Jump to content

The Miseducation of Texans can’t be far behind


Satchel

Recommended Posts

This feels like the 50’s all over again:

A conservative scholar who questioned the 2020 presidential election results is involved in reviewing state social studies curriculum standards for public schools.

Stephen Balch, a former professor who also has opposed the 2015 Supreme Court ruling overturning state bans on same-sex marriage, is a content adviser for the revision of the standards that will guide social studies courses from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The Texas Freedom Network, a liberal group promoting religious freedom and education, is calling on the State Board of Education to withdraw Balch's appointment, citing his writings calling the 2020 election a "literal coup," among other things.

In an essay after President Joe Biden's election, Balch questioned the integrity of the results, as did former President Donald Trump and other Republicans who continue to press unfounded concerns of widespread voter fraud.

The group also pointed to Balch's support of a letter urging officials to disregardthe 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against bans on same-sex marriage as an example of another "attack on our constitutional system of government".

"This is a person who echoes offensive conspiracy theories of white nationalists and others who are trying to undermine our faith in our democracy and constitution," said Carisa Lopez, political director for the group. "He's too extreme to be guiding what public schools teach students."

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/01/25/stephen-balch-appointed-review-texas-social-studies-curriculum/9204721002/

 

  • Rage+1 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding Mexican Repatriation. That is some serious historical white washing. A shit ton of Mexican-Americans were kicked out of the country back then.

 

Quote

For high school U.S. history classes, the current standards require analysis of the "effects of the Great Depression on the U.S. economy and society such as widespread unemployment and deportation and repatriation of people of Mexican heritage."

Balch suggested replacing "people of Mexican heritage" with "undocumented Mexican nationals in the United States.”

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, F250 said:

Regarding Mexican Repatriation. That is some serious historical white washing. A shit ton of Mexican-Americans were kicked out of the country back then.

 

 

I was aware that happened in South Texas quite a bit, but didn't realize how widespread it was.

https://www.history.com/news/great-depression-repatriation-drives-mexico-deportation

The article, from notorious librul fehgs the history channel points out that all of the deportations were unlawful and unconstitutional, as they were mostly carried out by local governments, who have no authority to do so, and without due process.  And of course, no one can deport a US citizen.

The use of "repatriation" for that shit show is overly generous, as well.

Edited by TwiceHorn
  • Hook 'Em 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, F250 said:

Regarding Mexican Repatriation. That is some serious historical white washing. A shit ton of Mexican-Americans were kicked out of the country back then.

 

 

What happened to caring about how telling the truth could hurt the feelings of some children?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, F250 said:

Regarding Mexican Repatriation. That is some serious historical white washing. A shit ton of Mexican-Americans were kicked out of the country back then.

 

 

Quote

For high school U.S. history classes, the current standards require analysis of the "effects of the Great Depression on the U.S. economy and society such as widespread unemployment and deportation and repatriation of people of Mexican heritage."

Balch suggested replacing "people of Mexican heritage" with "undocumented Mexican nationals in the United States.”

As a 5th generation Texan of Mexican ancestry, my response is NO FUCKING SHIT SHERLOCK.  THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THEIR POSITION, THEY JUST HAVE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY CAN SAY IT LOUD AND PROUD NOW.

If you have one of them there funny last names that ends in "Z" or something, you ain't a real American.  You don't have a right to be here at all, say the REAL Americans.  IF you do not think the ultimate plan here is 1) first, to create a lesser status for American citizens of hispanic origin, and then ultimately 2) deport them, you haven't been listening to what the GQP is telling you.

It literally, actually happened before.  At the hand of local and state governments controlled by racist pieces of shit.  And the reason they want to change the narrative on that this particular way is......drumroll.....they want to do the exact same thing again.  And they can justify it when we're all just dirty wetbacks.

If you are a hispanic American and you vote for the GQP for anything, just have this clear understanding: you are tying your own noose.

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

As a 5th generation Texan of Mexican ancestry, my response is NO FUCKING SHIT SHERLOCK.  THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THEIR POSITION, THEY JUST HAVE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY CAN SAY IT LOUD AND PROUD NOW.

If you have one of them there funny last names that ends in "Z" or something, you ain't a real American.  You don't have a right to be here at all, say the REAL Americans.  IF you do not think the ultimate plan here is 1) first, to create a lesser status for American citizens of hispanic origin, and then ultimately 2) deport them, you haven't been listening to what the GQP is telling you.

It literally, actually happened before.  At the hand of local and state governments controlled by racist pieces of shit.  And the reason they want to change the narrative on that this particular way is......drumroll.....they want to do the exact same thing again.  And they can justify it when we're all just dirty wetbacks.

If you are a hispanic American and you vote for the GQP for anything, just have this clear understanding: you are tying your own noose.

You're just an anchor great-great-great grandbaby.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

As a 5th generation Texan of Mexican ancestry, my response is NO FUCKING SHIT SHERLOCK.  THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THEIR POSITION, THEY JUST HAVE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY CAN SAY IT LOUD AND PROUD NOW.

If you have one of them there funny last names that ends in "Z" or something, you ain't a real American.  You don't have a right to be here at all, say the REAL Americans.  IF you do not think the ultimate plan here is 1) first, to create a lesser status for American citizens of hispanic origin, and then ultimately 2) deport them, you haven't been listening to what the GQP is telling you.

It literally, actually happened before.  At the hand of local and state governments controlled by racist pieces of shit.  And the reason they want to change the narrative on that this particular way is......drumroll.....they want to do the exact same thing again.  And they can justify it when we're all just dirty wetbacks.

If you are a hispanic American and you vote for the GQP for anything, just have this clear understanding: you are tying your own noose.

I think there is a convergence going on and it will only continue to play out, at least in Texas. Ultimately it's not about the last name or not being a real American, it's about the culture and presentation of being poor or not poor. Here is how I think that plays out:

Poor Mexican-Americans or Texans with Mexican ancestry will continue to be segregated from the ruling class, patriarchal white and cisgender culture that sets strategy, and continue to be "othered" (e.g. the slur you used that I cannot bear to repeat, even just as a matter-of-fact, here).

Middle-class and upwardly mobile Mexican-Americans or Texans with Mexican ancestry who will continue to be assimilated and appreciated by the same ruling class that sets strategy, and for all intents and purposes today is seen as white and in the future will be considered uncontroversially white (e.g. like the Italians, Irish, and Jews before them). These people will vote (or continue to vote as the case is in the RGV, it seems) in the interest of GQP.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, MC Fresh Breath said:

Yeah. I do feel like this thread could have been started just about any time, really.  Hell, could have been on a dial up bbs back in the 80s and been accurate.

 

Miseducation’s been around a long time. The only thing that’s changed is that it’s gotten more and more bizarre.

It used to be that “Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, the Pilgrims sailed in 1620, had a nice meal with the Indians which we now call Thanksgiving, America won its independence from England in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris and George Washington was elected President in 1789 because he couldn’t tell a lie and admitted to cutting down the cherry tree as a boy.”

A few generations later?

“Christopher Columbus discovered Ohio in 1942, the Pilgrims defeated the Indians in the annual thanksgiving football game and the Indians acted like asses about it so we had to kill them, then Paul Revere started the Revolutionary War because the British Parliament wouldn’t grant us the right to bear arms, Ben Franklin was chosen as President by wowing Thomas Jefferson with the kite holding the key to Washington DC, then Jesus and Moses hand delivered the Constitution to James Madison on the Capitol steps.”

Exaggeration? Only slightly.

Edited by hpslugga
  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Rage+1 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, TurkeyChew said:

Middle-class and upwardly mobile Mexican-Americans or Texans with Mexican ancestry who will continue to be assimilated and appreciated by the same ruling class that sets strategy, and for all intents and purposes today is seen as white and in the future will be considered uncontroversially white (e.g. like the Italians, Irish, and Jews before them). These people will vote (or continue to vote as the case is in the RGV, it seems) in the interest of GQP.

I am one of those.

And my point is that I and those similarly situated would be utterly fucking stupid to think that a "oh, it's okay, you're one of the GOOD ones" ethos will protect them.  It will not.  It has never done so.  There are countless examples of a minority/outsider group finding some favor with the ruling class for a time, to the point of thinking "I'm one of the guys!"  Then shit goes south, and the ruling class needs to trot out it's old bag of tricks -- xenophobia, and blaming the outsider for everything that's gone wrong.

The very same folks who were "palace insiders" one week are fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night with their silver candlesticks shoved into their cloaks.  

The GQP is firmly in the "xenophobia is our key tool" phase.  It will not end well for us.

And to give you a feel for what hispanic Texans of a certain class are actually discussing, I had some "sit on the curb drinking beers" conversation a few weeks ago with my mexican neighbor (he is of the same socioeconomic status, generally, although more of a working class background....and he's more mexican-looking than I am).  And yes, we laughed about the irony of the neighborhood going downhill because those mexicans sit around drinking beer on the curb.  But the punchline is -- he wanted to talk about an exit plan.  Some way and some place to get his family safe when the time came.  I didn't bring it up, he did.

  • Hook 'Em 5
  • Rage+1 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, TurkeyChew said:

IMiddle-class and upwardly mobile Mexican-Americans or Texans with Mexican ancestry who will continue to be assimilated and appreciated by the same ruling class that sets strategy, and for all intents and purposes today is seen as white and in the future will be considered uncontroversially white (e.g. like the Italians, Irish, and Jews before them). These people will vote (or continue to vote as the case is in the RGV, it seems) in the interest of GQP.

Now apply this line of thinking for Asians. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I am one of those.

And my point is that I and those similarly situated would be utterly fucking stupid to think that a "oh, it's okay, you're one of the GOOD ones" ethos will protect them.  It will not.  It has never done so.  There are countless examples of a minority/outsider group finding some favor with the ruling class for a time, to the point of thinking "I'm one of the guys!"  Then shit goes south, and the ruling class needs to trot out it's old bag of tricks -- xenophobia, and blaming the outsider for everything that's gone wrong.

The very same folks who were "palace insiders" one week are fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night with their silver candlesticks shoved into their cloaks.  

The GQP is firmly in the "xenophobia is our key tool" phase.  It will not end well for us.

And to give you a feel for what hispanic Texans of a certain class are actually discussing, I had some "sit on the curb drinking beers" conversation a few weeks ago with my mexican neighbor (he is of the same socioeconomic status, generally, although more of a working class background....and he's more mexican-looking than I am).  And yes, we laughed about the irony of the neighborhood going downhill because those mexicans sit around drinking beer on the curb.  But the punchline is -- he wanted to talk about an exit plan.  Some way and some place to get his family safe when the time came.  I didn't bring it up, he did.

As someone who’s married to a first generation American, I can tell you that’s not an uncommon conversation that’s being had.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, hpslugga said:

As someone who’s married to a first generation American, I can tell you that’s not an uncommon conversation that’s being had.

For what it's worth, in the past few years, I've also had several interactions with jewish friends where I advised them on what kind of firearm to buy, how to shoot, etc.  Because these are real conversations that smart people who look ahead are having .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I am one of those.

And my point is that I and those similarly situated would be utterly fucking stupid to think that a "oh, it's okay, you're one of the GOOD ones" ethos will protect them.  It will not.  It has never done so.  There are countless examples of a minority/outsider group finding some favor with the ruling class for a time, to the point of thinking "I'm one of the guys!"  Then shit goes south, and the ruling class needs to trot out it's old bag of tricks -- xenophobia, and blaming the outsider for everything that's gone wrong.

The very same folks who were "palace insiders" one week are fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night with their silver candlesticks shoved into their cloaks.  

The GQP is firmly in the "xenophobia is our key tool" phase.  It will not end well for us.

And to give you a feel for what hispanic Texans of a certain class are actually discussing, I had some "sit on the curb drinking beers" conversation a few weeks ago with my mexican neighbor (he is of the same socioeconomic status, generally, although more of a working class background....and he's more mexican-looking than I am).  And yes, we laughed about the irony of the neighborhood going downhill because those mexicans sit around drinking beer on the curb.  But the punchline is -- he wanted to talk about an exit plan.  Some way and some place to get his family safe when the time came.  I didn't bring it up, he did.

 

24 minutes ago, hpslugga said:

As someone who’s married to a first generation American, I can tell you that’s not an uncommon conversation that’s being had.

 

18 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

For what it's worth, in the past few years, I've also had several interactions with jewish friends where I advised them on what kind of firearm to buy, how to shoot, etc.  Because these are real conversations that smart people who look ahead are having .

I'm very very white and I've been thinking of an exit plan because I don't want to be a part of this shit show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TurkeyChew said:

 

Middle-class and upwardly mobile Mexican-Americans or Texans with Mexican ancestry who will continue to be assimilated and appreciated by the same ruling class that sets strategy, and for all intents and purposes today is seen as white and in the future will be considered uncontroversially white (e.g. like the Italians, Irish, and Jews before them). These people will vote (or continue to vote as the case is in the RGV, it seems) in the interest of GQP.

 

 

 

32 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

For what it's worth, in the past few years, I've also had several interactions with jewish friends where I advised them on what kind of firearm to buy, how to shoot, etc.  Because these are real conversations that smart people who look ahead are having .

I'm Jewish.  And I've had many of those conversations--both about protecting myself here and an exit plan.

Edit to clarify: And that's an exit plan from the US.  I've already left Texas.  And when my employer wanted me to move back to Texas, I said no.   Because I had enough issues with people telling me I was going to burn in hell in the 90s in Texas.  No way was I heading back there with the shit that's going on currently.

Edited by lemonlime
  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

 

 

I'm very very white and I've been thinking of an exit plan because I don't want to be a part of this shit show.

Same. We're in a position to leave in about a year. It used to be an above average place to live because the US Supreme Court kept most of the social conservative lunacy in line, people were friendly, and it was cheap. 

Well, said social conservatives absolutely won the battle for the judicial branch; the MAGA crowd has gotten progressively more aggressive since 2016 and politicians are in a race to the bottom to appease them; and the desirable areas are getting more expensive at an astronomical rate - the cost gap is closing with higher Q/COL areas.

And I'm a straight white dude born and raised here. If I was someone with a GOP target on their back, I don't even know that I'd bother with a plan. I don't know how my fiancé has the patience to wait out another election cycle.

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, gmr548 said:

Same. We're in a position to leave in about a year. It used to be an above average place to live because the US Supreme Court kept most of the social conservative lunacy in line, people were friendly, and it was cheap. 

Well, said social conservatives absolutely won the battle for the judicial branch; the MAGA crowd has gotten progressively more aggressive since 2016 and politicians are in a race to the bottom to appease them; and the desirable areas are getting more expensive at an astronomical rate - the cost gap is closing with higher Q/COL areas.

And I'm a straight white dude born and raised here. If I was someone with a GOP target on their back, I don't even know that I'd bother with a plan. I don't know how my fiancé has the patience to wait out another election cycle.

 

 

So what's on your list of options?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/1/2022 at 2:40 PM, Biff Tannen said:

I'm very very white and I've been thinking of an exit plan because I don't want to be a part of this shit show.

On 2/1/2022 at 4:42 PM, gmr548 said:

Same. We're in a position to leave in about a year. It used to be an above average place to live because the US Supreme Court kept most of the social conservative lunacy in line, people were friendly, and it was cheap. 

9 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

So what's on your list of options?

I'll go.  I should point out that we've been considering this for a while, and it wasn't really the batshittery of Texas Republicans driving it, but they sure as hell are making it easy, and they have put us in the mood to rent an RV and go exploring this summer.

And we are definitely getting sick and fucking tired of having to explain things to our kids when our dipshit leaders in Texas say or do something stupid, and with the bullshittery of the TEA and Abbot, etc. fighting local school districts, businesses, etc. during the pandemic.  For a bunch of people who claim to want small government, they were doing everything they could to remove control from local elected officials.

Things that have held us back:  

  • Relatives that couldn't travel, and that we wanted to be near - those are dwindling these days.  
  • Other relatives, and various friends.
  • Not wanting to disrupt the kids schooling - wanting them to be able to go through all 12 grades with the same friends.
  • We are just used to having lived in Austin for so long.  We know where everything is at, etc.

Things that are pushing us to move:

  • Rarely see a lot of said relatives and various friends these days, due to work, everybody being busy with kids, etc.  We could easily stay in touch with these people on FB and texting, and do, and we could visit a few times a year.
  • If we were going to move, need to do it now while the kids are in elementary, as it's better that they get established somewhere else before jr. high/high school. They'll still be pissed/upset, but they can play together in various games and stay in touch with FaceTime, etc.
  • We have been in Austin so long, and we are at a point in our lives where we aren't doing "Austin stuff", which we did in the B.C. time - before children.  Like the stuff that your out-of-town friends/family think you do because you live in Austin.   95% of what we do in Austin revolves around stuff we do with our kids, and it's shit that can be done anywhere, and there's a helluva lot more options in other places.
  • Housing is so much more affordable elsewhere.
  • We would have a lot more stuff to do elsewhere.  Oh sure, we can drive three hours to Houston or Dallas, or three hours to Rockport.  Yay?  We've already done the stuff in Houston and Dallas that we wanted to do, and would not be repeating most of it.  We don't do pro sports outside of car races at COTA, and college sports....our kids aren't really into them, and I end up watching almost all games on TV.

Places we've looked at:

  • California is cool in a lot of ways, but extremely expensive (in the areas we'd want to be in) and far away (we'd still like to be a day's drive away from NE Texas).
  • Pacific Northwest - even farther away, and the places we like are expensive or there are other issues (stupid shit that we don't like about Austin applies there).  #3 on our list though.
  • Florida: No.  Hurricanes, Republican batshittery, etc.  Just no.  We can visit and we are good.
  • North Carolina - #2 on our list.  Bunch of co-workers were transferred there and I'd be able to get a decent job there, probably before I even left Texas (if I wanted to get back into corporate life).  Lots of options to do stuff locally depending on location, and lots of options within a day's drive.

We keep circling back to New England (Vermont/NH/MA).  Little farther away than we'd like, but on the flip side, decent housing prices, decent homes in general, lots of history stuff (big for me), so much stuff that's just a fairly short train ride or drive away.  Four actual seasons, lots of outdoor activities that are nearby, decent winter sports/activities that would be fun for the whole family, etc.  We like to camp, and there's a lot of amazing and beautiful places to camp there.

We are just fucking done with Austin.  We've done all of the cool stuff we can do with our kids.  We are just repeating the same shit we do all the time, even pre-covid.

The idea of being someplace like New England, where we could drive a few hours and be in multiple states, multiple cities with lots of stuff to do/see, etc. is extremely appealing.  Sure, those places have their own government dipshits, but it's not taken to the level of a Greg Abbot or Ron DeSantis, and they usually aren't working hard to fuck with local cities/counties/school districts because they have to own the libs or whatever, in the process fucking things up for everybody, which is very annoying for those of us who aren't in either party.

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the overlooked topics related to the original post is how this affects publishing and industry self-censorship. It's a harsh field as it is, but the realities of $$ and the current climate is going to and already has had an effect. Going to take some brave front line authors, publishers, librarians, and parents to keep reading materials accessible. School board elections have consequences, and the GOP knew that and ran with it. It has made a lot of publicity for them and has pushed a fear narrative that was very well thought out. Instead of parents arguing for a freedom to read, we have the opposite.

Scary times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what's on your list of options?

I’d say NM or WA are the most likely. Bitch to find work in one, bitch to not spend a ton on housing and find the sun for 4 months in the other. CO doesn’t excite us much as a place to live full time but could be the compromise between those two.

Of course that doesn’t really address the larger issue of democratic backsliding in the US, but emigrating is a whole different ball game and probably not realistic even without the roadblocks given we’ve got aging parents here. Perfect world - Mediterranean Europe or the more stable/developed end of Latin America - Chile, Costa Rica, etc. My brother is building a house in Mexico. I’m not sure the state of affairs is really much better there than in the US but I see the appeal.

I’ve wanted to leave Texas before politics became a major part of that - I’m just tired of the heat/humidity and the mega sprawl, and just ready for a change of scenery as I’ve lived here my whole life - but the evolution of the politics from simply conservative, which one obviously can live with even if they don’t agree, to the outright nastiness and shocking ignorance of the people in charge now and for the foreseeable future does move that to the forefront.
  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve had conversations with my brother about him thinking about where he would want to flee with his family when shit goes down. Because there’s shit that’s gonna go down. I’m of Mexican descent and have medium dark skin, so I know I won’t be welcome in the fascist’s club. My husband and I are well educated and will be able to flee somewhere when needed. 
 

Sad and scary times. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have posted it too many times but I left Texas  at the tail end of 2019 having lived there all my life.  Left Austin specifically.   I chose Bend, OR and put a bid in on a house exactly when Covid started shutting everything down.  At the time we panicked because plenty were predicting a housing crash.  Instead prices have shot up so much I couldn’t afford to buy the house we are in.

I love it here, and am grateful every day for the life I have.  There are some “but’s.”  You will find it is harder to make good friends.   You don’t have the shared history of your long time friends to lean on.  Sure, you can make acquaintances.  But deep friendships?  Challenging, and Covid didn’t help. I am lucky in that I consider my nuclear family my best friends.  But still, would be nice to have a pal or two to really hang out with.

If you are moving for political reasons, well yeah Texas is awful.  But there is plenty of crazy/stupid everywhere.  And that State government you might be OK with is an election cycle or two from changing.  Also, the Supreme Court is  going to seriously wreck this country over the next few years, imo.  So there won’t be a place to hide.

Texas weather was maybe a bigger factor for me than politics at the time.

While I love it here, I am have no idea where we go when retirement age hits.  I would look heavily at stable governments with universal health care. I am pretty terrified of some health misfortune bankrupting my family one day.

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve had conversations with my brother about him thinking about where he would want to flee with his family when shit goes down. Because there’s shit that’s gonna go down. I’m of Mexican descent and have medium dark skin, so I know I won’t be welcome in the fascist’s club. My husband and I are well educated and will be able to flee somewhere when needed. 
 
Sad and scary times. 

It’s definitely crossed my mind that moving to the Seattle area gives us a pretty good head start on making a run for Canada.
I have posted it too many times but I left Texas  at the tail end of 2019 having lived there all my life.  Left Austin specifically.   I chose Bend, OR and put a bid in on a house exactly when Covid started shutting everything down.  At the time we panicked because plenty were predicting a housing crash.  Instead prices have shot up so much I couldn’t afford to buy the house we are in.
I love it here, and am grateful every day for the life I have.  There are some “but’s.”  You will find it is harder to make good friends.   You don’t have the shared history of your long time friends to lean on.  Sure, you can make acquaintances.  But deep friendships?  Challenging, and Covid didn’t help. I am lucky in that I consider my nuclear family my best friends.  But still, would be nice to have a pal or two to really hang out with.
If you are moving for political reasons, well yeah Texas is awful.  But there is plenty of crazy/stupid everywhere.  And that State government you might be OK with is an election cycle or two from changing.  Also, the Supreme Court is  going to seriously wreck this country over the next few years, imo.  So there won’t be a place to hide.
Texas weather was maybe a bigger factor for me than politics at the time.
While I love it here, I am have no idea where we go when retirement age hits.  I would look heavily at stable governments with universal health care. I am pretty terrified of some health misfortune bankrupting my family one day.
 

I’m not counting on being able to retire - decent spot savings wise but who knows what the next ~30 years holds - but if it’s on the table, there’s a zero percent chance I’d retire in the US. Way too many beautiful, cheaper places with functional healthcare and less bullshit on this Earth.
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, gmr548 said:


It’s definitely crossed my mind that moving to the Seattle area gives us a pretty good head start on making a run for Canada.

I’m not counting on being able to retire - decent spot savings wise but who knows what the next ~30 years holds - but if it’s on the table, there’s a zero percent chance I’d retire in the US. Way too many beautiful, cheaper places with functional healthcare and less bullshit on this Earth.

I'm not actually counting on being 'able' to retire.  But at some point the ageism will catch up to me I'm sure.  I should probably get back to working on my Spanish (wife is fluent).  Or seemingly Portuguese.  Portugal seems to be making a 'retire here' push lately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, MC Fresh Breath said:

I have posted it too many times but I left Texas  at the tail end of 2019 having lived there all my life.  Left Austin specifically.   I chose Bend, OR and put a bid in on a house exactly when Covid started shutting everything down.  At the time we panicked because plenty were predicting a housing crash.  Instead prices have shot up so much I couldn’t afford to buy the house we are in.

I love it here, and am grateful every day for the life I have.  There are some “but’s.”  You will find it is harder to make good friends.   You don’t have the shared history of your long time friends to lean on.  Sure, you can make acquaintances.  But deep friendships?  Challenging, and Covid didn’t help. I am lucky in that I consider my nuclear family my best friends.  But still, would be nice to have a pal or two to really hang out with.

If you are moving for political reasons, well yeah Texas is awful.  But there is plenty of crazy/stupid everywhere.  And that State government you might be OK with is an election cycle or two from changing.  Also, the Supreme Court is  going to seriously wreck this country over the next few years, imo.  So there won’t be a place to hide.

Texas weather was maybe a bigger factor for me than politics at the time.

While I love it here, I am have no idea where we go when retirement age hits.  I would look heavily at stable governments with universal health care. I am pretty terrified of some health misfortune bankrupting my family one day.

 

Now I know why you have Mt. Bachelor as your avatar.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



×
×
  • Create New...