Stay
Seems like a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire.
The Pacific NW still has a majority population that is fundamentally capable of maintaining some form of enlightened Western civilization -- if only the right images would flash on the TV screen to snap them out of their mind-controlled stupor. While there are a tiny percentage of rabid leftists and true believers up there (antifa types), they're not really capable of much real violence.
Most west coast lefties are just in it for the social media likes, virtue-signaling, misguided compassion for who they are told are the downtrodden, and to fit in with crowd. It's pathological altruism, but it's largely superficial. They're just brainwashed dupes who either do have a big heart, or like to pretend to.
Not so in the Southwest including Texas. Heretofore tempered by a strong economy, sufficient welfare, and a general political apathy among this cohort, but waiting just below the surface, is the capability for a kind of political extremism and ultra-violence unfamiliar to Americans. These semi-literates could easily be convinced to support a commie dictator, and sell away their rights and their futures, if only it meant some free stuff for awhile. They could easily be convinced to go on a bloody offensive if they were to endure any sort of privation.
Nothing has changed in that regard.
The racial motivation for gun control is still alive and well.I would agree at one point in time this was the case.
So you don't like Rednecks. That's pretty clear. I think you're 100% wrong on the PNW and antifa. I lived in Portland 25 years. I remember the "little Beirut" years in Portland. I remember the crap in Seattle. The know-nothing antifa types are attracted to the liberal pot laws and government support they get in the PNW.
The people here in Texas are polite, cultured, intelligent, and Conservative.
Don't forget the "majority" of the population in both Oregon and Washington voted to give up their Second Amendment Rights.
The racial motivation for gun control is still alive and well.
It's amazing the things that a White "liberal" will tell you if he thinks you're White and wants to "confide" in you.
I grew up in Austin. I wouldn't describe Austin as being "conservative," even back in the 1960's, when I was there. Texas had three parties: conservative Democrat, liberal Democrat, and Republican. But even the liberal Democrats, back then, were not antigun. Returning to Austin is one of my options if Virginia becomes intolerable.The people here in Texas are polite, cultured, intelligent, and Conservative.
I'd have to get licensed in any other state before I could work as an attorney.
I have a 13 year old and two 10 year old kids. College $$$ is on the horizon for them all.
My wife can’t retire for at least another 15 years. If she leaves now and heads to a “free State” she will make 1/3 her current salary-benefit package. If I move, it’s 1/4.
I’m stuck here watching my gun rights disappear, my tax rates soar, the electricity rationed in the summer and gas in the winter (“Flex-alerts”), my commute times stretch, my gasoline prices approach Hawaiian levels, the sanctuary state run by San Francisco liberals tossing out more bones to felons, illegals and the dregs all on the taxpayers backs and my overall quality of life deteriorate...until I’m able to pull it all up and move. When I can, I will.
Stay positive!
You'd like Utah, especially for National ParksI'm going to sounds nuts to just about everyone here, but I am from Tennessee and I have thought about moving out west maybe even to California. While I do enjoy Tennessee's wilderness, the west has some of the best national parks our country has to offer and I would love to live closer to them. I am also growing to dislike small town Tennessee life. It used to be our motto could be "more cows than people", but now you can describe most of small town middle Tennessee more clearly by saying "more methheads than regular folk." The fact that I have a BS and may be about to start an MA program is also wasted here since the highest paid people in my county are Walmart managers (seriously, average annual income for my county is around $18,000 and a friend of mine is making $70,000 a year as a Walmart co-manager). I am a heavy supporter of the second amendment and would love to see everywhere be at least as pro RKBA as Tennessee, but I could live somewhere that is not if there are other reasons to be there and small town Tennessee is getting worse and worse.
The question in my mind is; How long before there is no place to run? Demographics are changing, values and morals are changing. Basically society is changing. Can we stop it? I doubt it. Could very well be that in 100 years gun owners could have gone the way of the dinosaurs. 2A or not.
I live just 5 minutes from the Illinois border and have lived here since 1980 when I moved from Illinois where I grew up. I moved way beck then to escape the Chicago Political Machine that has been spreading North. I live on a dead end street that has 15 houses on it and each one is owned by someone that at one time had ties to Illinois and mostly Chicago. I am one of the relative new comers to the street and we will be here 20 years this March. My house is about paid for and to move now would not be a sound decision.
Yet the whole area keeps expanding with new subdivisions with a large percentage of the buyers coming up from Illinois and Chicago. Yes they are bringing their politics with them!
I won't deny your experiences, I'm sheltered from a lot of that up here in the PNW with such things.
+1One cannot just look at salary alone and say one place is better or worse. It takes some serious number crunching to determine if a move is the best choice
The question in my mind is; How long before there is no place to run? Demographics are changing, values and morals are changing. Basically society is changing. Can we stop it? I doubt it. Could very well be that in 100 years gun owners could have gone the way of the dinosaurs. 2A or not.