[Mldxcc] was; Calif Hands-Free Regulation AB-1785

[Rick WA6NHC]

Growth rate is one of the factors I've been monitoring.  Most urban 
areas have a 6%+ growth rate, CA is higher.  The area(s) I'm hoping to 
buy are closer to 2%, slow is my choice on purpose, buying acreage also 
keeps some of that at bay by sheer space.  I got stung by a road  
'enhancement' behind me (allowing more new construction) so now there is 
24/7 traffic noise; which clued me into looking at the growth rates.  
Water use and replenishment is another concern (MANY areas); I've tried 
to look at all aspects of the move (including that I'll have much worse 
propagation but that trade off is moose, wolves, deer, elk in the yard 
and aurora borealis on occasion for scatter play).  I hate moving; it's 
too draining; so this will be my last and I'm spending a lot of time to 
make the best choices with as much input as I can muster.

I've been in most of the other states (including HI, AK and much of 
Canada); no where is perfect.  But for a state that requires decent 
roads for ANY aspect of life (as one example) CA has the worst, period.  
The extreme level of immigration (legal or not, including NAFTA drivers) 
make CA a deadly place to drive; intoxicants are common and common sense 
is rare.  I get that many can't multitask well but adjusting to the 
lowest common denominator (as opposed to filtering or punishing) doesn't 
make sense (make it harder to get a license, not making a vending 
machine mentality; punish the offenders with a reality dose, not a hand 
slap).

A study of rats was done many years ago, which proved that crowding and 
congestion caused irritability, duh (the rats eventually became 
cannibals).  CA has passed that tipping point in most areas (except 
north state on the coast or NE corner).  I'll do my part, by leaving.  
CA and I will both win; one less occupant for CA and I get less crowding 
(no, I prefer eating wildlife, you're safe).

Once you get out of state, drivers are actually tending towards the 
polite (moving to the right so you can pass), traffic (while bad to 
their standards) is easier and life is... simpler.I too don't miss the 
bay area and have my kid visit me here instead of me going there.  City 
driving is universally bad, I avoid it as much as I can (my San Diego 
trips to visit my other kid skirt the LA basin, I don't go through 
there).  City is a four letter word, there's nothing good about them; 
just shop for supplies then leave; ASAP.

There are some states that presume personal responsibility rather than 
attempting to legislate it; a couple of them exceed my tolerance for 
cold (-50F?  I'd use plumber language!); others have high humidity, 
frequent high winds (comes from being in a FLAT state, no mountains or 
view), dust or other environmental issues. No place is perfect (and I'll 
miss fresh exotic produce all year long once I leave).  The places I'm 
looking also have a rare quality known as silence (even to my fading 
ears)... it's unusual but I sure sleep better having it around.  No 
traffic, no humanity noise, just wind, wildlife and rain or snowfall 
sounds; with an astounding sense (it's not real, but I'll accept it) of 
solitude.

I never get tired of seeing trees and mountains, that's one of the 
reasons I moved here.  While I like the Sonoran desert (in winter), I 
spent a lifetime in rural hills and communities; the mountains call to 
me.  That limits my choices once the other environs are considered.  If 
winters get too harsh, I can still take the RV to visit Arizona.  ;-)

Rick


On 2/4/2017 11:07 AM, Alan Maenchen wrote:
> Interesting discussion. Hate to see you go Rick but I doubt you can 
> escape the nanny state unless you move to the back side of the moon. 
> Population in the US is now three times what it was when I started ham 
> radio but the infrastructure hasn't kept pace. Highways are jammed 
> like never before and tempers are short. CA has grown even faster than 
> that. It was a lot easier 50 years ago to drive around while handling 
> a PTT mic. Yes, you can still do that with reasonable safety in some 
> places, but where most people live and drive, that isn't the case any 
> more. I've also been trained for certain multi-task operations, but I 
> still screwed up and nearly crashed because I momentarily concentrated 
> on the mic and the conversation. Ham radio does not teach those 
> skills. After a while of trial and error, you do learn but the error 
> rate has become a problem simply because it's harder now than it ever 
> used to be. It's called growth.
>
> That said, my blood pressure has dropped and my attitude has 
> significantly relaxed since moving from the bay area a couple of years 
> ago. CU in the pileups!
>
> Aloha,  Alan  AD6E / KH6TU