Ahhhh— The Good old Days
What do they say? Every year above ground is a great year and when you get to the age where you can utter those words and actually mean it, that is the day you have arrived. Even with all the trials and tribulations with surviving life and all the dangerously stupid things we’ve done in the course of it— (primarily when we’re young and immortal) —as we now thank the Gods above for the luck we’ve had so far, we find ourselves spending just a little more time these days in reflection. We do this every time we tell a story to loved ones and friends about what life was like when we were their age. With every reminiscence about the good times and the not so good times, they force us to look back on our lives and the experiences that have made us into the individuals we are today. Because it all boils down to how we define what life actually is. And the answer to that is life is nothing more than a series of decisions (or choices) and consequences resulting from those decisions (or choices) either continuing down a particular life path or diverting us on to a new one— intentionally or unintentionally. And it’s those choices that determine the quality of life we achieve. And for as many poor choices I’ve made throughout mine, I have no problem using the line which Clarence (Angel 2nd class) says to George Bailey from the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, “ you see George, you really had a wonderful life.” And I’d like to believe for the most part, we can all say pretty much the same and if we can’t, then change should be a top priority.
My How Times have Changed
I always chuckle how younger generations have classified the boomers— especially when you take into consideration what took place during those times. They (whoever they are) say the boomer generation is defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the baby boom which took place right after World War 2. Think about it. That’s a whole lot of societal change in eighteen years. Keep in mind though, what was important during those years depended on when you were born because in 1964— a boomer could have been anywhere between an infant and eighteen years old. BIG difference. So, while one could be getting ready for Saturday morning cartoons, the other could be glued to TV screens watching reporting on The Civil Rights Movement, JFK, MLK and RFK assassinations and the Berkley Free Speech protests or one of those who participated in protests, riots or simply smoking weed and professing free love and flower power in San Francisco. Yes, a whole lot of change took place in the 50’s and early 60’s and fortunately for me, I was relatively still in the Saturday morning cartoons phase of my life.
I grew up in California during a time before color TV, 8 track tapes, VCR’s and AM radio was all you could listen to unless you were fortunate enough to have a brand new device called a stereo record player. And while the Beatles from England were brand new, the older kids were still listening and dancing to Doo-Wop bands. Black and white TV’s were the norm with Dad on the roof twisting the antenna to get the best signal in order to watch at least three out of the six or seven stations available at the time without too much snowy interference. More importantly, a small group of friends between eight and thirteen years old could grab their fishing poles and small tackle boxes, hop on a bus and for somewhere between 25 and 50 cents could be delivered fifteen miles to the local ocean pier and spend the day fishing. Or ride bikes ten miles away to the next town over divided by farms and country roads to a brand new place called a shopping mall. Safety back then was not much of concern among parents. Doors were rarely locked. And don’t get me started on what things cost back then. Your jaw would drop as your eyes grew wide if I did.
Schools taught the basics, kids respected their teachers whether they were personally liked or not. There was no such thing as CRT, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We were taught history including slavery, both world wars and the Holocaust including civics. If you were to administer tests used back in the 60’s to kids in 2023, you’d be lucky to see 10% of students today able to pass them. Sad… huh? Boys and girls had their own bathrooms, P.E. locker rooms and competitive school sports. Optional sex education consisted of a portable classroom on wheels where 6th grade classes were shuttled in as a teacher loaded up the film projector with a thirty minute movie informing students how babies were made with a thirty minute question and answer period afterward. That was it and that was enough for kids in the sixth grade. And guess what— no one complained. Gender and biological sex meant the same thing. You were either a boy or a girl and contrary to the beliefs of some very confused individuals, the same holds true today. The word “trans” didn’t come into any form of discussion until years later and even then, it just meant there were people out there who were closet cross-dressers. Gay or straight. That is unless they worked at a fancy florist shop in Hollywood, Beverly Hills or San Fransisco who actually reveled in their overly effeminate flamboyance. Yet with all that, most in California believed in a live and let live way of life.
There were no such things as cell phones, smart phones or even personal computers back then. Anything of a social nature meant you had to show up in person to participate whether it was little league, boys and girl scouts, summer school to Sunday school. We played kick the can and capture the flag on neighborhood streets because unless it was raining, the last thing we kids wanted was to be indoors on a weekend.
Strangely enough, I was just about to write that school shootings back in those days were virtually non-existent (which is true) when I heard on the news (that I usually have as background noise) that a school shooting had just occurred in Nashville, Tennessee which immediately prompted me to put up a coming soon image referencing an upcoming article in my Solutions Category on increasing school shootings plaguing our country. Stay tuned.
It’s only fair I admit I grew up in a medium sized town in central California and a medium/larger city slightly inland from the southern California coast. I have never lived in a large urban city so I can’t comment on what it was like. But yes, California was a great state to grow up in as a middle range boomer kid. Too young to care about anything on the nightly news with Walter Cronkite but old enough to enjoy everything life had to offer.
Downhill
Becoming an adult in the 70’s and considered middle aged in the 80’s, that is when I began to take notice of the beginning of the end of the California I knew and loved. I should also add that at that time, I had absolutely no desire nor wanted anything to do with anything of a political nature. It wasn’t that I was personally against any particular ideology, it was that I simply didn’t give a shit. California was beginning to take a hard left and I knew there was nothing I could do about it other than to roll with any punches resulting from a firm democrat grip taking hold of the state. Sure, there were a few Republican Governors mixed in but when you have a veto proof hold on the state, a republican Governor didn’t and doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. The image below kinda says it all.
A picture can say 1000 words and the one above definitely does the job quite nicely. As I said earlier, I wasn’t into politics back then so I briefly did some research out of pure curiosity on how a solid red state (at one time) like California flipped blue and has remained that way for the last 30+ years. With a few reasons given from different websites, they all seemed to mention one common denominator. Immigration. While I won’t go into specifics seeing as I haven’t lived in California for many years and personally don’t care what they do, I will say that the change began to take place all from a ballot measure called Prop 187. Want to know more? It’s all on the net. Next thing you know Ca. declares itself a sanctuary state for illegal migrants and the flood gates remain open to this day. On top of becoming a sanctuary state, it became the poster child for welfare states with one social program after another which is one of the many reasons California has a mountainous debt year after year while at the same time bragging that they’re the 5th largest economy in the world. Thank God for Covid-19, right? Because if there wasn’t, California would have gone bankrupt a few years ago. But think about it and ask the question— how does a state like California go from a surplus of somewhere around 100 Billion dollars after being bailed out with Covid-19 funds the Feds so generously gave them to over 22 Billion dollars in the hole so soon afterwards? And because of that bail-out, California is now everyone’s problem.
From Bad to Worse
My work kept me on the road a lot during the 70’s and 80’s offering me the opportunity to see changes taking place in the towns I grew up in as a child by revisiting them if I was in the area. It wasn’t that often, perhaps three of four times in twenty five years or so. The last time I was there, these towns had devolved from what were great places to live and raise a family with little to no crime into section 8 towns jam packed with soaring crime, gangs, prostitutes, mentally ill living on the streets already occupied by drug addicts along with their dealers. I saw nothing recognizable other than my elementary school was still there, as dilapidated as it was. What was once a thriving downtown had turned into boarded up display windows only to be replaced with more liquor and dollar stores. People were leaving even back then. Whether they moved to another town or out of state I couldn’t tell you, but they were definitely moving somewhere. This was— at least to me, the beginning of the California exodus. Starting right around the mid-80’s.
Time to Move
Ten years later, I also finally made the decision to get the hell out of California and my decision was based on a few reasons Some of which being:
- Getting too expensive.
- Too many rules.
- Too much welfare.
- Rising crime.
- Failing schools.
- Crazy Leftest culture.
I was making decent money back then but I found what I was paying for from hard work, others in welfare programs were getting the same (if not more) for basically free. And what really pissed me off the most was that these people I occasionally came in contact with were bragging about it. I was fortunate that my job was home based so I could work from just about anywhere I liked so I sold my furniture, packed a few bags, got in my car and left.
While I decline to reveal what state I moved to, I will say it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve lived here for over twenty years now and couldn’t be happier. California has turned into a shithole welfare state and it’s manufactured disease is spreading into rural areas. It will eventually get so bad that the only ones left will be the rich living behind walls and gates and those who serve them living in crime ridden rat-holes. But now, even the wealthy are leaving in droves along with large companies providing them the wherewithal to move with lower middle class and the poor forced to remain because they have no other choice. But fear not, I’m certain there will be another social program in the works making the rich even richer while they get on TV and say how much their programs will help the working poor. That’s what the Democrats are experts at. Throwing gobs of money at issues with most of it lining the pockets of big donors and what remains doing little if anything to resolve the issue the money was targeted for while politicians continue their talking point that “more work needs to be done”.
So that’s my story (in a nutshell) but the question remains—
When do You make the Decision to Get the Hell Out of Your Blue State?
Before I answer, it’s important for those of you who are considering escape from the lunacy your state has turned into is that you are definitely not alone. As the image below confirms, people are leaving Blue states in droves and while their reasons may be many, the common denominator appears to be that they have reached the point where remaining in a Blue state has become toxic. And for the sake of the health and well-being of themselves and their families, it’s finally time to go. The decision most likely long overdue.
Interesting little fact regarding moving. I did a little research on the cost of renting a truck like Uhaul to move and I found that you’ll spend an average of three-hundred to five-hundred dollars more to leave a Blue State than what it would cost to move to a Blue State. Same distance just different direction.
OK – time to answer the question and the only way I can answer it is by asking a few more questions and say that if you answer any one of the following questions with a YES, then start packing your bags or at the very least, get the ball rolling on your departure. (These questions are in no particular order).
1. Has the state you live in been in the hands of democrats for so long, you feel your vote plays absolutely no role in effecting any change whatsoever?
2. Do you avoid watching your local news because it’s the same old shit and all it does is frustrate you to the point of anger?
3. Are your children talking about pronouns and white supremacy when you ask them how their day went at school?
4. Are you seriously considering home-schooling your kids?
5. Do you find yourself getting increasingly nervous when leaving the safety of your home for just about any reason?
6. Has your state passed laws basically decriminalizing crime?
7. Have you noticed a significant rise in crime where you reside?
8. Are you noticing negative behavioral changes in your children?
9. Is the only excuse you have for not moving is that you have close friends and family still residing there?
10. Are you getting so fed up with what’s going on in your state, it’s beginning to affect your quality of life?
11. Have the rules, restrictions, fees and regulations gotten so bad that you feel like you need a permit to change a doorknob?
12. Is the state you live in moving (or has moved) in a direction you fundamentally don’t believe in?
If you answered YES to any of the questions above, then it’s definitely time to move.
I know, I know… and I get it. Making the decision to move out of state for some can be a very difficult decision. Especially in a state you may have lived your entire life. You have family, long time friends and relationships that you realize will change with your moving away. Like myself, we all who have made the move had similar concerns and experiences. It’s rarely an easy decision to make especially if your married with kids unless friends and family have already made their moves before you.
Some may try to convince you to stay and suggest you keep up the good fight to save your community from the craziness but you finally reach a point in your life where it’s just no longer worth the effort. But when everything is said and done, we come to the conclusion that we have to do what we feel is right for ourselves and our kids (if we have them.) But I have to tell ya, when you’re on the road getting closer to that road sign that says “Leaving (your) State,” you’ll extend your arm out the window and with a huge smile on your face along with a sigh of relief and….
Wave good-bye
Update: Regarding Chicago
The stupidity of voters never cease to amaze me. With the election of an even more progressive mayor- Brandon Johnson, I now believe (always did actually) that nothing is going to change in your shithole city. A suggestion to conservatives (including all sane individuals): Unless you live behind your gated walls and/or financially profiting from the destruction of your city, you are on a sinking ship. Might as well start packing your bags now. Sell your homes while you can still get a decent price. You can not save your city. Life for many will only get worse. I have absolutely no sympathy for cities and states when the majority of their residents actually vote for this lunacy. Intentionally! I just thank GOD I don’t live there. To the residents of Chicago who voted for this idiot— there are no more solutions— with every red flag, every warning, you don’t listen. You keep voting for the same shit and now yet again, you’ve made your bed and you will be sleeping in It. Perhaps it may just take the death (figuratively) of your Chicago along with New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and more before you and they finally wake up. Forgive me if I don’t hold my breath.
