Texas tops list of worst places to live and work in America

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

10 minutes ago, slorch said:

Texas sucks so bad...

and people can't fucking stay away.  They are literally dying to get here.

Fuck the haters.  and fuck the people who willfully ignore the challenges Texas faces and overcomes.

you talking about all the messicans?

[Brisketexan 105,139]

6 minutes ago, slorch said:

Texas sucks so bad...

and people can't fucking stay away.  They are literally dying to get here.

Fuck the haters.  and fuck the people who willfully ignore the challenges Texas faces and overcomes.

Most of those "literally dying to get here" aren't dying to get to Texas, per se.  They are dying to get to the United States....Texas is the entry point.

Texas does remain attractive for the extremes: low-wage work, and the rich.  There are abundant low-wage jobs (with fewer protections for workers, but workers have long been known to risk their lives for another buck or two, because at the low end of the scale, another buck or two means the difference in making your rent or not, so it matters), and it's a good place to maximize profits if you're the kind of guy who employs 1,000 construction workers.  But it is rapidly losing its attraction for the people in between.  And our answer to those concerns is.....make electricity and water more scarce and unreliable (but not unprofitable -- nope, we've made sure profits are protected and guaranteed), kneecap education at every level, be openly hostile to women, attack the economic engines of the state (its cities)....yeah.  Back to the OP -- on the "quality of life" index, we're getting a lot worse.  But hey, there's profits to be made, and those trump life.

[Smax 3,800]

Not to derail this, but I think our state looked at Louisiana and said "we want that" because free, unadulterated and lightning fast access to every form of pornography, from the basic vanilla to the most perverse, being available at the fingertip of every 5-17 year olds (or wherever the legal consent/age is) is not only passively unhealthy, but extremely and actively detrimental to the development of the brain (and emotional and mental health) of still-developing children. It's a problem, whether you want to acknowledge the studies or not. Especially our young men.
And since when, anyways, did we as a society come to expect and feel entitled to free pornography carte blanche? I mean, up until the mid 2000's you had to pay for it and ostensibly verify ID, or worse yet, go to a seedy sex store and buy a physical copy. But Russia and Eastern Europe starts pumping out free porn and we get used to it and now it's as sacrosanct as a constitutional right for some people, it seems.
If you make it harder to view online free porn and make it harder to buy guns, I think you can probably wipe out about 80% of the incel community overnight.

Lol ohh my

[crash_davis 23,113]

Just now, Beau Vine said:

The main driver of pretty much every quality of life variable (other than weather) is education, and our state is doing its best to destroy that.

We all make fun of aggy, of just how fucking backwards and stupid they are. Most of the state aligns to their political and social spectrum. Most of our elected leaders align to their political and social spectrum. Those same idiots want the University of Texas to be a another version of aggy. 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

you talking about all the messicans?

California, Nigeria,  Illinois, Honduras, wherever.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Most of those "literally dying to get here" aren't dying to get to Texas, per se.  They are dying to get to the United States....Texas is the entry point.

Texas does remain attractive for the extremes: low-wage work, and the rich.  There are abundant low-wage jobs (with fewer protections for workers, but workers have long been known to risk their lives for another buck or two, because at the low end of the scale, another buck or two means the difference in making your rent or not, so it matters), and it's a good place to maximize profits if you're the kind of guy who employs 1,000 construction workers.  But it is rapidly losing its attraction for the people in between.  And our answer to those concerns is.....make electricity and water more scarce and unreliable (but not unprofitable -- nope, we've made sure profits are protected and guaranteed), kneecap education at every level, be openly hostile to women, attack the economic engines of the state (its cities)....yeah.  Back to the OP -- on the "quality of life" index, we're getting a lot worse.  But hey, there's profits to be made, and those trump life.

Don't ever give up your hate bro.  You Mack Brown the fuck out of life itself.

Texas has no middle class or opportunity unless you own an oil well or a weedeater.  Got it.

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by slorch

[4th&Five 41,552]

People from CA and IL "are literally dying to get here." Are they?

[Brisketexan 105,139]

3 minutes ago, slorch said:

Texas has no middle class or opportunity unless you own an oil well or a weedeater.  Got it.

NO middle class or opportunity?  Of course not.  Declining in both respects?  Absolutely.

Here's just one factor: 60% of current college students are women.  Educated women is the most likely demographic to be repelled by Texas's approach to women (shit, we're losing Ob-gyns at an absurd rate, and are having a damned hard time recruiting new ones).  Texas has actively and purposefully taken an approach that is known to alienate the group that makes up 60% of our current college-educated population.  That is...unwise.

[mchookem 16,336]

44 minutes ago, Longhornsnus said:

If you make it harder to view online free porn and make it harder to buy guns, I think you can probably wipe out about 80% of the incel community overnight.

13 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

We all make fun of aggy, of just how fucking backwards and stupid they are. Most of the state aligns to their political and social spectrum. Most of our elected leaders align to their political and social spectrum. 

...and most of the non-CR posters on surly lol

[Js1 85,337]

34 minutes ago, slorch said:

Texas sucks so bad...

and people can't fucking stay away.  They are literally dying to get here.

Fuck the haters.  and fuck the people who willfully ignore the challenges Texas faces and overcomes.

Oh no, someone is offended that people don't like Texas.

[Js1 85,337]

9 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

People from CA and IL "are literally dying to get here." Are they?

This is truly what some people believe because a very certain subsection of Americans on one side of the political spectrum are coming here in droves because FREEDUM!!!! and low taxes. 

[deadshank 24,653]

If you moved, most of you sumbitches would be moaning and pissing about the state you just moved to before you unboxed your stuff.  It would be something or another you'd start crying about, gnashing your teefs and get wrapped around the axle. 

Buncha self-loathing narcissists.

  

[closetohumping 17,442]

32 minutes ago, Smax said:

That is in the stix or the hood...The cost of living is really all that Texas has to offer and that disappearing quickly. Yes, it's cheaper then say NYC, SF or LA but it's climbing. I just rented an apartment in Houston for my daughter, and it's 2100 a month. Crazy and as mentioned, the heat is just too much. It was 85 the other night at 10 with a heat index of 105.

No thanks, so glad I moved

Heat and politics will keep a guy like me away but you absolutely can find a decent home in the Houston metro for 400k.  You can hardly buy in Compton for that out here.  Actually, you can't.

[mchookem 16,336]

i mean i bring home $200 worth of HEB products every time we visit because Denver grocery stores suck ass, and CO drivers are giant aggressive assholes, and i left a lifetime's worth of friends... but it would take a family tragedy with no other options to get me back to Texas. 

and i fucking loved Texas. i practically minored in Texas history at UT. 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by mchookem

[nbmishoid 949]

35 minutes ago, slorch said:

Don't ever give up your hate bro.  You Mack Brown the fuck out of life itself.

Texas has no middle class or opportunity unless you own an oil well or a weedeater.  Got it.

 

Saul Goodman, is that you?

[Brisketexan 105,139]

23 minutes ago, deadshank said:

If you moved, most of you sumbitches would be moaning and pissing about the state you just moved to before you unboxed your stuff.  It would be something or another you'd start crying about, gnashing your teefs and get wrapped around the axle. 

Buncha self-loathing narcissists.

  

1 - no place is perfect.  There's something to bitch about EVERYWHERE, for sure.  Over the past few years, my kids have lived in Canada, Germany, Sweden, and Scotland.  And each place definitely has its shortcomings (dear God....the food in Sweden...I can't describe to you how bad it is.)

2 - of course we'd miss a bunch of things about Texas.  I love Texas outdoors activities (hunting and fishing).  I love access to abundant great bbq, mexican food, etc.  I love having Longhorn sports available locally.

BUT....I also love the women in my life having access to healthcare, and having the right to make their own reproductive choices.  I also love having functioning schools that prepare my kids/grandkids someday for the future.  I also love places with abundant options for getting around that don't require me sitting in a car for an hour.  I also prefer places that design their utility systems and resources as actual utilities, as opposed to profit centers focused solely on delivering cash to a few rich guys' already-stuffed pockets.  And a shitload of other things.

No, no place is perfect.  But that doesn't excuse Texas being on the express train to Shittyness and stomping down on the accelerator.

25 years ago, if you'd have told me that I'd move out of Texas once I retire, I'd have thought you were nuts.  Now....I can't imagine staying here once I retire.  

[Beau Vine 54,230]

1 hour ago, Longhornsnus said:

Not to derail this, but I think our state looked at Louisiana and said "we want that" because free, unadulterated and lightning fast access to every form of pornography, from the basic vanilla to the most perverse, being available at the fingertip of every 5-17 year olds (or wherever the legal consent/age is) is not only passively unhealthy, but extremely and actively detrimental to the development of the brain (and emotional and mental health) of still-developing children. It's a problem, whether you want to acknowledge the studies or not. Especially our young men.

And since when, anyways, did we as a society come to expect and feel entitled to free pornography carte blanche? I mean, up until the mid 2000's you had to pay for it and ostensibly verify ID, or worse yet, go to a seedy sex store and buy a physical copy. But Russia and Eastern Europe starts pumping out free porn and we get used to it and now it's as sacrosanct as a constitutional right for some people, it seems.

If you make it harder to view online free porn and make it harder to buy guns, I think you can probably wipe out about 80% of the incel community overnight.

Nanny state.

[SydneyCarton 48,106]

It's amazing that a state with what is consistently the #1 city to live in in America in various surveys, Austin, manages to end up last as a state on a list of places to live. You'd think it would at least keep it in JUST the bottom 3rd. But nope. And shit, I live in Houston and outside of the weather I love living in Houston. And yet here we are...

[Beau Vine 54,230]

59 minutes ago, deadshank said:

If you moved, most of you sumbitches would be moaning and pissing about the state you just moved to before you unboxed your stuff.  It would be something or another you'd start crying about, gnashing your teefs and get wrapped around the axle. 

Buncha self-loathing narcissists.

  

Well, I will be testing this out within a year, so thanks for the warning.

[hookemATL 11,734]

1 hour ago, Longhornsnus said:

Not to derail this, but I think our state looked at Louisiana and said "we want that" because free, unadulterated and lightning fast access to every form of pornography, from the basic vanilla to the most perverse, being available at the fingertip of every 5-17 year olds (or wherever the legal consent/age is) is not only passively unhealthy, but extremely and actively detrimental to the development of the brain (and emotional and mental health) of still-developing children. It's a problem, whether you want to acknowledge the studies or not. Especially our young men.

And since when, anyways, did we as a society come to expect and feel entitled to free pornography carte blanche? I mean, up until the mid 2000's you had to pay for it and ostensibly verify ID, or worse yet, go to a seedy sex store and buy a physical copy. But Russia and Eastern Europe starts pumping out free porn and we get used to it and now it's as sacrosanct as a constitutional right for some people, it seems.

If you make it harder to view online free porn and make it harder to buy guns, I think you can probably wipe out about 80% of the incel community overnight.

Great post. I was just thinking about this issue the other day and was gonna work up some policy points to address things. But then I walked into the laundry room and my stepmom was “stuck” in the dryer. Needless to say, things got a little steamy after that and I didn’t get around to it. 

[closetohumping 17,442]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

If you moved, most of you sumbitches would be moaning and pissing about the state you just moved to before you unboxed your stuff.  It would be something or another you'd start crying about, gnashing your teefs and get wrapped around the axle. 

Buncha self-loathing narcissists.

  

Depends on person.  I've lived in Seattle, Denver and DC.  Loved them all.

[Smax 3,800]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

If you moved, most of you sumbitches would be moaning and pissing about the state you just moved to before you unboxed your stuff.  It would be something or another you'd start crying about, gnashing your teefs and get wrapped around the axle. 

Buncha self-loathing narcissists.

  

 

 

Been 5 years for me and the only thing I miss is texmex restaurants I can cook what I want just fine but there is something about going out to eat and sipping on a rita, chips and queso and cheese enchiladas. oh well

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Smax

[babysdaddy 2,724]

4 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Are you offended?

 

Texas is overall ranked 6th.  For all the doom and gloom posted, we are number 1 corporate relocations.  We have the most fortune 500 companies which gives ample opportunity for folks.  We are the #1 wind energy producing state.   We are the ninth-largest economy in the world according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

That survey is ridiculous.  Cost of living in their metrics carries a 2% weight, or 50 points.  CNBC decided to weight Life Health and Inclusion at.....14% or 350 points.  Guess they had an outcome they were looking for and it wasn't trying to figure out the best state for business.  Because that is a no brainer.  

[BrickHorn 18,234]

2 hours ago, royiv said:

So true. My niece left Texas for college and she's never coming back. She is extremely bright, was born and raised in Austin and has zero intentions of ever moving back to this state. 

2 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

My oldest is going to be a HS sophomore and there's zero chance she's staying in TX for college or ever coming back after.  I can't blame her.

Yep. My kids are coming up on college decisions in the next few years, and neither has any interest in staying in Texas. We hear the same from other parents and it’s not unusual to hear “As soon as the kids are out of high school, we’re leaving the state” or even “We’re telling the kids go out of state for school because we’re leaving Texas.”  

It doesn’t help that there’s only one high end public university in Texas, and it uses a singular inane metric to determine admissions. That pushes a lot of great students out of state. But mostly it’s because smart people see where the state is heading and want no part of it. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by BrickHorn

[royiv 9,317]

5 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

Texas is overall ranked 6th.  For all the doom and gloom posted, we are number 1 corporate relocations.  We have the most fortune 500 companies which gives ample opportunity for folks.  We are the #1 wind energy producing state.   We are the ninth-largest economy in the world according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

That survey is ridiculous.  Cost of living in their metrics carries a 2% weight, or 50 points.  CNBC decided to weight Life Health and Inclusion at.....14% or 350 points.  Guess they had an outcome they were looking for and it wasn't trying to figure out the best state for business.  Because that is a no brainer.  

Best for business doesn't translate into best quality of life.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

1 hour ago, slorch said:

California, Nigeria,  Illinois, Honduras, wherever.

[Js1 85,337]

2 minutes ago, royiv said:

Best for business doesn't translate into best quality of life.

We have an abundantly cheap, poorly educated workforce. And the companies get big tax breaks to come here. Land is cheap and taxes are low for business 

[gmr548 16,580]

CO drivers are giant aggressive assholes

In my experience they are extremely docile relative to Texas, certainly outside of Austin, but I don’t live in CO.

They are literally dying to get here.

Probably because the Governor has the TNG out playing fake army with rifles across their chests and their thumbs up their asses, and has DPS refusing to so much as give people water at the border.


I’ll take my CR negs for that. That impotent political bravado and cruelty have become two core tenants of the state’s essence is a part of why this thread exists.

[babysdaddy 2,724]

Just now, royiv said:

Best for business doesn't translate into best quality of life.

Well the overall survey is for top states for business and the AAS decided to focus on that metric which is subjective as fuck and political to make the home state look bad.  Shocker.  

[royiv 9,317]

4 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

Well the overall survey is for top states for business and the AAS decided to focus on that metric which is subjective as fuck and political to make the home state look bad.  Shocker.  

Okay, so good for business trumps quality of life for residents in your view? Longterm, being good for business while ignoring quality of life issues is not sustainable. 

[Zepol87 9,186]

1 hour ago, mchookem said:

i mean i bring home $200 worth of HEB products every time we visit because Denver grocery stores suck ass, and CO drivers are giant aggressive assholes, and i left a lifetime's worth of friends... but it would take a family tragedy with no other options to get me back to Texas. 

and i fucking loved Texas. i practically minored in Texas history at UT. 

 

 

Yea I couldn't get into King Soopers when I lived in CO

['stache 21,815]

6 minutes ago, royiv said:

Best for business doesn't translate into best quality of life.

Do middle class Texans really think "low taxes" applies to them? LOL (and yes I know the answer, same as here).

[babysdaddy 2,724]

Just now, royiv said:

Okay, so good for business trumps quality of life for residents in your view? Longterm, being good for business while ignoring quality of life issues is not sustainable. 

In my opinion, being good for business begets opportunity for our citizens which translates into improved quality of life......which brings more people here which brings more business.  You know, exactly what has happened.

[Js1 85,337]

1 minute ago, Zepol87 said:

Yea I couldn't get into King Soopers when I lived in CO

It’s garbage!

[Beau Vine 54,230]

Just now, Zepol87 said:

Yea I couldn't get into King Soopers when I lived in CO

I just spent $200 at the one in NW Boulder.  That place sucks.  No bags for veggies, either.  

[royiv 9,317]

Just now, 'stache said:

Do middle class Texans really think "low taxes" applies to them? LOL (and yes I know the answer, same as here).

It's the biggest ruse perpetuated against middle class Texans.

[Beau Vine 54,230]

Just now, royiv said:

It's the biggest ruse perpetuated against middle class Texans.

"Don't Californicate mah Texas!!!"

[Pig Bellmont 8,718]

Did frequency of mass shootings come into play or nah?

[royiv 9,317]

1 minute ago, babysdaddy said:

In my opinion, being good for business begets opportunity for our citizens which translates into improved quality of life......which brings more people here which brings more business.  You know, exactly what has happened.

So we can continue to slip in the rankings for access to quality education and healthcare, personal freedoms, individual tax burden, climate, etc. and the machine will just keep going in perpetuity? You are more optimistic than I am.

[Js1 85,337]

1 minute ago, royiv said:

So we can continue to slip in the rankings for access to quality education and healthcare, personal freedoms, individual tax burden, climate, etc. and the machine will just keep going in perpetuity? You are more optimistic than I am.

Our education system blows, we haven’t raised our state minimum wage since Bush was president and our state government is hostile to worker rights - of course businesses continue to show up as long as they’re offered tax breaks. 

['stache 21,815]

4 minutes ago, Js1 said:

And the corporate boot lickers just line up for more shit served by the party running Texas for the past 2.5 decades 

They just love being trickled down on with $60K a year, just enough for a balsa wood home in the burbs and a used duelly pickup that they used one time to help a friend move a couch. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by 'stache

[closetohumping 17,442]

3 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Our education system blows, we haven’t raised our state minimum wage since Bush was president and our state government is hostile to worker rights - of course businesses continue to show up as long as they’re offered tax breaks. 

Y'all also pay waiters 2.13 an hour.

[Brisketexan 105,139]

28 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

Texas is overall ranked 6th.  For all the doom and gloom posted, we are number 1 corporate relocations.  We have the most fortune 500 companies which gives ample opportunity for folks.  We are the #1 wind energy producing state.   We are the ninth-largest economy in the world according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

That survey is ridiculous.  Cost of living in their metrics carries a 2% weight, or 50 points.  CNBC decided to weight Life Health and Inclusion at.....14% or 350 points.  Guess they had an outcome they were looking for and it wasn't trying to figure out the best state for business.  Because that is a no brainer.  

I mean, these follow pretty well:

20 minutes ago, Js1 said:

We have an abundantly cheap, poorly educated workforce. And the companies get big tax breaks to come here. Land is cheap and taxes are low for business 

 

3 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Our education system blows, we haven’t raised our state minimum wage since Bush was president and our state government is hostile to worker rights - of course businesses continue to show up as long as they’re offered tax breaks. 

Number 1 in corporate relocations?  Yes, big businesses look to go someplace with low taxes and limited regulations (regulations often being those things that provide "quality of life," like regulations against serving spoiled meat, or regulations against contaminating the water supply, or regulation of electric utilities to set up a system that has reliable supply, etc.)  Oh, and just to punch through that, that's often just corporate HQ relocations, for tax purposes.  They often don't bring that many jobs with them.

We have the most Fortune 500 companies?  No, we have the most Fortune 500 HEADQUARTERS....see my comment above.

We are the #1 wind energy producing state.  That's a good factor in our favor, I give us points for that.  We're also up there in solar production, also a good thing.

9th largest GDP.  Yes...but deceptive.  Being a resource economy or a resource-heavy economy is not a path to a strong future.  We have sold and continue to sell a shitload of O&G (nevermind what that's doing to the climate, let's just look at the economics), yielding a lot of money in total.  But being a resource-centered economy is a shitty long-term plan.

At this point in time, Texas's other major resource is a cheap, poorly educated workforce.  Which can be exploited for profit.  When our economic model looks a fair bit like African diamond mines, that's not exactly a point in our favor.

[dcar00 14,208]

48 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

Texas is overall ranked 6th.  For all the doom and gloom posted, we are number 1 corporate relocations.  We have the most fortune 500 companies which gives ample opportunity for folks.  We are the #1 wind energy producing state.   We are the ninth-largest economy in the world according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

That survey is ridiculous.  Cost of living in their metrics carries a 2% weight, or 50 points.  CNBC decided to weight Life Health and Inclusion at.....14% or 350 points.  Guess they had an outcome they were looking for and it wasn't trying to figure out the best state for business.  Because that is a no brainer.  

nope Texas sucks and CR is renting uhauls...

[closetohumping 17,442]

53 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

Texas is overall ranked 6th.  For all the doom and gloom posted, we are number 1 corporate relocations.  We have the most fortune 500 companies which gives ample opportunity for folks.  We are the #1 wind energy producing state.   We are the ninth-largest economy in the world according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

That survey is ridiculous.  Cost of living in their metrics carries a 2% weight, or 50 points.  CNBC decided to weight Life Health and Inclusion at.....14% or 350 points.  Guess they had an outcome they were looking for and it wasn't trying to figure out the best state for business.  Because that is a no brainer.  

You know what's crazy?  In Q4 of 2022, California's  GDP out grew Texas and Florida's.  Combined.    Just passed Germany for fourth largest economy in the world. 
 

 

I know what you’re thinking.  If California is so great why is everyone leaving?  It’s expensive.  That sucks.  But you’re mostly getting people who can’t afford it or want a big ass house to show off.  And corporations chasing tax breaks.  

Edited July 18, 2023 by closetohumping

[Scheiss Meister 8,407]

My daughter (UT grad, born in Nacogdoches) and her fiance moved to Oregon a few months ago and have no intention of ever moving back to Texas.  My wife and I are going up to see them in September, and we wouldn't come back if we weren't needed for her mom and my dad.  They are both closing in on their final days.  Once they are gone, all bets are off.

I hate that the state that I love has become so insufferable.

[RDCanecutter 26,443]

1 minute ago, Scheiss Meister said:

I hate that the state that I love has become so insufferable.

I'd ignore that as drama from most people, but you literally deal with shit.

[closetohumping 17,442]

Just now, Scheiss Meister said:

My daughter (UT grad, born in Nacogdoches) and her fiance moved to Oregon a few months ago and have no intention of ever moving back to Texas.  My wife and I are going up to see them in September, and we wouldn't come back if we weren't needed for her mom and my dad.  They are both closing in on their final days.  Once they are gone, all bets are off.

I hate that the state that I love has become so insufferable.

My parents live in Texas and I feel it’s my duty to take care of them as they age.  Other than that, I’m good.  
 

I miss the friendly people and absurdly good bbq and Mexican food.  And of course Texas sports. But man I love the weather and scenery out here

[RDCanecutter 26,443]

10 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Just passed Germany for fourth largest economy in the world. 

Thank God. I was so tired of Californians robotically squawking "Bigger than France!"

[babysdaddy 2,724]

4 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

You know what's crazy?  In Q4 of 2022, California's  GDP out grew Texas and Florida's.  Combined.    Just passed Germany for fourth largest economy in the world. 
 

 

I know what you’re thinking.  If California is so great why is everyone leaving?  It’s expensive.  That sucks.  But you’re mostly getting people who can’t afford it or want a big ass house to show off.  And corporations chasing tax breaks.  

I love California and hope to move back there in the future.  But when I lived there it was impossible to figure out where/how to raise kids.  So for everyone saying Texas is only good if you're rich....I'd say the same about Cali.