California weather

California is a mess in so many ways, but one thing it gets right. It gets the weather right. Today it is clear and 85° here in Southern California it is just beautiful. Yes there are 1 million things wrong with California, but on a day like this you tend to forget. The best thing about the weather is at the social liberal crazy people can't mess it up.

What do you think?

California – gas prices

I have finally had to pay the increase in gasoline price here in Southern California. While the rest of the country is enjoying fantastically low gasoline prices, here in California we get the pay more. Of course, only in the land of liberal loonies does that happen. Now, the increase in gasoline prices has not been extreme. We are paying between $2.19 and $2.29 a gallon. The increase also seems to be holding steady in that the price has not continued to climb. But, it is more than just about any place in the continental United States. Only in California can we mess things up like we do. Hopefully prices begin to fall back down soon as the new formula is fully introduced.

What do you think?

Gas prices - California

I had to buy some gas this morning and I thought I was going to pay much more for gas than I did last week. That was not the case. It was a little bit higher, but not substantially. So either the switch to the new formulation and has not affect the price of gas in California yet, or the change in formula is not going to have much of an effect on price at all. It is possible that the demand for gasoline here in California has diminished enough so that changing over to the new formula won't make a difference. That's great news for me at the gas pump, but not very good news for our economy. I am not sure which one I should root for. Do I want to lower prices? Or do I want a better economy? It really does not matter because what is going to happen is going to happen.

What do you think?

Gasoline - California style

I got lucky today in that I was able to buy gas at $2.05 a gallon. Unfortunately it will be the last time I will be able to do so for a while. It turns out that here in California we are so brilliant that we mess everything up. The price of gasoline is going to shoot up as high as $.30 more over the next few days. Why? Because the state of California is requiring refiners to change their formula of gas for the summer. Now they have done this every year at this time for quite a few years, but right now it feels so wrong. Just when we are about to pay less than two dollars a gallon, we are going to have to now pay more. Do you want to know how to mess things up in your state? Just do exactly what California is doing and you will get the same results. It is frustrating to live someplace where people think they are brilliant, but they are actually dumb rocks. Oh well, I will just enjoy the low price for now till I fill up once again next week.

What do you think?

California - Is it a nice place to live?

Here in California we are experiencing a heat wave. Today it was about 85 degrees here in Southern California, so we are having summer in winter which is different. I was scanning the headlines for the rest of the nation and I noticed that in New York City it is so cold that they had to cancel and Ice Festival today. Yes, the weather here in Southern California is terrific. But, is this a good place to to live in? If you went by the weather it is a fantastic place to live, but that is not the only factor that affects the quality of life. Southern California is probably one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. The cost of housing is one of the highest in the nation, taxes are very high, and so is electricity, natural gas, and especially gasoline. While the rest of the nation is quickly approaching a dollar a gallon for gasoline we are still at $2.50 a gallon. Why? Because of all the taxes that are involved and all the restrictions on the formulation of gasoline imposed by the state government. The traffic is horrific here in Southern California, the crime rate is high, and the poverty rate is also high. California is also a socialist liberal paradise. If you want to live in Northern Europe, why bother moving there. Just move here to California, there's not much of a difference except maybe the weather is a whole lot better.

So why don't I move to another state? That's a great question and I wish I had a good answer. I think the reality is that we're kind of stuck here because we owe more on our home than it's worth, and the kids are going to college here. Hey, at least the weather is nice.

What do you think?

Is it time to get out of California?

Congestion and urban sprawl are at their worst. Taxes and governmental fees have never been higher. Crime is increasing. The school system gets worse every year. There are fewer and fewer good paying jobs. Prices keep going up and the cost of living is one of the highest in the nation (and probably the world). Gasoline is expensive. Electricity is expensive. And now with the drought, even water is expensive. Yes the weather most of the year is terrific and the laid back California lifestyle is great, but is it enough? I am starting to think it's time to get out of California. Things are getting worse and the future does not look very bright. In fact, it is staring to look bleak. Thanks to miss-investment, liberal and socialistic policies, unchecked immigration of all sorts, miss-management, cronyism, labor unions, and just plain bad luck, the future of California does not look to be better than the past. In fact, they might get a lot worse. Yes, I think it's time to get out of California before it is to late and everyone and their grandmother is trying to get out.

What do any other California residents think?