I have zero regrets about leaving Texas and I wouldn't move back into red America for anything.
Story time children
I am taking estimates on replacing my screened in enclosures. It's a bitch because of all those unfortunate folks on the gulf coast having the hurricane nuke them. (there but for the grace of the flying spaghetti monster go I) Most of the work and workers are still over there trying to repair the damage.
Anyways, living here on Floriduh's Space Coast and not being MAGA, is like living behind enemy lines as a spy. One of the few companies that even wants the work right now, sends their guy out. He is old enough to be retired (why are you still working, and a shit job at that, if MAGA land is so great bruh?) a manlet, but in good shape for a guy his age. My less than 5yr old Trane A/C system already needs a coil replaced (no out of pocket expense, so I got that going for me, which is nice) The tech is here doing the work. Sales dude ask if I am replacing A/C too. I tell him the deal. He turns it into an issue that is somehow Demoncrats fault. Says we'd better all vote right (or did he say reich?) this time. Then alluded to how they are going to not only screw up all of our appliances, but eventually come for the power/electricity to our homes too.
That's when I catch on that it must be about them coming for your gas stoves or some other nonsense.
Being more than capable of LARPing as a MAGA to avoid having to heart punch people constantly, I tell him we voted republican in elections here in Fl. It's not our fault. He then says how we have a great Governor that is fighting all the terrible things being done. But he is worried we are going to lose him as he goes after the brass ring, as he put it.
He then put in a ballpark bid so preposterously high that I called him on it. For context on this last part of story time, he had mentioned earlier how he deals with elderly customers a lot. Now back to the sales pitch. He gave me a laughable response fit only for those old folks with failing mental faculties even worse than mine, that he normally rips off. About how you don't want to use someone working out of their truck blah blah blah. Even tried saying his product is up to code to handle 160mph winds. I lol'd. I told him if we get a CAT5 dead on we all have bigger problems than screened enclosures blowing away.
BTW, the other companies are businesses just like the one he represents, not fly by night types. The next highest bid would allow me to build the enclosure 3 times for what he wants. None of them brought politics into it, or tried to rip me off. That's MAGA for you. Forced to work in your retirement years while you lick the white wader boots of the people ensuring you can't afford to retire.
TLDR/ Moral of the story: My state is doing shit as bad or worse than Texas is in the OP. And it is supported by old people with too much lead in their brains, voting for it because they are mentally unfit to evaluate reality. /Story time
www.rollingstone.com
Facebook
Twitter