Florida is going to Hell in a Handbasket.

[Fla Dem]

Link to tweet

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[Jilly_in_VA]

1. It's already there

Isn't it?

[hollygolively]

22. Yep, I was thinking "GOING???"

Too late. After Rick Scott, and now, DeSantis, I'm glad I moved.

[Traildogbob]

25. Correct

It IS Hell, and is breeding demonic politicians to unleash on America. Florida in down stairs Hell, Texas is the upstairs. Mexico, reclaim Texas after declaring it independent. Together with and including Jerry Jones and those choking Cowboys. Cuba we will saw off the penis of America and float it to you. Do with as you wish. Careful though, it is disease ridden.

[oldsoftie]

41. Every time a Cowboy fan cries an angel gets its wings

[Traildogbob]

51. I gave a few angels flight then.

Way beyond tears, now it’s just screaming and throwing shit. Does that grow wings? From the 60’s up until Jimmy Johnson’s magic faded after Jones thought he could coach, I had a great ride. Never been a “whoever is a Super Bowl Winner” is my team next year and run my mouth about MY team. Have kept loyalty through the last 20 years of Jerry, but getting close to just saying enough. I did have a ball with the two Buffalo ass kickings in Suoer Bowls, being I had 3 students that where Bill die hards with mouths like you would expect from Buffalo born fans. I got to gloat like Cowboy haters have done post Jerry. Waiting on the Stink of Cam to be long gone so I can hook up with my States team, Panthers. I’m hoping a group of very wealthy Black superstars buy Denver, get all the best black athletes and Black coaches and take over the league. Could be interesting. Enjoy your Cowboy hate, I’m afraid you have years of laughing ahead. Time to stop supporting anything in Texas.

[oldsoftie]

55. Jerry Jones did it for me. Backstabbing liar.

Read how he lied to Arthur Blank with the bobby Petrine fiasco. Arkansas got what they deserved there.

[Traildogbob]

65. Agree

Hosting trump up in the owners box says it all. He is a “successful” lying business person. A whole lot more pale. Let’s see his tax returns. Go Panthers! Go Cam……..anywhere else.

[oldsoftie]

78. And take those hideous suits with you!

[dchill]

27. Yeah, but wait until they unpack!

[TheBlackAdder]

34. Yeah, they've been on that monthly Handbasket Subscription Service for a few decades now.

[d_r]

2. I just want to take

my family somewhere that isn't run by evil people and idiots, they are destroying our social and our physical world.

[Celerity]

12. The very well run (politically) countries on the earth make up a very short list for me

Obviously ALL have large flaws, none are perfect, but all are vastly better run from top to bottom (and many are far more diverse than the average American thinks, especially Sweden) IMHO than the US

In order

New Zealand (Grey Lynn in Auckland is wonderful)

Switzerland (wide variety of choices, love Lausanne, love Zurich)

Norway Oslo is only city we would consider, as IF we wanted a smaller city, we would just stay in Sweden (in Sweden: Lund is great, Uppsala as well, superb small cities and both have ancient, world class unis)

Denmark (Copenhagen FTW, Aarhus is wonderful (smaller) too)

Sweden (would number 3 except for our somewhat disastrous refugee policy from 2003-2015, which has allowed the far right Sweden Democrats a foothold in the Riksdag, our parliament, albeit with no true power as of yet)

Finland (the only nation on the list we would never consider moving to, as all the other Nordics offer a higher quality of life for us)
Canada (only place there we would consider moving to is Vancouver)

The Netherlands (prefer Rotterdam to Amsterdam)

Austria (Vienna is the only place we would live in there, it offers an astounding level in terms of quality of life)

Belgium (would be higher except they have such large issues with political dichotomous tensions between the Walloons & the Flemish, we love Antwerp over Brussels)

Australia (too RW at times to rate higher, but we adore Melbourne (we almost moved to St Kilda), and Sydney is great too, Perth is too isolated)

[d_r]

15. I'm too old and too poor

to get out of these hills

[not fooled]

23. What about France?

Please provide your perspective on that country. It's not on your list but where would you rank it and why?

I'm planning to move there later this year, if I can get a long-stay visa.

Thanks

[Celerity]

36. It is far more complex (and obviously far larger). It depends what you are looking for and what is

Last edited Wed Feb 23, 2022, 01:21 PM - Edit history (1)

your budget. The most important thing is to learn French to a fairly solid level.

Outside of Paris (which can be insanely expensive for a great neighbourhood such as Le Marais (Right Bank, parts in both the 3rd and 4th arrondissements) I can recco Lyon (arguably the best food on the planet, but that is very subjective), Saint-Étienne (just south of Lyon, smaller city). Marseille (very unique, needs to be visited to see if that is your cuppa. amazing singular melding of cultures) and then smaller cities like Bordeaux, Strasbourg (Alsace–Lorraine), Montpellier (like Marseille, is on the Mediterranean, but west of the Côte d'Azur) and Nice (Côte d'Azur as well). Right above, inland. from Marseille, I love Aix-en-Provence.


Aix-en-Provence

[calimary]

40. Gorgeous!

Thanks for these, Celerity!

[calimary]

43. Your photos are a vacation for the eyes!

[Celerity]

47. storyboards in art/fashion school finally paid off, lolol

[calimary]

48. Art school! I did that, too.

Art school led me across the campus to the student radio station and that was that.

So I went from feeding the eyes to feeding the ears.

[not fooled]

50. Thank you for the informative reply

and gorgeous pictures.

[Pepsidog]

53. Most of those countries will not allow immigration from the USA unless you have a special or unique

skill.

[Celerity]

63. or family ties. The best way to proceed is to look at what occupations can get you in. Also, if

you earn a uni degree in the country, they often have programmes that allow you to stay and look for a job.

[Lonestarblue]

61. Great photos! I love France, especially western France and Bordeaux.

Have you been to Perpigan, near the Mediterranean and fairly close to the Spanish border? I’ve not been there, though it is of interest because of location. It’s a fairly small city—120,00-125,000– but it’s nearness to the sea and train service to Spain are appealing.

[Celerity]

64. Closest I have been to Perpignan is when we drove up from Barcelona to Andorra, 2nd closest

was when we were in Montpellier. We never made it to Toulouse or Narbonne either, nor Girona in Spain. Another trip those will be visited, hopefully.

[Lonestarblue]

66. More places to add to my list, already incredibly long!

[Celerity]

67. This summer is travel time for us, so sick not being able to grab a few bags and go go go.

[Lonestarblue]

68. Yes, the pandemic has kept me cooped up, but I have shots and my N95s and I'm ready!

I’m looking for somewhere to go in the early Fall, maybe Spain and Portugal. I’ve never been to Barcelona, and it’s been pretty high on my bucket list for awhile now. Happy traveling this summer!

[flying_wahini]

37. I would be interested too. France has its flaws but it is a beautiful country. I like the area

Around Tours. Weather is better, food is great and cost of living is reasonable.

[Celerity]

39. see post 36

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216385613#post36

[Celerity]

42. Tours and that Centre-Val de Loire area I am not well-versed in, sorry

[Disaffected]

33. "....(only place there we would consider moving to is Vancouver)"

That would be a wise decision - the rest of the country is a real hell-hole.

[Celerity]

44. Montreal was nice, but too cold in the winter (and yes, I am living in Sweden, lolol)

[RicROC]

59. Yes, Antwerp is a nice city and I would live there over Brussels.

and is very walkable. The train station itself is worthy of Kodak photography.

[Celerity]

79. PAKT 💙

[gratuitous]

3. The rest of the country has been watching with increasing alarm

The question is, do enough Floridians care about their state to stop these Republican maniacs?

[Fla Dem]

5. I don't know the answer to that, but in my county, I would have to say no.

[PortTack]

16. It doesn't seem so unfortunately. Desthsatan at this point holds a comfortable lead over his

Dem challengers

So so frustrating!!

[oldsoftie]

45. Need better challengers

His LAST one was a flop from the jump.

[CaptainTruth]

38. We're trying & we can use all the help we can get!

[oldsoftie]

46. At SOME point, it has to happen. A LOT of people use birth control!

[zipplewrath]

54. Imports

Our problem is that they keep moving here. They get raised in the northeast and midwest, then move here in retirement and don't want to pay for schools or other infrastructure.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. We have been asking for help for a long time.

[SoCalDavidS]

6. Democratic Party Would Be Wise To Spend Their $$$ Elsewhere

Stop thinking of states like FL & TX as ones that can be flipped, and focus on those that are close and can be.

[mopinko]

9. they should at least invest in the blue spots.

there's winning and there's growing the party.

[SoCalDavidS]

11. Sure, Invest In Winnable Districts

But FORGET about President, Governor, Senate, Lt Governor races. They're like throwing money down the drain.

I will get attacked for sounding defeatist, but people like DeSatan, Rubio, Abbott, Patrick, Cruz, are not going anywhere. It's nice to think that someone like Crist or O'Rourke have a chance, but they don't, and we should concentrate on states like GA, where Abrams has a legit shot.

[mopinko]

24. the answer is- work down ticket.

work the rungs of the ladder. down ticket races are where the party grows, a lesson they are much better at implementing than we are.

the '18 blue wave in illinois was powered by down ticket races. if doors win elections (they do) then a candidate at the door is a game changer. both sean casten and lauren underwood stood on the shoulders of county board and judicial races down the ticket.
and this time around those down ticket races are sooooo much more important. that is the battlefield they will fight on. we best be armed for it.

[CaptainTruth]

70. DeSantis won by just 0.4%

That seems close enough to be flippable to me.

Plus, DeSantis has portrayed himself as Trump 2.0 yet 1) Trump has thus far refused to endorse him, & 2) Trump's popularity has waned significantly.

[SoCalDavidS]

76. But He's More Powerful Now Than He Was Then

I'm telling ya, the people Love him there. Either that, or they just can't bring themselves to vote for a Democrat.

He's going to win, there's no way the repub party lets the Governorship go.

Not only that, but he's going to be one of the party's strongest contender for 2024.

I stand by my prediction, FL & TX are going to stay red, at the very least, for several years to come.

[mcar]

7. DeathSantis and his cronies are returning us to the 50s

Don't know if it's 1850s or 1950s but it's still horrible.

[DBoon]

57. I think it is the 1350s

[global1]

8. What Impact - If Any - Does This Crap Going On In FL - Have On Disney?.....

Disney is a big player in FL. Given all the crap going on in that State by DeSantis & the Repug legislature - I would think that at some point that the Disney people would be nervous as to the impact it may have at Disney World.

I keep hearing of people saying that they will not travel to FL and will stay away.

That's got to have some impact on the revenues at the Disney properties as well as all the other entertainment venues in the Orlando area and around the State.

Has Disney applied any of their pressure on this situation?

[SoCalDavidS]

13. PLENTY Of People Are Still Going To Disneyworld & Orlando

I imagine that Disney supports rather than opposes the currently elected officials. They were probably thrilled that DeSatan allowed them to fully open, with no Covid restrictions whatsoever if they so chose, rather than the big, bad, mean Governor in CA who kept them closed for over a year.

[d_r]

17. If Disney can keep raising the prices

and keep cramming them in then something on the news isn't going to stop enough people to matter. They make their bank on one time visitors.

[PortTack]

20. To didn't go to FL for Disney, but for now, am staying away!

[Fla Dem]

71. I live in an ocean front county. Every single hotel, motel is full.

Waits at all restaurants are 30-45 minutes. Bumper to bumper traffic on the main roads through the commercial part of the cites. Sitting in traffic the other day watching cars go by in the turn lane. On average 3 out of 5 cars were out of state.

Tourists don't care about politics. They are coming here as snowbirds and vacationers then going back home to their state after a week, month or 3 months stay.

[obamanut2012]

74. Are you kidding?

Record crowds and profit right now. It's so crowded every week you can't move. It's horrible. I've had an annual pass for years, and we aren't renewing in May.

Disney doesn't give a fuck.

[Irish_Dem]

10. This is the deal the GOP cut with its base.

The base gives the GOP total permanent power and access to all US assets, the wealthy pay no taxes.

The base gets white christian minority rule and control over women and minorities.

[Hortensis]

14. Good. I'm of the let-them-show-what-they-are-before-it's-too-late school.

Please!

Because if it becomes too late they're guaranteed do worse. For now, they're apparently counting on the SCOTUS extremists to approve MS's 15-week abortion ban to put their law immediately into force.

But 15 weeks is over 3 months' gestation, and many antiabortion extremists feel that would be 15 weeks of legal murder. And the same for incest and rape -- "execute the rapists, not the babies." (Don't see that happening, unless the woman is somehow the rapist, but anything's possible with extremists controlling dozens of state governments.) As for incestuous couples, marriage between first cousins was legal in 21 states last time I looked, and intercourse legal in more.

[cab67]

18. Time to hit Florida where it hurts most.

The tourism industry.

Florida is essentially a national hatchery for special interest groups. Name the special interest, and it's most likely there. There's a reason presidents haven't been willing to open relations with Cuba, for example - Cuban exile groups would cause any candidate who did that to lose Florida.

But one special interest carries far more weight than the others - tourism. As a friend of mine who's lived there says, when the Mouse says "jump," the Florida legislature doesn't ask how high - it just jumps.

Florida was the first state in the union to allow prosecutors to charge juveniles as adults. Know why? There was a series of high-profile violent crimes committed by teenagers against international tourists. Other countries began issuing advisories against travel to Florida. This started hurting the tourism industry, which demanded action. And Florida acted.

(This is also why I suspect Florida will be the first state to get rid of these stupid "stand your ground" laws. Some yahoo is going to shoot a tourist from overseas and walk by claiming he or she feared for his or her life. The victim's country will act to limit travel to Florida by its citizens, other countries will join them, and the laws will change.)

No one should visit Florida. No conventions should be held there. There are perfectly good beaches elsewhere in the country. There are awesome theme parks out there, too, even if they aren't infested with Disney princesses. The only bird endemic to Florida - the Florida scrub jay - isn't in immediate danger of extinction, and the other exotic birds in the state can mostly be found in the West Indies.

[MPiling]

69. Wouldn't have much of an effect...

Florida only gets about 11% of its sales tax from tourism. The rest is from business taxes, though some of that comes from tourism, but mostly from industry.

I live in Florida, and the number of people moving here have doubled and quadrupled in the past year. It's almost unlivable now. My drive to work used to be ~37 minutes a day, which was a lot. It now takes over an hour TO work, and an hour and 20 minutes back. I spend more than 2 hours a day driving back and forth to work, and my job is only 24 miles away.

Disney and Universal are so packed, at almost any time of day, that they started implementing a limit to how many people they allow into the park at any given day. Sigh...

[gopiscrap]

80. welcome to DU

[rso]

19. Florida

These GQP goons risk going too far and causing a backlash. While Florida has been trending red, it’s still a swing State and DeSantis won his race by only four tenths of one percent.

[PortTack]

21. Well that's good to know!

[Fla Dem]

28. From your lips.

I have a lot of hope Charlie Crist or Nikki Fried for Gov and Val Deming for senator are strong candidates that will get the voters out and have long coattails.

[SoCalDavidS]

32. Deep Down, They LOVE Him There

I bet this time he wins by at least 6%.

I'll say it again. The repubs are not going to lose the Governor's race in either FL or TX, and any money we spend on those races, could be better spent elsewhere.

[cinematicdiversions]

73. And he barely won against a dead on arrival loser canidate

Democrats could win the state. The only thing that seems to hold them back is the Florida Democratic party who seems hellbent on appealing exclusively to people who don't vote.

[IronLionZion]

26. When people are too bad for hell, Satan sends them to Florida

[gibraltar72]

29. Self inflicted wounds!!

[barbtries]

30. I'm in NC

right there with ya. racing MS to the bottom.

[Native]

31. It's been a very long walk off a short pier for all of us here.

[MOMFUDSKI]

49. When I moved to Florida in 1988

it was lovely BLUE state with a great guv. It is now a red shithole. I am in Pinellas County which still goes pretty much blue but most of the state now is filled with crazy people.

[Native]

56. I was born here but spent my young adulthood in the DC area.

Moved back in my early 30's. I'm near Tampa too, but living in a golf club community overrun with MAGATS. We were on the water here, and as much as I'd like to move back to that neighborhood, it's even more populated with trumpwits.

[obamanut2012]

75. In PBC

Same.

After my partner gets her Master's, we are moving to VT or RI. Going back to cold and snow will suck, but I want to live in a true blue state with many less crazy folks.

[Joinfortmill]

35. Phuck him. Better yet, don't phuck him.

[Pepsidog]

52. Want to look into the future if Rs keeping getting elected, watch Handmaid's Tale.

In the first season there was a scene where a wife had to get her husband’s signature (consent) to pick up her birth control. I showed my wife and 2 daughters who thought I was crazy as that could never happen. That was a coupe of years ago and look what’s happened since. The way in which our electoral system is so lopsided in favor of the minority rural population and small state voters causes makes me fear for the foture of my daughters.

[LymphocyteLover]

58. this is an old argument spread by rightwing cranks FWIW

A rightwing zombie lie, as they say

[milestogo]

60. Lots of crazies in FL and elsewhere.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

62. Rethugs made it clear how little they care about human life during COVID's peaks.

"Bring the entire family to Florida's beaches and catch the very best virus strains to carry back home". Cash and all credit cards accepted.

And that's exactly what hundreds of thousands of careless, stupid Americans did. They also brought back cool tee shirts to be buried in.

Florida, Texas and Mississippi have nice sandy beaches to make it easier to track the knuckle-draggers......


KY.........

[allegorical oracle]

77. Overreach can be a dangerous political strategy. Republican women use contraceptives and indeed

have abortions.

[RKP5637]

81. Florida is over. It's truly a fucked up evil place and almost impossible to fight because

of all the republicans have seized. It is also full of hate groups, just about every kind. Florida Is Home To Second-Most Hate Groups. In The U.S.
The Southern Poverty Law Center says there are 68 known hate groups active in Florida. That's only four less than California, which has twice the population. Of them, 47 are White supremacy groups, like those involved in the insurrection at the U.S Capitol in January. Extremism in Florida, however, isn't confined to one ideology. The center says 21 of the hate groups involve Black separatists.

Don't make the mistake I did moving to this absolute shit hole. And the governor DeSantis is a wacko, but apparently that's what people love. I am so disappointed in Florida. What a stupid mistake I made.