See? I'm not the only one that hates living here!

I did a Google search for Mass sucks, just out of curiosity ...... & this here was #1 : http://anabolicminds.com/forum/general-chat/92386-massachusetts-sucks-hard.html

The comments are pretty funny & I agree with most!

Some more: http://www.rateitall.com/i-8443-massachusetts.aspx

Even the cops hate it here! http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26237

You want to talk about rough roads rude people and bad drivers? Try driving in to NYC Long Island and New Jersey every day.

Taxes ?
Massachusetts' State/Local Tax Burden Slightly Below Average
Estimated at 9.5% of income, Massachusetts' state/local tax burden percentage ranks 23rd nationally, just below the national average of 9.7%. Massachusetts taxpayers pay $5,377 per capita in state and local taxes. Massachusetts has dropped 17 places in the rankings since 1977 by imposing a property tax limitation and keeping a lid on its personal income tax rate, living down its "Taxachusetts" nickname

[quote="efo141"]You want to talk about rough roads rude people and bad drivers? Try driving in to NYC Long Island and New Jersey every day.

I do, they are all bad drivers.

I don't know what part of MA you live in efo, but my property taxes have been rising steadily every single year since I bought my first home. Our sales tax has risen 25%, automotive titles are now $75 up from $50, trailer reg is now $60 from $40 (2990 GVWR) .... & you don't even want to know how much it costs for commercial reg ..... and license renewal ........ let alone GETTING the license. And to top it all off, they will take my hard earned tax returns because I don't have health insurance. Then when it comes time for me to try & forget about all this financial bullshit, I take off on my ATV only to be hassled by the police because ... it's ILLEGAL to ride where I live. No problem, take off on the bike ................ then you have places like Sterling that pull over motorcycles for no good reason & EXTORT EVEN MORE money from me! Everywhere I go & everything I do, this state is up my ass.

We have what could quite possibly be the most corrupt state gov't. in the union. They try to make up for their shortfalls by financially raping the middle class. MA is only a 2-class state: SUPER RICH or DIRT POOR -- if your anywhere in between, they put the screws to ya.

Now that the ringleader is 6 feet under, maybe now there will be some changes ..... but I'm not holding my breath.

I agree with you on rising taxes,fees but i believe this is happening in almost every state. MA opens some of there state parks to ATV and bikes, not to many other states do that, as far as i know. I am in the Berkshires and it's legal to ride as long as you have permission from the land owner. The only place i was allowed to ride(ATV) on the road was WV (Hatfield Mccoy trail system) It's hard to find a cheap place to live, and if you find it there is probably no jobs or low pay. I am not sure if i agree with MA forced health insurance, but if your a home owner i would be worried with out it. I just think you are going to find most of these same problems in any state.

SMITTY wrote:I did a Google search for Mass sucks, just out of curiosity ...... & this here was #1 : http://anabolicminds.com/forum/general-chat/92386-massachusetts-sucks-hard.html

The comments are pretty funny & I agree with most!

Some more: http://www.rateitall.com/i-8443-massachusetts.aspx

Even the cops hate it here! http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26237

Sounds like you have other frustrations beside our state government, though it seems to be a consistent outlet
for your anger. If you dislike our state so much, MOVE. Do not give me" I can not afford it" crap. You wanna go bad enough, you could grow a set,
pack it up and screw. Based on your consistently derogatory posts concerning the Commonwealth of MASS,you are(or should be) out of here. Heads up on health Ins, here they will fix you even if you are a dead beat and do not pay in. In many other states, they let you die. Be forewarned that stuff costs $$$ in ANY state.
Bon Voy'age !

Listen Paulie I have dreams of moving the *censored* out of this *censored* & I have a set big enough to take care of any problem that comes my way. Believe me - If I could I would have stayed out west!! But unfortunately I was born & raised here. My family is here. My close & lifelong friends are here. I happen to care about them enough to stick around. I also have a wife that has no desire to leave.

I'm such a rotten prick that I give up my sanity & happiness to keep her happy.

If your happy living in a communist state, so be it. I, for one, can handle myself without the gov't telling me what to do. If you enjoy that, have at it! I couldn't live where you live If they GAVE me a house -- I'd kill everyone!!!

efo141 wrote:MA opens some of there state parks to ATV and bikes,........

Not one in central MA. A bit inconvenient for those that live here. Hikers & bicyclists get paved roads beside a river -- what to we get??? I thought EVERYONE was equal in the liberal eyes of MA state gov't??? Typical liberalism: everyone's equal as long as it fits your ideals.

California, the hotbed of liberalism, has parks that charge a small fee to enter (under $5 last time I was there) with hundreds of acres of land to ride on. In the parking lot you'll find NOT ONLY restrooms, but a building containing a bike shop, mechanic, & fast food -- they even give you picnic tables to sit on! The only thing that sucks out there is the red sticker/ green sticker bullshit -- 2-strokes get red, 4-strokes get green -- and your only allowed to ride either at designated times of the year ...... which isn't surprising for a communist state, but at least they give you a place!

I spent 2 years in AZ & a few months in CA. In AZ, the plates for the vehicle stay with the vehicle for life -- putting a car on the road is as simple as a phone call to your insurance co. Why can't MA do this? We have the most congested & narrow roads in the entire nation, & they FORCE you out into that hell ..... and top it off with an hour standing ... because there's no place to sit at the registry. A title in AZ was $4 in 2000 - $4 THAT'S IT!! There was no yearly excise tax, but your registration was based on the vehicles value.

When they committed to a large construction project, it got done AHEAD of schedule, & UNDER BUDGET. While I was there, they paved 40 miles of 3 lanes plus diamond lane of Hwy 17, AND completely tore down and built from scratch EVERY SINGLE BRIDGE that crossed the road in those 40 miles. All this was done with FLAGMEN (not taxpayer funded police at $80/hr.), and was done at NIGHT -- when most people aren't trying to get anywhere important all at once.

At the time I couldn't care less about politics, so I have no idea how AZ gov't is set up. But it's WORKING. Can't this state make ONE thing easier on us?

At least Smitty is still bitchin' about MA. NJ has me beat down into a neurotic shell of a man.

If you live in the Northeast, you are going to pay 50 percent
of your wages in taxes. Don't care what state.
Federal / State / local income
Local school / property taxes
Sales Taxes
Fuel Taxes
Should I go on ?
Burning coal save money, but compared to taxes, it's insignificant.
Tom

.....but it's still not a bad place to live. There are whack=jobs everywhere you go, and it costs plenty to live, however, it sure beats the 'H' out of living in Iraq!!!!!!

Dann757 wrote:At least Smitty is still bitchin' about MA. NJ has me beat down into a neurotic shell of a man.

Just checked the rankings of several states in the State/Local tax burden. The highest state is now NJ followed closely by NY. I suggest we all move to Florida!

Funny you mention Florida....Stroker Stoker is still down there testing the A-dust steam fired air boat. Wonder if he can swindle the locals to get a stoker for the corner church?

Here's my take on living here. I like the seasons and the history of this state and so on. The farther away from Boston the better I like it. I too was born here and have family here as well as my wife. Our business is pretty well established now. However, I can't stand wasteful spending, bleeding heart liberals and gay marriage (civil unions no problem). The govs progressively been getting more and more liberal and controlling in the last 20 yrs or so. I distincly remember voting out the seatbelt law and the state said, "I dont think so". What's the point of voting??? If it weren't for my roots being so deep in this state I would look elsewhere. My only choice is too fight to change state government. And hopfully I won't end up a shell of a broken man.

whistlenut wrote:Funny you mention Florida....Stroker Stoker is still down there testing the A-dust steam fired air boat. Wonder if he can swindle the locals to get a stoker for the corner church?

I was just down there. Even in Orlando with all of the tourist traps and so on the cost of living is much less than here in upstate NY. There is also no state income tax. Weather was a nice 68-83 highs every day and even the locals were very pleasant and friendly (the people at Disney are the epitome of politeness). It was quite a shock to return to the northeast with the usual surliness of some of the airline people (bagagge handlers). One wouldn't even tell us what she did with our bags until I got in her face about it.

My in laws moved down to Florida 10 years ago. They and many around them are selling stuff at a loss to come home. And
this is VERO BEACH, a fairly nice area. So go figure.
Mass has its bumps, but the bonuses way out shine the negatives. Services are tremendous. And I am not talking free bee
crap. Education, health, any commercial service or product. Geographically, we have it all, so what ever you prefer, there is
a spot for you. Historically,.....are you kidding? We are Americas home town, showed the rest of the Colonies that you could
stand up to the Red Coats! ( Smitty, THAT would be the "set" that many native Yankees are endowed with.) Culture, we have
more than pretty much the rest of the country. Not that even a small % take advantage of it, a place with out it feels "different" and not in a good way.
Problems? Plenty, but no deal killers that I see. The general down turn is actually good to trim the budget of our SUPER
liberal gov. Can not spend what you do not have! The judiciary screwed us on GAY unions, mainly not because they were
not "technically" correct, but because the will of the people was ignored. Why? Because they can, judges are appointed,
not elected. That should be fixed. We need more political diversity. All democrat is bad. Just as all Republican is bad.
Smitty, living in a urban area is WAY different than the sticks. People and traffic every where. You can not kill them all
in a rage, there are so many, you would only get a couple before someone took you out , watch the news. Every once in
a while some one tries it, and gets whacked for the effort. You think there are guns in the rural areas? Metro Boston
is armed to the teeth.
As far as the state park thing.....motor sports have been snubbed, no doubt. Having grown up using those parks
I can say the motor sport-4wheel community screwed themselves on this. The die was cast long before "Tread Lightly"
campaign was started.....too late. Not that it could not be turned around and access gained. Just as the the envio-wheenies
worked to get motor sports excluded, motor sports could work and gain access. Comes back to having a set and the
brains to use them. Smitty, THAT could be your political mission.....you up for it? You do realize that there is a better
than even chance that our next GOV is going to be a republican? Who will need help for his effort, and when successful
will lend his ear to those that helped?
So not perfect, but I would not live anywhere else. There is no place like home!