California vs. Texas

California vs. Texas

Regarding Jim Duncan’s Jan. 15 letter, are you kidding me?

As one who was born and raised in California, I have seen that state take a turn for the worse.

California used to have the best schools in the nation. It was one of the richest states in the country with about $3 billion in the state treasury. Now, it’s on the verge of bankruptcy.

Its gun laws like those of the East have made the population victims.

Does Duncan wish to pay an extra $1 a gallon for gas, and three times what he would for a house?

Does he not realize that the cost of living in California is far more than Texas, not to mention a state income tax?

Texas prosecutes far more criminals than California. In California they look for excuses for the perpetrator.

I’d go back to California because it is home and I like the climate, but like many there I cannot afford to move back while others cannot afford to leave.

— Richard B. Lilly, Haltom City

Newly elected Gov. Greg Abbott claims he doesn’t want to see Texas become like California.

Texas is a restrictive state in that it tells you what you can’t do; everything else goes. While California is a permissive state in that it tells what you can do and everything else is off limits.

Having lived in both states, I observed that California is about 20 years ahead of Texas in just about everything, with a few exceptions. These are: Texas is No. 1 in filing for gun permits, it ranks near the top in pollution, it leads the nation in teenage pregnancies per capita, it has more homeless, and Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured children.

So, if Texas becomes like California, it can’t be soon enough. As a native of Texas who was born right across the street from the Alamo, I tell it like it is.

— Edward Lindsay, Fort Worth

Jim Duncan seems to think that Texas would be better off to follow the political and legislative path of California, citing the current list of left-wing talking points as if nothing were being done in Texas.

I lived in Orange County in the ’80s and ’90s and, quite frankly, enjoyed the weather and my time there but would never go back.

Why not? Because here’s the truth about California: They have the highest state income tax rate in the country; the sales tax can be as high as 10 percent and averages right around 8.7 percent.

The gas tax is the highest in the country

The unemployment rate is about 50 percent higher than Texas.

Businesses continue to leave California at an astonishing rate

Because of overcrowding, the state decided to release a number of “non-violent” convicted criminals early, essentially commuting their sentences.

This is not the model I want in the state where I live.

— Robert Kai, Keller

This story was originally published January 21, 2015 at 6:06 PM with the headline "California vs. Texas."