California’s quality of life is the worst in the country? • Hacker News Board

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#61

Post by ncallaway » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:33 AM UTC

ars wrote: post #51

ncallaway wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was like...a survey of the happiness of the population not at least one of the metrics they used? It seems...like a really silly metric not to include in a quality of life ranking.

> a survey of the happiness It's not possible to measure happiness by asking people. I remember reading a study about, maybe someone can find it. The only thing you can measure (or ask about) are proxies to happiness.

Since "happiness" by definition is subjective, how do you determine what the proxies to happiness are?

How do you correlate something to "happiness" (to determine its a proxy), if you can't measure happiness directly?

I mean, I agree that there's some significant problems in surveying a population, but I'm not aware of any other way to measure something subjective like happiness. I'd love to read the study you're referencing if you can find it.

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#62

Post by DoreenMichele » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:33 AM UTC

eecsninja wrote: post #44

DoreenMichele wrote: post #40

I left California last September. Moving someplace cheaper allowed me to get back into housing. That was all I expected to get out of it. Other than getting off the street, I didn't expect significant improvement in quality of life. I moved to a small town that did not have all the stuff I wanted. I expected to kind of put up with it in order to be able to afford housing. But after getting here, our mantra has become…

Where did you move to? I do agree that many of the problems in California will not be easily solved.

I'm in Southwest Coastal Washington.

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#63

Post by sjg007 » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:36 AM UTC

matmo wrote: post #19

iambateman wrote: post #14

Don’t worry, the #1 quality-of-life state is North Dakota so clearly the methodology is wack. Have you ever heard someone say: “man, when I finish my internship, I hope I can go to North Dakota where there is lots of happiness?” No. Because it’s -40° there half the year.

As much as I'd like to buy a house outside of California, I can't imagine living in cold weather constantly. I really need sunlight/warmth, and I can't help but feel like I would miss California's weather.

It’s not that bad considering modern technology and all. Get a winter hobby or sport!

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#64

Post by kelp » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:37 AM UTC

beebmam wrote: post #42

I'm 33. Literally no one my age or younger I know owns a home unless they live in a smaller city somewhere in mid-america. I'm a senior engineer at a large tech company. I cannot afford a home where I live unless I want to live in a shitty condo, which I do not. I cannot work remotely, so moving is not an option unless I want to find another job, which I'm considering. Once baby boomers start retiring and moving to a…

I suggest lobbying your state and local representatives to allow fast and easy approval of building more high-density housing and to upzone your neighborhood. The reason California is so expensive is because the generations who already own homes have long asked to maintain the status quo with low height limits (most of San Francisco is 40 feet!) and density limits. This creates an artificial shortage. And those homeowners have somehow created a political coalition with lower income renters afraid of gentrification by offering them things like rent control and token amounts of subsidized housing. The thing is, if you do the math, it quickly becomes obvious that there is no world where we create enough subsidized housing to make a dent in the problem. And rent control works to keep people in their homes but at the expense of everyone else. Subsidized housing is a lottery, and always will be in California. We don't suggest buying lottery tickets as a solution for income inequality; we shouldn't for housing inequality either.

The only viable long-term solution is relax zoning laws, and make new construction approvals easier and faster.

SB-827 is a start in the right direction.

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#65

Post by closeparen » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:38 AM UTC

calinet6 wrote: post #43

EZ-E wrote: post #9

From a foreigner point of view who keeps reading about California, it seems both like a fascinating and terrifying place. So advanced yet so backward in some ways

To be clear, it's absolutely not terrible or backward by any stretch. Please visit and see for yourself. Expensive, sure. But there's a reason (another word for price in a decent market is 'value'). And not every city in California is San Francisco in terms of cost of living.

Our most central and highly-trafficked sidewalks and public transit stations are de facto public restrooms and homeless shelters. The plaza around our government and cultural center is densely populated with open drug use and varying degrees of mental health crisis. Begging and tent encampments abound. The cyclist-advocacy and homeless-advocacy groups are at each other's throats over whether the takeover of bike lanes by encampments should be permanent. Violent mental health breakdowns on the sidewalk are not considered worthy of the attention of any government service, least of all the police.

You can learn to tune these things out and live with them, but it is absolutely 100% backwards for place so rich and so ostensibly progressive and compassionate to blithely incubate such shocking and pervasive displays of desperation and public neglect in its own backyard. Property values are in a sustained, meteoric rise and we choose not to tap them to address these issues in any meaningful way, not from a compassionate perspective, and not from an enforcement perspective either.

EDIT: more detail.

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#66

Post by spicymaki » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:38 AM UTC

nodesocket wrote: post #36

enraged_camel wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint: Tennessee is very religious and also backwards as hell[1], and if you aren’t white you will have a difficult time fitting in. [1]Just one recent example: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tennessee-lawmakers-pass-...

Backwards is relative. Being religious, anti-globalization, or conservative doesn't make you a horrible person. The bay area is probably the most intolerant place I've ever been. I've personally seen people unfriend friends because of politics without even being able to have a thoughtful and educated discussion about the issues. The bay area is group thinking "madness of crowds" at its worse. I encourage watching Pet…

Let’s be real. Aren’t you just trading one groupthink (liberal west coast) for another groupthink (conservative south east) that meets your desires? Do you really think a thoughtful and educated discussion would have really helped?

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#67

Post by newnewpdro » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:39 AM UTC

enraged_camel wrote: post #33

27182818284 wrote: post #22

If you are a tech person, I'd say you should seriously consider the Silicon Prairie. For example, it doesn't surprise me this article emphasizes Nebraska. Whereas this article mentions not owning a home in California, you can readily afford a home out in the Midwest. If you don't want that, grab a two-bedroom apartment that costs you less than a $9,00 per month. Insane commutes don't exist. Places like Kansas City ha…

Kansas is awful - don’t move there. Governor Brownback’s insane low-tax plan has starved government services and thoroughly ruined the state over the past decade.

Citations would be helpful...

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#68

Post by kumarm » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:40 AM UTC

DoreenMichele wrote: post #40

I left California last September. Moving someplace cheaper allowed me to get back into housing. That was all I expected to get out of it. Other than getting off the street, I didn't expect significant improvement in quality of life. I moved to a small town that did not have all the stuff I wanted. I expected to kind of put up with it in order to be able to afford housing. But after getting here, our mantra has become…

[There is no bag ban here]

Seriously? Single-Use Carryout Bag Ban a concern for you?

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#69

Post by toasterlovin » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:40 AM UTC

calinet6 wrote: post #43

EZ-E wrote: post #9

From a foreigner point of view who keeps reading about California, it seems both like a fascinating and terrifying place. So advanced yet so backward in some ways

To be clear, it's absolutely not terrible or backward by any stretch. Please visit and see for yourself. Expensive, sure. But there's a reason (another word for price in a decent market is 'value'). And not every city in California is San Francisco in terms of cost of living.

California is great for high earners with no plans to have kids. But it’s a pretty raw deal for everyone else, though.

Re: California’s quality of life is the worst in the country?

#70

Post by kelp » Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 3:41 AM UTC

ryanobjc wrote: post #48

ihsw2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rampant homelessness and drug use for one, the putrid mess that is downtown SF for another.

One of the consequences of the liberal tendenancies in California is visible homeless people. Californians just don’t want their cops regularly as policy beating homeless people and arresting them for existing. That’s why other downtowns don’t have homeless, they’re swept aside.

This is true for the most part. NYC has more homeless, but they are kept out of Manhattan, and the supportive housing is in the outer boroughs. That said, I think NYC also does a better job of housing their homeless.

But, to your point about being too liberal, I've seen some of the most disgusting things ever in Powell BART station, and when the police try to kick people out, they get too many complaints and have to back off. So we all have to suffer.