# Sam Stone believes Trump's tweets **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633 "2020-10-10T13:47:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 57
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1124 "2021-08-26T19:43:32Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > That’s why, in the “free market” of state economies, California is an economic hellhole, where no businesses thrive and nobody wants to live and work. _“Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”_ – Yogi Berra ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1125 "2021-08-26T20:15:51Z")
Well, California _did_ experience a population drop last year for the first time in recorded memory, though that may be a temporary thing related to Covid-19 if you accept what the pundits are saying. The irony (for purposes of this thread, anyway) is that in California it’s getting harder for anyone but the 1% (or maybe 10%) to live comfortably.\* \*For example: the median home price in Texas is $195.000. The median home price in California: _$552,800_. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1126 "2021-08-26T20:35:45Z")
My brother has been claiming that California is going down the tubes for 25 years, during which time his home value has gone from $180k to $1.5M+. While screaming at the “fruits and nuts” he bought a condo as an investment, he’s so convinced the place is going to hell. And despite the value of the condo skyrocketing during a time when he was unable to evict the tenant for not paying rent he will not “surrender” and sell the condo. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1127 "2021-08-26T20:36:18Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*For example: the median home price in Texas is $195.000. The median home price in California: _$552,800_ . Wow, that seems like a lot for a house built in the middle of a road. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1128 "2021-08-26T20:41:05Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Wow, that seems like a lot for a house built in the middle of a road. They get you coming and going. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1129 "2021-08-26T20:41:38Z")
The majority of Texas would be improved by paving it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1130 "2021-08-26T20:42:36Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*For example: the median home price in Texas is $195.000. The median home price in California: _$552,800_ . Yes, but you have to live in _Texas_. (shudder) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1131 "2021-08-26T20:58:55Z")
The majority of Texas would be improved by unpaving it, instead. Would certainly help with the flooding we get down here. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1132 "2021-08-26T21:24:08Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Yes, but you have to live in _Texas_ . (shudder) Another apropos quote: _“If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell”_ – Gen. Phil Sheridan ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1133 "2021-08-27T01:47:59Z")
California lost more domestic citizens in the last few years than any other state. 203,000 or so. In fact, the top 5 states with the most domestic outwards migration are: California New York Illinois New Jersey Massachussetts Blue states, all. Pretty much the bluest of the blue. And you have to go way down the list before you find the first red state. The top 5 states with the most domestic inwards migration are: Florida Texas Arizona North Dakota South Dakota And only Washington cracks the top ten for blue states with net inwards migration. But I suspect that’s changing consodering how badly Portland and Seattle are being run. This is what economists call ‘revealed preferences’. Don’t listen to what people say, look at what they do. And what they are doing is generally moving out of blue states and into red states. That became pretty obvious in the last census. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1134 "2021-08-27T02:25:51Z")
Yes, Sam, that’s the Democratic Diaspora Texas conservatives are yelling about. It’s one of the reasons why Texas is turning blue. The other part of why Texas is turning blue, of course, that conservatives have finally revealed themselves for the psychopathic evil shits they are. > **[Californians Could Ruin Texas—But Not the Way You Might Think](https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/californians-could-ruin-texas-but-not-the-way-you-might-think/)** > > Lone Star State leaders have worried about transplants importing West Coast values and politics here. But they’ve largely ignored the more pressing challenges newcomers are bringing with them. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1135 "2021-08-27T02:58:51Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > California lost more domestic citizens in the last few years than any other state. 203,000 or so. How does that work when you include nondomestic, noncitizens? Plus, a lot of this has to do with the greying of America. The states you mention: > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > California > New York > Illinois > New Jersey > Massachussetts tend to be places where people move to to go to school, or find a job. They move out of those places when they’re done working and want to retire. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The top 5 states with the most domestic inwards migration are: > > Florida > Texas > Arizona > North Dakota > South Dakota Two retirement states and three where a whole lot of fracking is going on. And consider, if you will, North Carolina. A rather purplish state. Urban areas (generally blue) are increasing in population, rural areas (reddish) are emptying out. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > This is what economists call ‘revealed preferences’. Don’t listen to what people say, look at what they do. And what they are doing is generally moving out of blue states and into red states. That became pretty obvious in the last census. Do immigrants’ preferences not matter? Or do we only care about the preferences of retirees and fossil fuel workers? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1136 "2021-08-27T13:50:06Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > Do immigrants’ preferences not matter? Or do we only care about the preferences of retirees and fossil fuel workers? You mean like Elon Musk? 😃 Companies like Oracle, HP Inc. and Toyota have all moved headquarters from California to Texas recently. There are other examples as well. “Anecdotal evidence suggests out-migration is spurring an exodus from the Bay Area, which has seen the headquarters of several startups and two Fortune 500 companies leave this year. Fortune 500 No. 7, McKesson Corp. (NYSE: MCK) and fellow Fortune 500 Core-Mark Holding Co. (NASDAQ: CORE) both headed to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. After this year’s annual meeting, Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW) founder Chuck Schwab said his company’s headquarters could one day leave San Francisco.” “Some observers see a sorting-out process occurring with those seen as more liberal, highly educated and earning higher salaries coming to California and those who are more conservative exiting the Golden State. A report in Monday’s Los Angeles Times titled, “California conservatives leaving the state for ‘redder pastures’” featured a Modesto couple moving to suburban Dallas.” So does that mean California gets bluer and Texas stays red? > **[Why Some Americans Are Leaving California for Texas](https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_why-some-americans-are-leaving-california-texas/6205734.html)** > > In long rivalry between two most populous US states, Lone Star State has edge A pointy-headed intellectual perspective on how home prices may be the ultimate driver of out-migration from California to Texas. > **[It seems like all of California is moving to Texas. Is that true? | Kinder...](https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/it-seems-all-california-moving-texas-true)** ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1137 "2021-08-27T14:05:03Z")
I think people read to much into migration patterns. Some retirees look for warmer weather and lower taxes. Those just happen to be redder states. Does that mean they all endorse Republican politics? I doubt it. The fracking boom made the Dakotas gain in population. That doesn’t mean that people are moving there because they’re ruby red states, it’s just that the oil happens to be there. Some corporations are moving headquarters from cities like SF and NY. I think that has a lot more to do with the cost of real estate than about local politics. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1138 "2021-08-27T14:10:42Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Yes, Sam, that’s the Democratic Diaspora Texas conservatives are yelling about. It’s one of the reasons why Texas is turning blue. It’s slowly happening in ID as well, but will take quite a bit more time. Lots of wealthy Californians and Seattleites buying up land and houses here that seem very expensive to the locals. Sure, some of these folks are red, but a lot are not. I think a lot of them are also buying them as second/vacation homes that they Airbnb the majority of the year. I will die before ID becomes firmly purple, but it’s fun watching the right bitch and moan about all the gawdamned Californians. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1139 "2021-08-27T14:33:40Z")
Resistance is Futile. You WILL be assimilated. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1140 "2021-08-27T15:22:12Z")
What Sam also doesn’t get is that bringing Californians in to Texas means bringing people who: 1. Can easily overpay for homes, crowding out locals: For example, I get at least 3 calls a day from people wanting to buy my home. Cash, for about twice what I paid for it 11 years ago. I paid $128k for my home in 2011 and we just had the first $300k sale in our neighborhood… and I live in what was the ‘model’ home when this neighborhood went up forty years ago. In San Antonio, the poorest of Texas’s 4 major cities (but still #32 on the list, ahead of KC and Nashville), the average home price has jumped to over $345,000, from $171k in 2013. (Cites below) Believe it or not, Sam, people are not really happy about this. Those who want to upgrade cannot. People in apartments are finding it harder and harder to save the money (REMEMBER THE STAGNANT WAGES YOUR PREFERRED ECONOMIC THEORIES BROUGHT US, SAM! DON’T EVER FORGET ABOUT THE STAGNANT WAGES WHICH COULD PAY FOR THESE HOUSES, TYVM!\*) needed to purchase a house. Sellers are acting like jack-assess, trying to get people to break purchasing agreements so they can resell the house for 20% higher (as was happening to my ex-wife, until she finally closed two weeks ago, 11 months after the original close date). 1. Have an expectation for the ease a robust government can bring to their lives, an expectation which will be destroyed in Texas: Given that it is regulated at the _state_ level, Sam, their health insurance coverage is going to get a LOT shittier and a LOT more expensive, especially the lower you go on the org chart. Everyone is going to have to purchase automobiles and incur the costs of the auto lifestyle, including increased pollution, financing costs, commute times, stress, and more. The quality of schooling will be less, and will also incur expenses based upon your new automobile lifestyle you have to pay for because there is no BART in Texas. You have a governor actively working to kill you and your children. _Actively_, Sam. You have a lieutenant governor who thinks you should die for the economy, especially if retired. You have a Senator which despises your presence in his State. But wants your money, this hypocrisy you saw even while in California. The electrical system is completely fucked. We can’t keep power on during the snow, we can’t keep it on during the heat. (To be fair, Californians are probably used to this sort of thing.) Cites: > **[Here's how much Houston home prices have jumped in just 5 years](https://sanantonio.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/03-21-19-point2-san-antonio-home-price-increase-north-america-report/)** > > Real estate report (The preview says “Houston” but the article is “San Antonio”.) > **[Average home price in San Antonio is 19% higher than 2020, selling more...](https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/07/20/average-home-price-in-san-antonio-is-19-higher-than-2020-selling-more-than-2x-as-fast/)** > > The June report from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS showed that 4,024 homes sold in June, a 5% increase over last year, and they sold more than twice as fast as in 2020. - Sorry for shouting, but I do not think this point can be emphasized too much. Reaganomics and the financialization of America is preventing ordinary Texans from purchasing homes in Texas because the very same plutocrats who stole Texans income gains over the past 45 years are now moving to… Texas. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1141 "2021-08-27T16:00:37Z")
This is what I was talking about a couple posts up. Housing prices have skyrocketed in Kootenai County, ID and in particular, in Coeur d’Alene. It’s great if you want to sell and go somewhere less expensive, but the locals that don’t yet have houses are shit outta luck. The median listing price for a house in Coeur d’Alene was over $800K recently. In IDAHO! > **[Realtor.com ranks Coeur d’Alene, Spokane among nation’s 10 hottest housing...](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/mar/28/realtorcom-ranks-coeur-dalene-spokane-hot-housing-/)** > > The secret has been out for years now about the Spokane area’s quality of life and affordability compared with larger metro areas and proximity to outdoor activities. Now, Coeur d’Alene also is gaining national attention. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1142 "2021-08-27T16:15:09Z")
Sorry, did not mean to step on your toes, merely wanted to reinforce your argument. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633/1143 "2021-08-27T16:18:14Z")
Ha! No toe stepping! 🙂 You always provide a lot more detail then I tend to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633.md?page=56) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-stone-believes-trumps-tweets/922633.md?page=58)