[SOC] G5RV

[JMcAulay]

At 09:04 PM 06/14/2003 -0400, Mike wrote:
>Paul,
>
>DON'T DO IT!  From what I remember from my time in both CA and the UK, the
>taxes in SoCal are even worse than the UK and the gov't services aren't=
 near
>as good in SoCal as they are in the UK.  (Except for, perhaps, the BBC!
>British TV nearly drove me crazy... thank goodness for the pubs!)
>
>Sorry guys... I couldn't resist!
>
><Shields UP!>


Well, Mike, neither can I. =20

The real tale-teller of who likes to live where in the US is the business
of renting vans and trailers for moving household goods.  Thirty years ago,
when you rented a van to move out of California, the rental company would
almost kiss you.  A friend who moved to Los Angeles from Boston paid three
times as much rental for a small trailer than would have been required for
a move in the opposite direction.  It was difficult for the companies to
keep enough vehicles in other states for everyone who wanted to move to
California.  I knew one young man who was given the use of a van to move to
Virginia; he only had to pay for fuel.

During the last several years, the situation has reversed.  More people are
now trying to get out of here than to get in.  In Oregon, just north of
California, intriguing bumper stickers are seen:  "Welcome to Oregon; now
go home," and "Don't Californicate Oregon."  A few years ago, I sold my
vacation Condo in Brian Head, Utah, and was able to hire an enclosed
trailer to bring the furniture and other stuff back to California for an
extremely low fee.  Someone said recently about the comparison of living
conditions in various countries, "If you want to know what life is really
like in a country, find out how many people are trying to get in and how
many are trying to get out."  Well, that goes for areas within a country,=
 too.

I like it here in Los Angeles county (although I'm just a few miles from
its northern border) at 1234 M elevation on the north slope of the San
Gabriel mountains.  When the Rose Parade is televised on New Year's Day (or
2 January in some places) and you see those mountain peaks in the
background, I'm just on the other side of them, 50 kM north of Pasadena.
I've lived several places in and around Los Angeles in the last 30 years or
so, and this is my favorite of all.  To me, it even beats some years ago
when I could stroll from my home to a beautiful, sandy Pacific Ocean beach
in two minutes.  I guess I'm just a Desert Rat at heart, here on the edge
of the Mojave.  And by the way, right now, petrol sells locally for about
=A30.27 per litre.  Not bad, eh?  And plenty of people around here are still
complaining because it's so high.   heheheheh

Taxes in California are pretty heavy, and now the Governor tells us we are
38 Billion Dollars in the hole.  This is about $1,150 for every human being
(or close) who resides in the state (not just citizens).  Of course, no one
has yet figured out how we will overcome the situation.  Here's one reason
the Governor is not so well-appreciated:  last October, two weeks before he
was re-elected, he told us the deficit was *three* Billion.  My, my....
Many businesses have left the state over the last several years, and many
continue to do so because of the state government's perceived unfriendly
attitude toward business operations.  Simply put, other states have offered
extremely appealing tax and other concessions for companies to move into
their jurisdictions. California hasn't done anything like that in the past,
but it simply may have to happen for the state to remain competitive.  Many
businesses stay because of the good base of available workers, the great
climate, and a lot of executives as well as lower-level workers really love
it here.  California, it has been said, would have the seventh-largest
economy on Earth if it were an independent nation.  That may sound great,
but surely the existing situation cannot go on forever.

For those times when this area sort of overwhelms my wife and me, we have a
very small place about three hours' drive to the north of here.  We try to
get there frequently for weekends and holidays.  It's located in a county
with a population of only 12,000, and the fishing there is wonderful.  The
valley floor is about 10 kM across, at about 1,200 M elevation.  There are
mountains 3,000 M high to the east, 4,000 M to the west.  The valley floor
is only a few miles across.  It's just plain strikingly beautiful.  Our
ability to spend time there conveniently is another advantage to California
living that is hardly encountered in many other places.

There are plenty of Brits who live in Southern California.  Plenty of
Canadians, too.  In fact, more Canadians live in Los Angeles than in any
other city except Toronto.  But they are almost all here for the same
reason:  on their trees, they prefer citrus fruits rather than icicles.
Where I live, no oranges are grown, although the peaches are outstanding.
Here, we enjoy snow in winter.  My home is less than half an hour from
Mountain High Ski Resort.  But in summer, it's quite warm, reaching 45=B0C o=
n
some days.  Fortunately, the relative humidity is down in single digits
much of that time.

Anyway, whether the overall cost of living to the same standards would be
lower in Southern California or Britain, I just don't know.  If I could get
some sort of Grant for extensive research, traveling throughout Britain
(maybe even Ulster, too), remaining in certain locations for months at a
time, I would be pleased to prepare a comprehensive report which could be
made available in no more than three years.  I will not hold my breath
while waiting for offers.

73
John WA6QPL  SOC 263