What's the best state for a liberal to move to? + a rant from a Texan

[RadicalTexan]

I've been back in Texas, where I was born, raised, and went to college, for three years, having spent four years in England in between. This weekend I went to a small-town festival and was pushed over the edge by all the pro-McCain signs, Palin-sticker-wearing teenagers, people who seemed straight out of Idiocracy, and Confederate flags. Yes, Confederate flags. While clearly offensive, the Confederate flags never affected me the way they did this weekend. I felt sick. It's never been a joke to our fellow black Americans, and, after eight years of anti-intellectual, pseudo-Christian, warmongering, racist, misogynist, homophobic bullshit, it's not a joke to anyone else. We don't have time for this shit.

It's especially dispiriting after having spent four years in the UK, where, as a temporary resident, I had access to FREE healthcare. I never had to wait more than two days for an appointment; I never had to wait more than ten minutes to see the doctor; it was always free; most prescriptions, including contraceptives, were free; I even had an X-ray and a biopsy while there - free. I have zero complaints. Meanwhile, my 59-year-old mother, who has been working and paying taxes and following the rules for forty years, has zero savings, zero retirement, zero home ownership, and zero health insurance. John McCain's healthcare "plan" is a joke. But for literally millions of Americans like my own mother, it's not a joke. We don't have time for this shit.

Also, while the UK certainly has its own problems, many of which is shares with its European neighbors, and it surely has an element of American-style (and American-derived) anti-intellectual, conspicuous consumerism-loving idiots and bigots, the national discourse is so much higher than ours it's staggering. While I lived there, I used to watch Fox News for entertainment - it didn't seem like it could even be real, compared to the BBC, or even ITV or Sky News! It's not a joke anymore. We don't have time for this shit.

I am continually baffled that somewhere between a quarter and half of my fellow Americans do truly appear to be, as Colbert dubbed them, "the backwash." I do feel guilty for my inability to empathize with them, but I cannot fathom how their intellectual development appears to be on the level of a ten year old. They literally believe the earth is 6,000 years old; they claim to be "pro-life" when really they're just pro-birth - or pro-compulsory-pregnancy, and care nothing for children living in poverty; they display a macho, violent, tribalistic bloodthirst that would make the cruelest Wahabi blush; and they dare call me un-American.

So, tell me, DUers. Short of Canada, what's the best place someone like me can move to? I don't honestly know if I can stand to live among these people any longer. It's slowly making me crazy.

[billyoc]

1. Austin.

:hi:

[patrice]

8. I hear good things about Austin.

[timtom]

44. I lived there 1976-1982

and it was the last bastion of the hippie era. I had lived in Berkeley 1966-1972 and Austin was the next best thing.

What could it possibly be now, what with the Split Rail, Spellman's, and the Armadillo World Headquarters gone?

[RadicalTexan]

51. Wow, I'm a native Texan, who visited Austin her whole life, and has lived here since 1997

and I have never even heard of those first two!

[timtom]

70. Split Rail was on Lamar? on the south side of the river and

got torn down in 1979 or so for a Wendy's

Spellman's (there are mentions if you google it) was a quaint little dive on W. 5th almost to Enfield(?) It ceased around 1981-1982 and was in its heyday 1976 to 1980 (I was manager then). Used to feature all kinds of music almost 7 nights a week (for free). Butch Hancock played there, Townes van Zandt played there, Jubal Clark played there, the great Bill Neeley and Larry Kirbo played there. It was a community.

[LiberalEsto]

20. Texas needs your vote and your sanity

but if you want to live among some fairly enlightened people, what about Takoma Park, Maryland? My daughter just moved there and loves it.

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takoma_Park,_Maryland

Takoma Park is known as an extremely liberal community, sometimes called "the Berkeley of the East" <1>, <2> or "The People's Republic of Takoma Park." The City Council voted unanimously in 1983 to become a nuclear free zone. As a result, no city purchases or investments can be carried out with entities that make nuclear weapons, components or delivery systems. In accordance with the city's principles, Takoma Park allows non-U.S.-citizen residents to vote in their own municipal elections. The city was also forbidden, by statute, from doing business with any entity having commercial ties with the government of Burma (Myanmar) <3>, though after a United States Supreme Court decision struck down a similar Massachusetts provision, enforcement of the provision was suspended in the year 2000. As of 2007, the Free Burma Committee is inactive.<4> Takoma Park is also forbidden from purchasing any World Bank financial instruments.. In addition, residents must obtain a permit to cut down any tree on their property measuring more than 8 inches in diameter. On July 23, 2007 Takoma Park joined 80 other jurisdictions when its city council adopted a resolution to impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney.

[RadicalTexan]

22. I'm IN Austin

:)

[billyoc]

25. Cambridge, MA

;)

[gopbuster]

26. Oh...just posted below..guess Austin is out..lol

[readmoreoften]

77. Then we're not in the same part of Austin. Move to the East Side or Central.

Stay out of the North and West.

[ihavenobias]

30. We visited Austin in late May, during the (dry) heat wave

It was very nice, and we just might move there in another couple of years or so (for those of you concerned with Austin overcrowding, let me note that I'm choosing not to have kids, so relax ;)). Granted, the humidity was low which made the mid-upper 90's not seem THAT bad. But I can't imagine what 100+ with humidity is like.

I'm also not crazy about the crazy bugs you have down there (big flying roaches, etc.), or the confusing roads.

Before someone gets defensive, I should that OBVIOUSLY every city has pros and cons, and if we're considering moving there, there are obviously a lot of pros.

I couldn't imagine being a progressive and living far outside of Austin in the Bible Belt...no way I could deal with that. Hell, even living in Austin and traveling around must be interesting at times.

PS---Being in Chicago (which I love) means that our decision to move is based primarily on finding warmer weather. The harsh, freezing, sunless winters are incredibly depressing and make several months of the year pretty terrible. The Pacific Northwest is beautiful but the lack of sun sucks (to me). Denver actually seems like a nice compromise, it has milder winters than Chicago, low humidity and a ton of sun (more than Austin actually). Still, the low temps are really low.

[GTurck]

52. Come on down...

we too are from the Chicago area and moved to Texas for family reasons (grandchildren)and have had to learn things about the state we never knew. Texas Democrats are a bit more conservative than I would like but not much more so than the ones we met in Chicago and its suburbs and really they are the ones who stuck when Dixiecrats split in the 60's. Texas is one of the minority majority states. There are more Tejanos (Mexican-Americans) in Texas than Anglos. The "Bible Belt" part of Texas is mainly in the east and north-east parts of the state where the settlers came from the deep South just after the Civil War. There are pockets elsewhere; as in all the other states.
This is a state with 22 million people and most of them are not so tied to ideology as those ideologues would have others believe. Having said that Texas still can have problems for progressives so maybe if more moved here it would counter that conservatism that gets so extreme without a counter-balance.
Lastly the motto for Austin is: Keep Austin Weird.

And Texas is a beautiful state geographically.

[ihavenobias]

90. How would you compare it to Chicago?

Obviously November-April is much, much nicer in Austin (I assume you agree). And the cost of living, especially housing, is much lower down there.

But the high temps and humidity (and those infamous flying roaches!) take away some of the fun. I know there is crazy rain and flooding sometimes, but I can't imagine that's worse than the dangerous, icy roads we get here in the winter.

[GTurck]

92. Austin is...

a very diverse place. To the east of I-35, which is poorer, it is very flat, more humid and more like the Gulf Coast area. To the west of I-35 Austin nestles on the edge of the Hill Country, it is much wealthier, drier, and scenic there. I agree about November to April; maybe even March. Growing season starts about the 2nd week of March.July and August are the worst months but AC and swimming pools are everywhere. One of the public pools is in Zilcher Park, much like Grant and Lincoln Pks, just south of the Colorado River. Barton Springs Pool is one of several spring-fed pools in the area and some of the spring water spills down into a stream-bed that poorer Austinites flock too. I don't know about the flying roaches but Texas has some of the strangest critters I have ever seen. Austin has the largest urban bat colony in the country. Every night from March/April to October Mexican Free-tail Bats emerge from under the Congress St. Bridge just south of the Capital Building to eat their weight in insects. The colony eats several tons each night. We live about 70 miles north of Austin and don't get down there as often as we would like. Prices on everything are generally lower but getting car registration is quite expensive; a couple of years ago about $300 per vehicle (but that is only one time, until you buy a new car) and the state is supported mostly by an 8.25% sales tax on just about everything. No state income tax. Texas itself is a very diverse place ecologically and all the parts seem to converge in or near Austin. It is about 2 hours to Houston and Galveston,; 90 minutes to San Antonio; 3 hours to Dallas/Ft. Worth; and under 4 hours to the Mexican border or El Paso. There are lots of good eating spots, scenery, museums, and art galleries.Good luck in whatever you are looking to do:toast:

[polmaven]

46. Austin is a state now???

:shrug:

[leftofcool]

2. Actually, Canada is your best bet

[sarcasmo]

88. I agree with Canada.

[patrice]

3. My daughter has lived in Oregon for 10+ years; it's wonderful there. Even their Conservatives

are WAY more sane than the ones around here.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. West of the Cascades. East of them is Texas with mountains.

Same for Washington, where I live.

[patrice]

18. True. Thanks! for that distinction.

[VoodooGuru]

4. Yeah, Oregon.

Dreaming of moving there myself out of nearly-as-red Kentucky.

[patrice]

5. P.S. You're very right; It IS hard to be reasonable with permanent nutcases.

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

6. Most every state has its drawbacks

I'd recommend the Portland, Oregon area, also Seattle, and Madison, Wisconsin.

Part of my reasoning is that progressive talk radio actually has a following there.

[glowing]

7. Definately NOT Floriduh.. its horrible down here.

[caledesi]

39. I agree! (Tampa) NT

[glowing]

69. Palm Harbor.. Ok neighborhood, as long as politics are off the table.

[csziggy]

82. Leon County Florida (Tallahassee) is not bad except for the d***legislators

from downstate. The residents on average are liberal and we are that nice blue spot at the base of the Panhandle on all those Blue/Red maps.

[Edweird]

87. No, it's horrible where YOU live. South Florida is way cool.

[Rockholm]

9. Massachusetts.

I am from South Carolina, went to college in Houston, and moved to Boston in 1986. Without a doubt, I feel that Massachusetts would be the best state for you discover.
Whatever your tastes are, we have it all. Amazing cities and towns, beautiful beaches, excellent weather, the best education and health systems in the nation. Championship sports teams. Year-round outdoor sports from skiing to sailing, Massachusetts has it all.

[phillysuse]

10. New Jersey

Civil unions, no death penalty, Democratic legislature, governor, both senators and increasing Dem representatives - look for a couple of pick up. And our Republicans are pro choice like Christine Whitman.
Great tomatoes and produce, good public transit - light rail, NJ transit, Amtrak.
Close to DC and NY.
The Shore.
Bruce Springsteen.
Blue Jersey - What's Not To Like!

[rug]

76. But it's still got Secaucus.

[a la izquierda]

78. I grew up there and I miss it...

just got back from a week near the beach. Yay!
I split my time between Oklahoma and Mexico...let me just say if not for my husband, dogs and friends in Oklahoma, I'd never leave Mexico.

[harun]

11. A number of big cities in the North East would be good for you.

I live near Philly and it is bluer than a smurf around here. At least 2/3's Dem's in Philly proper. Go a few hours drive out in to the country in PA though and you might as well be in Alabama.

[Redbear]

12. I love being a liberal in Texas.

Fighting the good fight.

[hamsterjill]

38. Me, too!!

I live in San Antonio and, although it does get to me occasionally, I like hanging around just to be the burr up the conservatives' asses!!!

They always seem so surprised when someone dares not follow right along and "be" one of them, don't they?

[crispini]

42. Me three.

there's nothing more fun than annoying the bastids.

[angel823]

48. another staying and fighting

in Texas.

[annabanana]

13. Vermont is beautiful

And New England might "feel right".

[SteelPenguin]

47. Was going to say Vermont

Americana but liberal.

I keep toying with uprooting the family and moving there.

[pnwmom]

14. Western Washington. University towns in many states. n/t

[wvbygod]

16. A red state...in large numbers

*That* is the 50 state strategy.

[VoodooGuru]

23. I noticed you're from West Virginia.

I'm originally from there, too.

Population's small enough that we could swarm it... :)

[cali]

17. Well, lots of UK natives say Vermont kind of reminds them of the English countryside

My best friend and down the lane neighbor is English and she echos that sentiment. The discourse is definitely pretty elevated and serious. BUT, VT is damn cold and there really isn't an urban center here, though Burlinton is a pleasant town on a beautiful lake with a lot of focus on culture.

If you're looking for rural, don't mind long hard winters, this is definitely a liberal place with great ratings when it comes to education, civic involvement, health care and the environment.

[Super62]

19. Seattle area mate

The only good thing that ever came out of Texas was an empty bus.

[SammyWinstonJack]

21. I was born and raised in Calif. Been in Texas for the past 16 yrs. It's not so bad.

Besides Calif is too expensive so here is where I will stay.

[gopbuster]

24. My sons live in Round Rock near Austin I think is pretty good

probably the most liberal area and a lot to do. Colorado River, Lakes and night life. Much depends on your occupation I would think.

[RadicalTexan]

28. I'm in Austin

I'm just getting sick of Texas in general.

I am beginning to think it's irredeemable.

[gopbuster]

29. Colorado is going fairly blue, depending on your occupation I would think will make a difference.

[mnhtnbb]

27. Be careful of choosing a STATE: there are rednecks everywhere.

Look for a liberal, university town and you can include states that you might not have considered.

I was born in New York City, grew up in New Jersey (north, near Princeton), graduated high school
and college in southern CA where I lived until 1988. I've also lived in MO and NE for 12 years.

We moved to Chapel Hill, NC (known as Berkeley of the South)in 2000 and I LOVE IT HERE. This Yankee never thought she could
live in the south, but I am. NYC is 1 hr by plane. There are direct flights from RDU (Raleigh/Durham)
to Gatwick and Heathrow. The beach or the mountains (ok, not the Sierras) are a couple hours away by car.
RTP is home to some big name employers and until this last month, we have had better employment
numbers than the national average. Housing is affordable and hasn't taken the big drop in valuations
from other places.

And on top of all that, we are going to turn NC BLUE in 08!

[XemaSab]

74. You're right about rednecks everywhere

I live in a town in California that has a real old fashioned HATE CRIME about once every two years.

Cross burnings, synagogue bombings, killing gay people.... I can't imagine a similarly sized town in Texas could be much worse.

[mnhtnbb]

83. My 18 yo son's friend did a bicycle trip from Chapel Hill to Seattle

summer 07 and my son told me that his friend learned, to his surprise, that "there are rednecks everywhere". Good lesson to learn at that age.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. Vermont. Only state that Bush hasn't contaminated, polling over 60% for Obama, passed

resolutions for impeachment, and has town hall meetings!

[darkism]

32. One of the best small *cities*...

...is Madison, hands down. Beautiful, wonderfully liberal, great people and only 2.5 hours from Chicago.

If you want to be closer to a big city, though, try Evanston, IL. Essentially the same as Madison with a little older demographic. Still a college town, though, and has two train lines direct to downtown Chicago.

[Marrah_G]

33. Mass or Vermont

[Lochloosa]

34. Costa Rica

:shrug:

[randr]

35. The west is the best, get here we'll do the rest--JM

[meow mix]

36. you have the answer "short of canada" = Montana!

its a good place for texans and we need just a few more liberals to help blue up some more :D

[tpsbmam]

37. Don't think you can go by the state, think you have to go by the area in the state....

I agree with lost of posts here.....parts of Oregon & Washington state are wonderful and very progressive. I've lived in progressive and nonprogressive areas all over the country. LOVED Madison, Wisconsin -- very progressive and a cool city. Grew up in NYC -- mostly progressive, great city and very expensive. Lived in both CT and MA -- both states can be very progressive but in MA I knew lots of redneck types (western MA) and then there are towns in western MA that are very progressive, and in CT I lived in a quite Republican area.

I'm now in Asheville -- western NC. Very progressive and a great small city and beautiful on top of everything. There are other progressive areas in NC. But Asheville isn't the best place to find a job.

Decide what you're looking for -- I came here to retire -- best decision I ever made. What's the best state for your work? What are you looking for environmentally (I love the mountains)? What's the cost of living there? Energy requirements -- one reason I moved here from the Northeast was energy costs -- this is a much more temperate climate and my energy costs are significantly lower here. So take all of that into consideration and when you also look at which areas are more progressive.

[Burma Jones]

40. Maryland....

I live in Montgomery County with a Population of about a Million and where no Republican holds elected office, none. It is the best educated county in the US, affluent and very diverse. The public schools can boast the best low income student achievement in the US.

Downside, housing is expensive.

[Neshanic]

62. It would be between New Jersey and Maryland for me. I love Maryland.

[Triana]

41. FRANCE. Yea. I know it's not a state. But given the state the US is in...

...it may be one of the other places to go.

[CADEMOCRAT7]

43. The Bay Area where impeach signs are visible :) n/t

[Liberal In Texas]

45. I imagine small town Texas is pretty bad. It's like there are 2 different states

here: The cities and the burbs/rural areas.

Dallas County is getting more and more blue, around my part of it you see very few McCain signs and many Obama ones. There is a thriving gay community. No national health care system (that of course is still to come).

For some reason a lot of Brits have settled in my area. I ended up getting married to one. We've toyed with the idea of moving to England, but honestly don't know how we could afford to live there. Plus it would be pretty hard on us as we're not youngsters anymore.

I really think we are closer than people think about flipping Texas into the Obama column in this election. There are vast areas of redneck rural Texas, but the large population areas are starting to outnumber them. If you're living in a small town, you might consider moving to the city.

[RadicalTexan]

54. I'm in Austin

and I've always been a VERY liberal pro-Texas Texan. But I am getting fed up. My identity as a Texan is becoming less important, which I didn't expect, having missed Texas terribly while abroad for four years. But now I know how to make Tex-Mex from scratch, so, fuck it.

[adigal]

49. Vermont - they are always trying to secede, and if McCain wins

I bet you they might actually do it! They are my neighbors, I am in NY, and they all have Subarus and Volvos, and Peace signs on their cars. They also all rescue their dogs and cats, not buy them. I love Vermonters!!!

[nancyr]

50. Oregon

Just be sure to stay near the mnetro areas, such as Portland and Eugene. The rural areas have a lot of the basic right-wingers we've all come to loathe. Not quite as batty as in the south or midwest..but they're here.

[RiverStone]

80. OR is my #1 pick --- #2 is my home state, Washington

And I live in a rural county that used to be very red, and now is almost blue.

BOTH WA and OR are dependable BLUE states - without the very high cost of living down in relatively progressive (minus Arnold) California.

I can see the stars at night and the beautiful mountains, rivers, oceans, forests all remind me of what is important when I'm too damn angry at Shrub & Co. to see clearly.

BTW, I lived in Portland OR for 4 years - for a big city, it rocks BLUE and is rich in artsy diversity. Just yukky traffic and noise that goes with city living...

[alfredo]

53. Just about any college town is an oasis for thoughtful people. Even

here in Red State Kentucky, we find Lexington to have a very good progressive community. Parts of Tennessee are pretty hip. Nashville is an island in a sea of red. They've also got some great clubs and restaurants.

Denver and Boulder Colorado have an outdoor culture and some very progressive people.

I'd stay away from places like southern Indiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and other theocratic states.

[Blue_Tires]

55. two words: Rhode Island

[Kalyke]

56. Living in a red state, I personally think more blue voters should

move to the red states.

Many 'red' states are a few thousand people shy of actually changing the vote from red to blue and would benefit from the influx of more Democratic voters.

[Greyhound]

57. Assuming there is some compelling reason to stay here, your best bet is still

the north-east.

I live in Oregon, and while almost everybody here claims to be liberal, the state was legislatively ruined during the reign of Raygun. Taxes are high and services are terrible, it is a right to work state (something I didn't know before we came here) and the laws dramatically favor big business over people and small business. I don't know what you do, but running a small business here is very rough as, due to the fact that big business pays nothing, taxes are astronomical for us. OTOH people really do actively support local over chains.

We have, as far as I know, the highest water bills in the country because it was decided the logging/paper/lumber/metals companies would not have to bear any of the costs of cleaning up their messes, OTOH (and coming from Texas this will be really cool) you can just drink the water straight from the tap and it's good.

One example, Nike doesn't have to pay approximately $6M - $8M in taxes but kicks a million or so into the schools (and gets $10M in free advertising for it) every couple of years. As you might expect with this scenario, fully 20% of Portlanders live below the poverty line (very low wages) and prices compare to southern California, though housing is less.

I've lived in every region of this nation Including 12 years in LA and IMO, if you are really determined to live among European-style progressives, the closest you'll find here is still New England (Not Maine or NH).

[RadicalTexan]

65. I've always been able to drink the tap water in Texas

Haha... bit perplexed by that bit.

I didn't know Oregon was also a "right to work" state. Bastards.

I am actually leaning toward Vermont, although I am scared of the snow.

;)

[Greyhound]

68. I don't know wat the water is like in England, but when I've been forced (emphasis on forced) to

go to Texas, I found the water to be just as awful as LA or Phoenix. Other than NYC, Portland has the best tasting tap water I've experienced and it doesn't kill your coffee maker either.

[Norrin Radd]

58. One of the many fine neighborhoods of Seattle!

There are many to choose from, each with their own unique ambience.

(We need you here to balance out the invasion of conservative yuppies).

My neighborhood (the self-styled Center of the Universe):

http://www.fremont.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont,_Seattle,_Washington

Your state rep here would be the wonderful Jim McDermott.

[codjh9]

59. Austin if you're staying in TX, but what about Portland, Boulder, Santa Fe, VT, Madison... lots of

cool places out there, actually.

[Neshanic]

60. New Jersey.By far. Highly educated people, and beautifull landscape.

[harun]

67. Highest car insurance rates, highest property taxes too.

[Beregond2]

61. Western WA or OR.

We are predominantly liberal, and we don't have crippling weather, unlike the northeast. There's the Bay Area of course, but only if you make at least a quarter million a year.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

63. The CITIES of Minneapolis and St. Paul and even some of their inner suburbs

are quite progressive. However, the outer suburbs seem to be full of white-flight types and immigrants from the Sun Belt, who moved here for "the quality of life," not realizing that it was supported with taxes.

[LondonReign2]

64. Spent three years in London and am now in TX too

I'd suggest Vermont, if you can handle the winters. Burlington is great.

[Bill McBlueState]

66. I'd say Massachusetts, but

our health care system is pretty f'd up, too, despite the promises of Romney et al, who thought they were fixing it.

[Taverner]

71. SF Bay Area, California

Be prepared to see the other side of the coin though (Parking Nazis)

I'll take parking nazis over real nazis any day though

[QueenOfCalifornia]

72. Holland

... :D

I know, it's not a state... I just wish it was.

[WallStreetNobody]

73. So many, California, New York, NJ, Massachusetts, etc.

Move to any state that is firmly blue, you will be fine. You will be better in fact, most of the highest paying jobs are in blue states, we have the most educated workforce, best schools, less violence, and on and on. Of course you could move to another city in Texas like Austin which is very progressive, and I hear Dallas/Fort Worth has become quite progressive as well. The bluest state in the country is probably Massachusetts (well Vermont I guess but I'm talking major states), and Massachusetts also has one of the highest per capita incomes, lowest crime rates, lowest divorce rates, great schools, great lifestyle with tons of restaurants, bars, and museums.

[RadicalTexan]

75. I'm in Austin

I am getting fed up with Texas, in general.

[dysfunctional press]

79. madison wisconsin, hands down.

get ready to experience the beauty of winter- i recommend gov. dodge state park in dodgeville.

[sakura]

81. Come to Portland.

You'll like it here, and we'll welcome you with open arms. Great music, art and food scenes, and is much cheaper to live here than any other big city on the West Coast (because we're not that big). Portland has a similar feel to Austin, but less sprawl and traffic congestion. Just make sure you find a job before you move up here-- if you're in IT (just a guess, as you're in Austin) you shouldn't have a problem.

[JBoy]

84. I love Portland.

I feel instantly at home when I go down there.

:hi:

[RadicalTexan]

85. Hahaha - I have a Liberal Arts degree - NOT in IT

Not at all. Seems to us native Texans that most of the IT people in Austin are coming here from CA and driving up our property prices - but that's a whole other subject.

[mwooldri]

86. From this Englishman in NC, I can say that parts of NC are good. (+ my rant)

Asheville, Chapel Hill, and to some extent metro Greensboro and Raleigh and Durham are good "liberal-ish" places. This is still Bible Belt, and you'll have McSame, Failin attitudes around here too.

You've seen the light, and seen what it's like to live in some form of a social democracy. (yes, the UK is technically a constitutional monarchy). As a Brit (nay, Englishman!) I can harp on back to Empire days and joke that George Washington was a terrorist and I can get away with it in the right company.

The whole culture is different, IMO. Even the religion is different - yes they call themselves Christians (and I like to think so too) but a middle-of-the-road Christian in the UK could easily be turned to agnosticism at the least by some brands of US Christian tradition. I know, because I'm having severe faith troubles right now and no church to call home.

NC is fairly sane. Had I lived in the area you did, completely full of that stuff, I'd be figuring out how to move back to the UK, with my family, and get a house. My biggest obstacle to moving back to the UK is a) finding a house we can afford and b) the cost of living. My family is from the Surrey hills - just outside of London + rural surroundings... mega rich... and we're not mega rich - far from it.

Mark.

[RadicalTexan]

94. I would move back to the UK if I could

I didn't want to come back here to begin with, but I was tricked into coming back to visit my family by my British partner of four years, who then sent all my belongings (well, most of them, anyway) back via courier and told me to start looking for a job in Texas. Six months shy of me qualifying for indefinite leave to remain. Because I worked in retail forever in the UK due to my up-in-the-air immigration status there, I did not build as strong a resume as I would've liked, and as a result am now working in an admin capacity and feeling somewhat stifled (though grateful, too, in today's economy). Thus I cannot move back to the UK - since I'm not in a "critical needs" area or whatever they're calling it now. But, yes, the housing prices there are fairly prohibitive, too. But I think that's outweighed by the lack of low-level existential angst about health care that I experience here, the generally more enlightened national discourse, the superior education system, and the proximity of the Continent. I lived in North Yorkshire and Essex and liked both better than the US.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

89. Minneapolis is pretty good, if you don't mind cold weather.

I was driving around my neighborhood this afternoon, and I noticed that there were Obama signs all over the place -- every 4th house or so -- NO McCain signs anywhere. My precinct is so liberal it went for Kucinich in the primary. I like it here.

[littlebit]

91. I feel your pain.

At least you are in Austin. I grew up in West Texas. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.

[RadicalTexan]

95. I'm from East Texas

High five!

:hi:

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

93. Vermont or Massachusetts

Stay out of Rhode Island. We have a problem in that the state house is 90% "Democrats", but most of them are just crooks looking to line their pockets and only run as D's because they couldn't win otherwise. They are not progressive on abortion or gay rights, for example, because the bulk of them are old school Catholics.

All this means is that Rhode Islanders always vote Rethug for governor to "keep an eye on them", but of course, he's a crook too.

Anyway, this state is on the verge of tossing them all because they give our party a bad name, but then they'll just be replaced by Republican crooks.

[RadicalTexan]

96. I've made plans to check out Vermont October 31 - November 2 !!!

So excited. Spending most of my time in Bennington. Never been to New England at all.