A Result Of Leftist Policies: Californians Flee For A Better Life

When people are unable to vote for the change they need at the ballot box, they will vote with their feet, that is, they will move to another area where they feel they can better achieve their personal goals and dreams.

What could be going on that people are doing this? Lots of things and all of them bad.

The state of California is experiencing a situation in which people are voting with their feet. For the fourth fiscal year in a row, California has experienced a net loss in population thorugh interstate migration.

According to Michael Blood of the Associated Press:

Mike Reilly spent his lifetime chasing the California dream. This year he's going to look for it in Colorado. With a house purchase near Denver in the works, the 38-year-old engineering contractor plans to move his family 1,200 miles away from his home state's lemon groves, sunshine and beaches. For him, years of rising taxes, dead-end schools, unchecked illegal immigration and clogged traffic have robbed the Golden State of its allure. Is there something left of the California dream? "If you are a Hollywood actor," Reilly says, "but not for us."

Nobody wants to live in an area where more of their hard-earned money gets confiscated by the government or where their children must attend schools that put politics above education or where illegal aliens drive down the average worker's wages with a willingness to work for less.

California is typical of what happens when tax-and-spend Democrats have control of the legislative process. The economy in the Golden State is shrinking due to many factors, not the least of which is that the state government keeps levying higher taxes. The net effect of the high taxes is that wages and salaries have gone down while the cost of living has gone up. People don't want to live under those conditions if they don't have to.

More:

Why are so many looking for an exit? Among other things: California's unemployment rate hit 8.4 percent in November, the third-highest in the nation, and it is expected to get worse. A record 236,000 foreclosures are projected for 2008, more than the prior nine years combined, according to research firm MDA DataQuick. Personal income was about flat last year. With state government facing a $41.6 billion budget hole over 18 months, residents are bracing for higher taxes, cuts in education and postponed tax rebates. A multibillion-dollar plan to remake downtown Los Angeles has stalled, and office vacancy rates there and in San Diego and San Jose surpass the 10.2 percent national average. Median housing prices have nose-dived one-third from a 2006 peak, but many homes are still out of reach for middle-class families. Some small towns are on the brink of bankruptcy. Normally recession-proof Hollywood has been hit by layoffs. "You see wages go down and the cost of living go up," Reilly says. His property taxes will be $1,300 in Colorado, down from $4,300 on his three-bedroom house in Nipomo, about 80 miles up the coast from Santa Barbara.

That's a pretty serious drop in property tax rate and a major reason why so many people are trying to leave the state.

Oh, and the state with the second highest loss in population? New York, another Democrat run tax-and-spend state.

Take a good look at California, folks. It is a preview of what the entire United States will be facing as the socialist-leaning Barack Obama and the socialist-leaning Democrat controlled Congress enact their leftist policies on us all.

If California is an accurate indicator, Obama and Company will be leading us into the Second Great Depression.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

Exodus: Californians Flee For A Better Life
Michael Blood
Associated Press via The Morning Call
January 13, 2009

Happy New Year! It's 2008! An Olympic Year!

And what does an Olympic Year mean? Sports! And not just any sports, but Olympic Sports, such as Track & Field and Swimming. For my first post of 2008, I am going to hawk a Sports Novel: A Reason To Try by Tom LaLumiere, which, by the way, is about a teenage boy back in the early 80's who takes up the sports of pole-vaulting and swimming (both of which figure prominently in the Olympics) while in High School.

The synopsis:

Coming from a troubled home and a problematic childhood, Brian Coulombe was the last person anyone thought would achieve anything at Cavalcade High School back in 1981. After a near-death experience jolts him back to reality and he discovers his affections for one of his female teammates, he finds within himself a desire to strive higher and work harder. Beginning as a sophomore and all the way through his senior year, Brian learns how to do the most difficult event in track and field: the pole-vault. In his efforts to reach his goals, he learns that working inside the rules is what allows him to soar. But when his dream girl finally tells him "no," he slips back outside the rules and must work to rebuild his world. With the help of his friends and his desire to become the best, he learns that there is always a reason to try.

I also have an excerpt from the book.

In this scene, Brian is competing in the pole-vault at the Stanton Invitational Track & Field Meet being held at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The bar is set at fouteen feet and six inches, a hieght that Brian had never cleared before. Not only is he dealing with the pressure of this being a personal best, he is also dealing with the fact that if he clears the bar, he wins, but if he misses, he goes home in second place.

The excerpt:

Brian walked over to the edge of the track to have a talk with his coach. “Mr. Hoskins. Do you have any last second advice?” “I have a last second question. How many misses do you have compared to him?” “I have one more miss than he does. I would lose on the tie-breaker if I miss this one.” “Well, then. The only advice I can give you is ‘don’t miss.’ Brian, sometimes you have to stand out on your own and bear the full brunt of a situation completely by yourself. This is one of those times.” As Brian was making his way back to the pole-vault area, Ellen, who had been doing a warm-up jog with the two-mile relay team, stopped him. He was a little surprised at this and wondered what she planned on saying to him. “How are you doing in there?” she asked. “Well, if I make this jump, then I win. If I miss it, then it’s second place.” Brian tried to keep his eyes on her but kept darting them in different directions. Ellen smiled, looked directly into Brian’s eyes and said, “Hey, Brian. How bad do you want it?” Brian returned the smile and walked back to the pole-vault runway and picked up his pole. After Ellen spoke to him, a calm washed completely over him. He felt no pressure at all. On the runway, he knelt down for a minute and then, for the first time ever as a pole-vaulter, did the “Sign of the Cross” in traditional Roman Catholic style and said to himself, if God is willing then so am I. He stood up on the runway and stared down at the box. Like that of his competitor, his own pole came up and down several times as the waiting for the most perfect moment continued. When that moment came, Brian lifted his pole and began his sprint. At the seventh step, his right hand thrust the pole directly over his head as he made the plant and then went airborne. His rock-back and kick-through inverted him as he could feel himself being shot skyward. He could feel no mistakes, no anomalies in the motion. As he crossed his right foot over his left, he knew that he would clear the bar. With less than half an inch to spare, he passed over the bar and began his descent into the soft pits below and his biggest victory yet. Brian stood up in the pits and began his celebration dance by doing a standing back-flip. He then exited the pit and began jumping up and down and rolling his clenched fists towards the sky. Never in his life had he felt such a feeling. He calmed down enough to receive congratulations from the referee and the other vaulters and then looked over into the team area where he was being given a standing ovation. That made him feel even better. Ellen was applauding and cheering along with everyone else. What more could he have asked for on this day? The awards ceremony was quick, but notable. For the first time at a major track meet, Brian was standing on the Gold Medal platform. At least five photographers were there to snap pictures of the top three placing pole-vaulters. Then he went back to the team area to relax and wait until it was time to leave. Everyone on the team offered personal congratulations and added comments like: “Awesome!” or “Fantastic!” or “That was amazing!” A few hours later, even though the meet was still going on, all of the Cavalcade athletes had completed their events, so the team packed up and headed home. The bus ride back to Temple Hills was as quiet as the ride out. Just as he did after the State Indoor Meet, Brian slowly caressed the medal hanging around his neck. He looked up towards the front and saw Ellen with her head leaning against the bus seat and her eyes closed. Around her neck she wore the gold medal for the Girl’s mile. They were the only two gold medals for Cavalcade that day.

A REASON TO TRY is also avaliable from Amazon.com
A REASON TO TRY available from Amazon UK
A REASON TO TRY available from Amazon Canada
A REASON TO TRY available from Barnes & Noble
A REASON TO TRY available from Borders
A REASON TO TRY available from Target