Re: [California, Uber Alles]

[Hannah <to -dot- hannah -at- usa -dot- net>]

Why put up with
> rolling black outs, astronomical housing prices, and sales tax? 
> 

Amen! I was wondering when those rolling black outs were going to be
mentioned. How costly is it to businesses to have to deal with those? I worked
with a company that was so estatic when they found out they were on the same
grid as a fire house and a hospital because it meant they were basically
guaranteed constant power levels. They actually used it as a selling point for
clients to use them over other companies (0 down time due to power
fluctuations compared to x company with 15% down time).

And housing? I remember reading about a family where both parents made 6
figures a year and they were living in a shelter. I imagine that is more
exaggerated than true, but I do have friends who choose to live on the fault
line to save money on rent(they had to sign a disclaimer that they wouldn't
sue if their house was to collapse and slide down the hill they're on if there
was an earthquake) and they pay about $2300 a month - $300 a month more than I
do. They live in a small two bedroom home with no parking priviledges. I live
in a four bedroom single family home with 3/4 acre of land and detached
garage. They have a two hour commute (distance about 20 miles). I have a 10
minute commute (distance under 5 miles). Their cost of living is so much more
than mine in many other ways (insurance, general living, etc). Here's the
kicker - they make only about $10 an hour more. They are contracters and are
responsible for their own taxes, health insurance, and all that jazz. My
company takes care of the taxes, provides medical insurance, retirement plans,
stock options, and a bunch of other fun stuff. To this day they have not found
a decent company to work for where they will stay and remain and be happy. Me?
I love my company and plan to be here for quite some time. We had no lay offs
due to the economic downturn. Heck, I even got a raise and approval for
training classes.

Funny thing is, most people in California tend to have some similar story.
Some crazy price for housing. Awful commute times. And the salaries do not
seem that much better. Granted, housing by me costs more than a lot of other
places and if you have to commute into DC and don't live close to a metro
station it can be a pain, but I always smile to think "At least it's not like
California." California may be good for businesses, but it's not good for
employees. And to me, that means it's not good for businesses.

hannah Bissell
to -dot- hannah -at- usa -dot- net

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