Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayatollahgondola
Kathy,
I'm going to assume that trying to survive financially has gotten much worse for you. You're not alone, there's a lot of that out there, including myself. I don't know everything about your situation, but many of us have seen our incomes dry up, and our opportunities lessen. I wish you the best, and as Jean says, stay in touch here, because California is in perilous straits, but it is still our home, and it cannot live under the rule of financial mismanagement forever. It is my opinion that the struggle over California's future has reached a point where those who believe in financial restraint have made a valiant push to cure it or kill it. Unfortunately I see that as the only way now, and yes, more of us already in the throes of financial meltdown are going to suffer even more. I wish I had some relieving news, but I don't. Not in the short run anyway. I will just point out that if we don't stop it here, it will spread.
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Thank you. Of course I'll keep in touch. I still have ties to California. My son works here, but bit by bit, division by division, his company has been slowly moving to other states and his continued residency is hanging on by a thread. At his executive level he will most likely be relocated when the last of it goes.
In the last year, prior to that I was doing pretty well, in the last year, people have left, given away pets, sent children to live with relatives out of state, had older pets put down, turned animals into shelters, or just couldn't afford to get them groomed until they were in such bad condition that it was threatened the animal's life. The state didn't like the reduction in income and went back 5 years to assess taxes based on prior income. Then sent me a bill.
My husband passed away in December leaving me despondent. I spent six months fighting a lawsuit by of all people a lesbian couple, based on discrimination based on of all things my refusal to paint their portrait. It took half a year for them to lose.
I am unbelievably sick and tired of the crime. The gunfire, the stabbings, mothers with toddlers in tow engaging in sex acts on the street right in front of my shop, while the two year old runs around. Once I got over being mad about the kid banging on the window and the outrage at the mother on her knees, she was probably only trying to get enough money to feed them for a day.
There comes a time when standing on the principle of "I won't let myself be forced out" isn't enough. It's not worth it anymore.
Jerry Brown is going to have a ballot initiative on the next election. That initiative will be to raise the state income tax. He is betting that CA has passed the tipping point and there are more people receiving tax benefits than there are taxpayers to vote it down. One of the provisions of this initiative is to make the tax hike retroactive to Jan 1. The first paycheck after this hike will have a massive, MASSIVE state take. For many, this kind of tax bite will not be survivable.
I love California. I love the life I made here. It is painful to leave. The fact is, from my point of view, California is no longer circling the drain, it is now going down.
Of course I'll keep in touch. The forum is EVERYWHERE!