these morning I was on the 405 ! It was a parking lot

I got a friend in Fullerton…a mile west of Downtown. Fine area. But head down Euclid towards I-5 and except for the street signs you’d swear you were in Baja.

Meanwhile at home in Irvine, my section of which is little more than a mash-up of the better suburbs of Seoul, Taipei and Tehran. Which is fine, but let’s face it………I don’t have anything in common with these people, nor they with me.

Now the kids of all flavors get along fine, of course, from what I see in Irvine. That’s because they grow up together, and form their own culture. So that gives me hope for the future.

But what am I gonna do in the meantime?….sit here while I get buffeted by wave upon wave of greenhorns who are either horrible drivers or leave their soiled Pampers on the beach? Eff that.

It’s not a race thing. Nor is it an ethnic thing. But it sure as hell is a language and culture thing.

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Billy Booo,

So unhappy with Skunk Hollow, Oregon? Poor lad….

I left because of:
1) Cost of living
2) Cost of doing business
3) Hassles of living/doing business
4) Traffic/crowding

For those of us under $60,000 a year, the difference in taxes is about 1% of income, more or less. Would you pack and ship to save (maybe) $600 a year?

I would say the reason for moving is primarily jobs or cost of living.

Then why are so many people leaving?

Caveat; taxes are not the only reason to move from one state to another. Probably not even the most important.

Average salary
Cost of living
Employment rate
Working conditions

http://m.money-rates.com/research-center/best-states- to-make-a-living/2014-complete-list.htm

California still not looking so bad, if you believe in these kinds of lists.

As Erma Bombeck says; The grass is always greener over the septic tank.

” Federal aid as a percentage of general state revenue: 25 percent. The national average is 30 percent. That is, California is a “donor state,” it pays more into the federal government than it gets back.”

California is a donor state. Guess who are the highest “receiver states”?

1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. Tennessee
4. South Dakota

In each of these four “lowest tax” states 39%-42% of their state revenue comes from federal aid.

Is this a good thing?

More importantly, if you earn the “average” wage (about $53,000 a year) and are considering moving to one of these “low tax” states……think again. Taxes are very close in the lowest four quintiles.

If you are in the highest five percent of earners, though; you’re good to go. (Assuming you will continue to earn highest wages in your new state). Generally speaking, low tax states are only “low tax” for those with the highest incomes.

For most of us, though, taxwise, we have the best of both worlds…..beautiful state…..average taxes.

And the glass is as least half full.