Time to move, or wise to stay put?

[callous taoboy]

I live and teach in a small, hopelessly republican town. Have a nice, modest house, meager income but it is an income with paltry steps on the salary scale. Property taxes are through the roof and bound to get worse.

After reading the "Economic Armageddon" piece I wonder if it would be wiser to stay put and hunker down or throw caution to the wind and move to a blue state. Thoughts, please.

[takumi]

1. Get out now!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

2. Economic Armageddon?

Can you provide a link? I'm not sure what you are referring too.
If you have a plan to do better for yourself, do it, especially if you are still fairly young.

[callous taoboy]

4. Link-

http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?a...

[Rumba]

13. Is that URL truncated?

Not working for me.

[callous taoboy]

18. It worked for me.

Try this, or go to the story. It's in LBN.
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?a

[Rumba]

23. Hmm, I just get

"The review you have selected could not be found. Please try your search again or select from the index list."

[sandnsea]

3. Are you happy?

There are Republicans and then there are freeping idiots. Are you happy? Got fixed rate debt? Teach in a field they can't cut?

[callous taoboy]

5. I'm in the south

where I grew up, so I'm happy that I'm in familiar country. But teaching under NCLB is sheer hell. I've thought about Vermont since they are working on getting out from under NCLB. Don't think I'd be able to hack a long winter. This town is just too conservative, but the people are pretty friendly.

I am debt-free save for the mortgage.

Freeper idiots- Don't exactly know how to gauge that. We did have a lot of Kerry sign vandalism, and the mayor is a republican with a cork in his ass that seems to swell up when he has to deal with public meetings and Democrats.

Thing is I taught in a district far from here when I started teaching, and by and large the district treated us very professionally. This place blows where professionalism is concerned, and, unfortunately, my colleagues have a very narrow view of education because they have only taught in this district.

[Nite Owl]

6. Living through the NE winters

aren't that bad. Think of the joy you'll feel when spring arrives?
Really though if you have tenure where you are you would need to start over. You own the house there would you be able to find one here, real estate is more expensive in the northeast. Personally I just couldn't hack it in the south but if it's home to you you will have to weigh the pros and cons. Education is more valued here it seems and you would be among like minded people but you have to consider everything.

[callous taoboy]

8. The crux of the bisquit. Thanks.

I did live in Anchorage for 7 winters. It about did me in.
I just miss a multicultural scene. Living here is like living on the set of "Hee Haw" at times.

[sandnsea]

10. Kids?

Plan to have any? What kind of environment do you want them to grow up in?

I don't know, small towns are small towns. If you look closer at the map, it's city vs. rural; not red and blue. If you stay small town, you can end up with much the same attitude anywhere. I live in a moderate town on the Oregon coast and we've got a couple of doozies for teachers. 8th grade teacher that taught abortion was the same as the Romans leaving babies out to die. On the other hand, I also lived in a small town in Montana. They would have been absolutely horrified at a teacher doing that and had one of the most progressive curriculums I've ever seen. But there's all kinds, no matter where you go.

Was that helpful? lol

[callous taoboy]

11. No kids, not married.

I know what you are saying. There is no utopia. I went to Costa Rica on a whim a few years back, and I could've gotten a teaching job there at a private school. But the school had armed gaurds at the gate and was catering to people who lived in pink granite mansions on the hill. No thanks.

[indigobusiness]

14. You must've taught at the College of the Americas, in Costa Rica.

You should try teaching in San Pedro at the University, or Heredia.

Costa Rica is paradise/impossible on a daily basis. Better than Hee-Haw, by a long-shot.

edit-shouldv'e said "considered teaching", since you didn't actually.

Are you Taoist?

[callous taoboy]

16. Taoist. Nope. Pedestrian.

I might get back to Costa Rica some day. Unfortunately, I spent most of my time in San Jose. Ick! Were you in Costa Rica?

[indigobusiness]

20. Lived there for a couple of years.

Spent too much time in San Jose, too. But, I like that town. Love saying 'mi amor' casually. And being able to smile at a woman, in passing, and have her smile back, and often say hello. The graciousness of the people (that aren't on the make) is beautiful.

[callous taoboy]

21. Totally agree. Great people.

But the pollution.

[indigobusiness]

24. Yeah, breathing diesel smoke gets old,

but it rains almost every afternoon and washes the air. Without that, it would be unbearable. Up above the city a bit, it's quite nice.

[Nordic]

7. if you're gonna move, go all the way and change countries

seriously

[callous taoboy]

9. I have thought a lot about this, too.

I hear that Europe is embracing secularism in a big way. That would be for me. State law requires we observe a moment of silence each morning here at school. They'd love to have us on our knees for this, and it wouldn't surprise me to see that instituted.

[UdoKier]

12. The economic armageddon will be nationwide.

Unless you can move to a country with more sensible economic policies, you may as well stay. Besides, if America suffers a massive economic collapse, the rest of the world will most likely follow suit (though when the dust settles we will be the most indebted.)

[KnowerOfLogic]

15. Can't think of a better time, can you?

[callous taoboy]

17. That's just it-

Do we get while the gettin' is good?

[FlaGranny]

19. If you live in the south

like you said in a post further down, you probably have much lower property taxes than the people in the blue states. My brother moved from NJ where his property taxes were $7000 a year to a southern state, in a bigger, much nicer home (and less expensive), with property taxes of $1000 per year. Those nice blue states are sending a lot of their tax money to southern states.

Edit: Don't forget to check out the taxes where you want to move before making any decisions. You might go from the frying pan to the fire.

[callous taoboy]

22. Thank you, FlaGranny. n/t