can I say, when they smiled, that's all it took to make my day.
And the Texas accent is so cotton pickin' attractive, I even picked it up after awhile, ha ha ha.

Some of my favorite people are from Texas.
I had 2 aunts that lived in Amarillo, and their kids were so cute when they talked to me with their accents.
Yeah, it's hard not to fall in love with Texas, I have to admit.

[mc51tc]

334. For all of you who have never been to Texas

Watch this video with sound/music from The Vocal Majority, a popular all male choir from North Texas.

Very nice video revealing the beauty and diversity of the state with wonderful singing voices.

[liberal_at_heart]

342. I know there are some good people in Texas, but I won't be going back.

I grew up in Texas. There are some good things about Texas. The Barbeque is great. The lightning bugs, weeping willows, and honeysuckle plants are great. The tornadoes are hell, but the thunder and lightning storms are magnificent. I like Southern, bluesy rock and roll like Dallas born Stevie Ray Vaughn. And there are some good people in Texas. I would go to this small local grocery store after school and the ladies that worked there looked after me like I was their own. I will never forget them. But I just couldn't tolerate the racism, sexism, and bigotry again. And as if that weren't enough to keep me away the heat is unbearable.

[dem in texas]

376. People are people

It doesn't matter where you live, you find liars, cheats, racists and Republicans. I am a yellow dog Democrat and live in Dallas in a heavily Democratic area with lots of liberals, gays and good old down to earth working people who would give you their shirt off their back if you needed it.

Texas has a hispanic majority but they have not yet flexed their muscle. Let's hope it happens soon and a big blue wave washes over Texas.

[99Forever]

377. Been to Texass.

Wouldn't move there if they paid me, lots. Too damn many redneck idiots and WAY too much pollution.