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I'm very liberal but have had no problem living in Utah off and on for many years. I have all kinds of friends and won't exclude anybody based on what they believe. I would never let a particular predominate belief system keep me from living somewhere, that seems ridiculous to me. Must everybody hold the same beliefs that I do as a requirement for where I live? Please.
I have found that people who seek out "safe" places to reside are usually the cause of their own problems, not the other way around. While I opposed a good deal of the conservative ideology and what I believed was the in-your-face theocracy that was Utah, I never felt any of it infringed on my ability to be happy and enjoy my life. On top of that there are soooooo many more things we have in common than we do not. Must we have parallel political beliefs for our families to enjoy dinner, go skiing, watch a sporting event or go for a hike? Of course not.
Absolutely the best answer by far! I have been a yankee in NY, a minority in NW New Mexico and now I'm a redneck in Arkansas! I have loved everyplace I've lived! I am neither "crazy liberal" even though I love gardening and organic {oh yeah Whole Foods!}, or serious conservative even though I'm christian and I hate Bush and Obama equally! LOL! I'm an American...period. I will vote for whichever liar I like better and will live my life according to the freedoms given me by this country. I will live being me. Not who my neighbors would dictate I should be. Everybody has all kinds of crazy things to say about Arkansas and I find it to be the friendliest place I've ever lived. Life is what you make it. If you're happy in your heart you'll be happy where ever you live. If not...you won't find happiness where ever you go!
I went up to visit my aunt and uncle earlier this year. My wife and I stayed in CDA. It is absolutely gorgeous! Just about everyone we ran into was very friendly, polite and respectful. Pretty much the opposite of any major city on the left coast. Out of all the locals we met I would say the average person there is definitely "not" redneck or judgmental. Even at night we felt safe walking around. We would never do that downtown where we live. We were watching the news of the local school board elections. Their arguments against each other was who is the most conservative. If your a Christian, conservative and/or Constitutional minded person, hunter, fisherman, hiker or a firearm enthusiast then this is the place for you. If you consider that redneck then you should probably look elsewhere. I can't wait to retire in a few years and leave the people's rebulik of kalifornia and move up there.
ElCamino,
Thanks for the response. I am originally from Nebraska, so how would the Idaho winters compare with that? How are you liking the people? I am conservative, but am probably more on the moderate conservative end. I am against abortion (conservative) but don't like hunting and killing animals. I am a tree hugger conservative. lol ..Will that fly in CDA or should I look elsewhere, like maybe Washington or Oregon?
What is the Mormon % in CDA? In AZ there are a lot of Mormons and I have many Mormon friends, but I am aware of what it is to live in a predominantly Mormon community when one is not Mormon. Is that what CDA is like?
I tell people that when I moved from AZ to CA, I went from being a "sinner" to a "saint." I drink coffee and used to smoke. The Mormons frown on that and in CA, that was the least of their problems. lol
Not so sure a "tree hugger, anti hunting conservative ?" would work out too well up here. just sayin'
I agree with you on several points in your post, MysticalDream; however what you have defined as a hostile, fascist mentality of "conservative" Idahoans only really occurs east of, and including much of, Boise. Take a look at the Idaho Freedom Index at: http://accountableidaho.com/index.ph...d_file/920/510
and scroll down to the state map.
See all that red? That's not true conservatism you're seeing. That's statist fascism and it gets worse the further south-east you go, for some reason. Also, the source site where I found this illuminating document is at: AccountableIdaho.com :: Home, and another important site is at The Idaho Freedom Foundation: Idaho Freedom Foundation | Restoring Liberty Improving Lives.
Based on the content in both of those sites, you can see that we Idahoans have a huge stake in the freedoms and the future of our state. There is a large anti-fascist sentiment in Idaho, and we take the Founding Father's Constitution very seriously, for the most part. There will be some folks who like to think that they should be the only ones afforded the freedom offered by natural law and God or whatever you would like to call the Higher Power outside of our mundane reality, but if they stopped and listened to themselves, they would realize that they are just as bad as the kooks on the ultra-left who want to popularize a political system, Marxism/Communism, which has destroyed millions of lives, and have even erected a statue of Lenin in their city (Seattle, for instance, falls squarely into this definition).
The only difference between the statist fascism-leaning Idahoans that come up in large numbers in Eastern Idaho and the aforementioned ultra-lefties is the political spectrum. One's on the right, and the other's on the left. Absolutism applied to anything involving human society is a recipe for failure, disaster, and abject tyranny. Individual values, ideals, creativity, honesty, virtue and respect for others and one's self is paramount over anything else. Respect others and showing yourself friendly should be the fundamental driving force in our communication with others. Our flag is Red, White, and Blue, so it stands to reason that our states should be the same way.
Personally, I vote on principle, and 9 times out of 10 in Idaho, Republicans fit in with the principles I support and live by. Sometimes they don't and I don't vote for them. If I encountered a Democratic candidate on a ballot who upheld the same principles I do and his/her voting record reflected that, I would vote for them if the Republican candidate didn't. All I care about is whether or not our state's public policy and laws are firmly cemented and anchored in the U.S. Constitution as it stands now. Idaho is a sovereign state, like every state in the Union is, and that fact should be supported by any legislation or political figures here.
On the other points you made, I agree with you completely! I'm originally from Oregon, but I've always considered myself a strong conservative with a libertarian (I'll mind my own business, and you mind yours) mentality, and when my hometown started moving too far towards the statist end of the political spectrum, I moved east to go to college in a small town in Eastern Oregon. I met my wife there and we took a visit to her home state of Idaho, where I met her family and fell in love with Idaho at the same time Being raised in a hunting/fishing/outdoors family culture that respected nature and always strove to maintain a healthy balance between nature and mankind, the beautiful scenic country in Idaho, along with its "Live Free or Die" mentality (well at least in the western half of the state), I vowed that Idaho would be my home for good.
Right-Left politics are one-dimensional. Everyone needs to at least consider that there just might be other options to ponder when thinking about political alignment.
Thank you for your thought-provoking post, and I hope I did not drag out the point too far!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticalDream
Kimmradd.. This has less to do with liberalism and more to do with the culture of the people.. I agree that liberalism has its downfalls.. There is plenty of conservative states that have bad crime. Look at Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama. Despite being red states, the cities in those states are very crime-ridden, worse than California, even! Liberalism might dump salt on the wounds, like I think it is in California, sadly.
I prefer the conservatism in western Oregon/Washington to the hostile, almost-fascist like, do what we do or else mentality of Idaho. I don't know, but I hate being confined to a certain group of thoughts just as geos said. I really believe in the First Amendment, unlike many so-called conservative Idaho people do. Basically, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and free-thinking is absolutely not accepted here.
I, myself do not promote liberal ideas.. Let's just say I sounded exactly like you before I moved here.. I think anytime you have one group of people running the show, they tend to overstep their boundaries and start to enforce their ideologies on everyone else.
I am starting to learn the benefits of BALANCE.. Idaho is just too damning. There are plenty of conservative states where people are freedom loving and more accepting than Idaho. What can I say. I never felt the ultra-hostile mentality in Montana that I feel in Idaho. Montana seemed more accepting for some reason. Sadly, there is an element of fascism that is trying to colonize Kalispell area. Read about the PLE. I sure hope the dignified people of Montana can run out this element.
I do get very sick of political correctness and stupidity that happens in Oregon and there is no way I'd ever live in Southern California. Sadly, the hostility in Idaho, is BE REDNECK OR GET OUT.. Its like in Idaho we have "Unpolitical Correctness". If I can use that term. It's like if you say anything that sounds progressive, like talk about recycling, criticize GMO foods or fast food, people will hate you. It is the same, but even worse mentality I would face in Oregon for talking to liberals about illegal immigration.
ON another note, kimmradd, if you are conservative Christian I think you may find Idaho a good fit. Being Jewish, I am not welcomed here, however, despite me being more conservative on paper, than many Idahoans, actually.
You should have seen the reaction people made on the Boise thread, when I said the girls downtown were dressed provocatively. Yeah, I am definitely old-fashioned and religious. However, I wasn't allowed to comment on how Idaho women dress. That is bad, bad, bad.. I was gravely insulted. If I said the same thing in "LIBERAL" Portland, it would have just been laughed off mostly. Maybe, I would have been given at worst, the anal-Portland cold-shoulder.
I wish I could write more and express myself better, but I know there is more types of conservatism out there, then plain "ultra-redneck conservatism".
Last edited by MountainManYYZ; 01-26-2014 at 12:13 PM..
Reason: Clearing up some link text - HTML code is turned off
I haven't had a chance to read through this epic thread but I wanted to offer my observations being new here and coming from Kaleefornia
I'm in Post Falls and judging by the bumper stickers here most people are conservative Christians. Everyone seems to be in to hunting. The busiest store here is Cabelas.
I found it refreshing that just about everyone here is into firearms in some way. It's part of the way of life up here. For instance i went to the Forest Service office to get some maps and I asked about bears and whatnot. The guy helping me simply said "just bring a gun with you and you'll be alright". That would have never been said on the left or east coast... never. Especially by a gov employee.
I was surprised though to see that a bunch of people in my neighborhood are liberal. Even though they are liberal they are still into hunting and whatnot. They are all very nice people.
Just some observations after being here for two months
Hello everyone. This has to be one of the better threads I have read on Northern Idaho. There were a lot of encouraging posts. I started out in Texas and lived in the Bay area for 25 years before moving to the northeast part of the state 25 years ago. It truly is a beautiful place to live except for the fact that we are ruled by the voters in the rest of the state. For example we have a coyote hunt to help out the ranchers and someone 600 miles away files a lawsuit to stop it. Or we have to pay taxes for a bullet train that we don't want and only comes within 300 miles from where we live. You have to be diligent and not let that happen in Idaho. I currently am looking for a place out of town in the Bonner's Ferry area. My Chiropractor moved there 20 years ago and just loves it. I am looking forward to becoming part of the community although I must admit I am a bit of a tree hugger. That is the only way I can get into my tree stand!
I have lived in north Idaho (Cd'A area) for 7+ years & find many of her comments to be the same up here in north Idaho. I have lived in 5 US states (including Portland for 5 years) and visited Europe a few times. I am NOT a liberal person nor do I impose my thoughts on others. I leave people alone & do NOT get into peoples faces. I love organic food, compost veggies (have 3 compost bins, 2 outside & a worm bin indoors). The behaviors of people here make me shake my head in disgust. A former neighbor, a police officer thought it was OK a couple of times to ride his ATV across my yard (15+ feet or more! a blooming POLICE OFFICER????) plus he & his brother (I presume) likes to listen to super loud music my bedroom windows vibrated being next door!! A woman who is 55 years old (I think about that age) walks into peoples yards in my neighborhood & lets her dog do its business (I am talking about walking 10-20 feet onto peoples yards)....I could describe so much more about peoples behaviors here. The bottom line is I did NOT come here to change anything, it is beautiful here, I love the snow, hiking and while I do not hunt, I am fine with people who do. I have made a few friends here & for the most part people are nice here. I am an adventurous person per se so I tend to be tolerant of others. There are some nasty, terrible neighbors in this neighborhood I live in. Before buying our current house, we were looking in another area here in north Idaho & an older man started jumping up and down & acting crazy because we were parked across the street (we were in no ones way - there was plenty of room - we were not breaking any laws) so we could look at this property. He literally was cussing & jumping up & down!! I find people here do NOT understand boundaries & I find that people here in north Idaho do attack you if you are even a tiny bit different than everyone else here. I think the bottom line is I do NOT fit here. I am NOT a drama queen. I have always had a volunteer spirit. I house sit for a retired police officer in another state (10+ years now), etc. I am hoping to leave north Idaho this year. I wish everyone success in finding their home, even if it is here in north Idaho.
Interesting thread. My wife and I are definitely Seattle liberals and not looking to relocate to Idaho. However thinking of going to CDL for a little getaway. The lake seems really nice, the area looks beautiful, and there is a casino in the area too.
After the 2012 election I was pretty adamant about not supporting any red states economically, but that's starting to subside a little bit.
Part of the reason, my wife is from a supposedly conservative state. However when we visited it was mostly the older whites who were conservative. The younger generation was much more tolerant of gays, did not attend church, and were in inter-racial relationships and marriages. It sounds like a lot of retirees move to Northern Idaho to live out their days but over time should become less conservative. Am I correct?
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I have been a yankee in NY, a minority in NW New Mexico and now I'm a redneck in Arkansas! I have loved everyplace I've lived! I am neither "crazy liberal" even though I love gardening and organic {oh yeah Whole Foods!}, or serious conservative even though I'm christian and I hate Bush and Obama equally! LOL! I'm an American...period. I will vote for whichever liar I like better and will live my life according to the freedoms given me by this country. I will live being me. Not who my neighbors would dictate I should be. Everybody has all kinds of crazy things to say about Arkansas and I find it to be the friendliest place I've ever lived. Life is what you make it. If you're happy in your heart you'll be happy where ever you live. If not...you won't find happiness where ever you go!
CDA is a Very Nice Place!
Out of all the locals we met I would say the average person there is definitely "not" redneck or judgmental. Even at night we felt safe walking around. We would never do that downtown where we live. We were watching the news of the local school board elections. Their arguments against each other was who is the most conservative. 
If your a Christian, conservative and/or Constitutional minded person, hunter, fisherman, hiker or a firearm enthusiast then this is the place for you. If you consider that redneck then you should probably look elsewhere. I can't wait to retire in a few years and leave the people's rebulik of kalifornia and move up there. 
Response to MysticalDream's post
