I’ve been traveling back and forth between Maine and California for the past few years. I was trying to decide if I wanted to start another project before I headed back east again, or if I should wait for my return. There were so many things to get out of the way and arrange prior to the trip, I finally decided to hold off on new projects.
Our property is located on top of Tenney Hill Road, the highest point in Raymond, ME. The sky is mostly clear, the air is always clean and there is a nice view of a 2 mile long pond down below. The grade is pretty typical of the area topography, which probably contributes to increased winter privacy and lack of visitor traffic. Eventually, family low slung sport and passenger cars will give way to a decent 4X4 truck and perhaps an ATV; the current Chevy truck is suffocating under California smog equipment. It’s amazing how it is possible to get the feeling of living in the boonies, when reality is only 30 minutes away at an International airport, or the cities of Portland or Lewiston.
I like people in Maine. They seem to be a more honest lot than in many other places, but they are by no means perfect. I don’t expect a brass band or welcome wagon when I visit, nor I do I expect an Idyllic existence when I am living there on a full time basis. I do expect I will be able to find lots of places where there are flags flying, I know there are more children playing in friendly closed neighborhoods, and there generally seems to be a lot less confusion over basic values and freedoms. Of greatest importance, I don’t expect to have a bunch of people running at me every morning, trying to get me to discard everything I believe in to adopt their weird ass point of view and life style. Maine people tend to truly respect differences in others, and don’t insist upon everyone complying with the government’s view of the perfect State.
It is very nice to not care if Gray Davis, a man who is so pale he is transparent, or Bill Simon, a wealthy Republican pretending to be an average guy, are the only gubernatorial candidates. It is also very nice to not have to listen to state assembly that is broke, and trying to figure out how to get money out of it’s now 60% non-tax paying population, in the midst of an already dead economy. I will no longer have to listen to Queen Diane of the Senate tell her constituents she doesn’t really care what they think, or to that hyper lap dog of a woman, Barbara Boxer. I can leave behind the state motto, “You can take my guns, just leave my drugs and kiddie porn”
California has recently embarked on new government building construction and revitalization efforts, efforts that rival the Royal courts of many rulers of ancient empires. As I understand the State’s perspective, people need to know there is a greater power looking over the average person; I always thought that was God’s assignment, but that’s before the State ran the flag and God out of Sacramento and left us with Gray Davis. I finally came to the conclusion, that if I remained in California, I would be guilty of accepting and funded what is essentially the greatest anti-American presence in this country and I would be passively accepting actions that run counter to everything I believe in. The state of California does not run with democratic or constitutional authority. Half the measures passed by popular vote prior to Gray Davis were allowed to fail under feeble court challenge when Davis refused to fight for the rights and will of voters that didn’t support his ultra liberal agenda.
Do I feel badly about leaving the fight behind? Not really, the State of California is getting ready to implode under the weight of mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility. In California, if it moves it’s taxed. If the government can convince the public an inanimate object is evil, the object is taxed twice, or three times. First it was smoking, then it was guns, now it’s natural resource consumption and all cars, and finally – those evil fast food restaurants. After all, fast foods place a cost burden on health care facilities – apparently a different burden than the mass of druggies and voluntary homeless who flood the ER in the evening, or the unlicensed and uninsured illegals who run from the scene of hit and run accidents and shoot their mother-in-law in the midst of a domestic dispute..
As each shrine to state and local California government is completed, some obscure artist of liberal politics is selected to produce a fitting monument, at a cost that would launch any building project into budget oblivion. Sometimes the work looks like a plain old rock covered in Home Depot gold spray paint, or sometimes a giant piece of rusted steel labeled “Puka Shell is Repose”. In any case, they mostly underscore the originating artist’s lack of skill, and total inability to capture even a basic sense of reality. I will not be without art in Maine. The image above pretty much captures the essence California art and government, only without the cost and pretentious attitude. I’ll see you all in a few weeks, I believe with a project on modifications to aRuger No.1.
Thanks
Joe
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