Arizona Legislators Want High Schoolers to Recite a Loyalty Oath Before Graduating

[Mickey Blue]

Question.. When poly-theists do their thing do they still say "God" or "Gods"? I mean I've heard in movies people say "Thank the Gods" but I more mean in a formal 'prayer/oath' sense. I don't really have much experience with eastern polytheistic religions and the old Greek/Roman ones seemed to have patron Gods that they'd pray to (even if they recognized them all).

[Lainie]

Depends on the polytheist, I suppose. They might thank a specific God depending on their beliefs or what they're being thankful for.

ETA: Duh, never mind, reading comprehension fail.

[smallpotatoes]

Originally Posted by Sue

I wonder if all the loony news coming out of Arizona is affecting the flight of the snowbirds to that State. Over the last few years in particular there has been a real push to attract older Canadians to retire, or at least spend a lot of their retirement time, down in Arizona. If this was something I could foresee doing in my "golden" years I know I'd be thinking twice about Arizona!

Of course, the other 2 big snowbird states are Florida & Texas. You're screwed no matter which one you pick!

Jaci

[Ryda Wong, EBfCo.]

Originally Posted by TurquoiseGirl

Yay! Does this mean you will be visiting?

Probably not, as I'm not that high up and my job sort of requires me to be in the office most of the time. But who knows!

[NorthernLite]

Originally Posted by Sue

I wonder if all the loony news coming out of Arizona is affecting the flight of the snowbirds to that State. Over the last few years in particular there has been a real push to attract older Canadians to retire, or at least spend a lot of their retirement time, down in Arizona. If this was something I could foresee doing in my "golden" years I know I'd be thinking twice about Arizona!

I know several Canadians who have winter homes in Arizona. At least half of them would go along with the lunacy to judge by the emails I get. All that crap about god and the good ol' days and immigration and what a true 'merican should do about it? They just file off the serial numbers, slap a Canadian reference on it and email it out to me.

[Hero_Mike]

Originally Posted by Sue

I wonder if all the loony news coming out of Arizona is affecting the flight of the snowbirds to that State. Over the last few years in particular there has been a real push to attract older Canadians to retire, or at least spend a lot of their retirement time, down in Arizona. If this was something I could foresee doing in my "golden" years I know I'd be thinking twice about Arizona!

There's no "push". There's no explicit "pull" either. It isn't about attracting "like-minded" Canadians to the "conservative frontier" of Arizona. It's all about their money.

The truth is threefold - property value are down in the US, property values are *not* down in Canada, and the Canadian dollar is very near par for the US dollar. What does that mean? Well, it means that you get way more for a vacation or investment property down here in the US, compare to investing it in a house in Canada.

The real-estate agents do not, and have not been marketing specifically towards Canadians, because they don't really care where they get the money for these bank-owned, foreclosed, short-sale, and vacant properties. Some banks may become more well-versed in the process for Canadians, but in general there's no preference. No "push". No "pull".

Believe me - I live here. I have snowbirds living across the street from me. The fact that they pack up and leave for six months of the year with nary a care is very interesting. It'd be near impossible to shut off the power and water to your house in Canada without some risk of pipes freezing in the winter. But that's what they do here. And when you suspend your electricity use, or turn off your incoming water, there's no minimum charge. In fact, the only things people keep paying for while they are gone, is property tax and HOA fees.

That is the appeal of Arizona for "seasonal" residency - you can leave your house here and be very confident that it is still standing, much the way you left it, when you come back. No rain or snow - no severe weather (like tornadoes or hurricanes) - and for the most part, no flooding. Have the place sprayed for bugs and there are no creepy surprises. (Termites being the one that puts the structure at risk.) With the proper type of exterior landscaping, a house here can be maintenance free for months. Property taxes too are low, and in some places, non-existent. You can't find that in an investment or vacation property anywhere in Canada.

[Mickey Blue]

Yea we have lots of snow-birds head Arizona way from Oregon much for the same reasons I suspect. You can escape the cold and the rain during the winter, and enjoy our awesome summers (and escape, I guess, the overly warm Arizona weather in the summer).

[Hero_Mike]

Originally Posted by Mickey Blue

Yea we have lots of snow-birds head Arizona way from Oregon much for the same reasons I suspect. You can escape the cold and the rain during the winter, and enjoy our awesome summers (and escape, I guess, the overly warm Arizona weather in the summer).

My one snowbird neighbor across the street is from Oregon. Next door to him are the people from Manitoba.

All my life, Arizona was about the only place in the US that I had wanted to move to. Everywhere in the north - with similar weather to what I experienced in Canada - wasn't different enough. The south Atlantic coast, Florida, and the gulf states all had a risk of hurricanes. The mid-west had tornadoes and flooding. California had earthquakes, wildfires, and flooding. Arizona was hot, dry, and rated low on the scale of "weather disaster". People - meh - there are crazy people *everywhere*...

[TurquoiseGirl]

Originally Posted by Mickey Blue

Question.. When poly-theists do their thing do they still say "God" or "Gods"? I mean I've heard in movies people say "Thank the Gods" but I more mean in a formal 'prayer/oath' sense. I don't really have much experience with eastern polytheistic religions and the old Greek/Roman ones seemed to have patron Gods that they'd pray to (even if they recognized them all).

I pray to which ever one whose aspect is most likely to resonate with my will.

Originally Posted by Hero_Mike

That is the appeal of Arizona for "seasonal" residency - you can leave your house here and be very confident that it is still standing, much the way you left it, when you come back. No rain or snow - no severe weather (like tornadoes or hurricanes) - and for the most part, no flooding. Have the place sprayed for bugs and there are no creepy surprises. (Termites being the one that puts the structure at risk.) With the proper type of exterior landscaping, a house here can be maintenance free for months. Property taxes too are low, and in some places, non-existent. You can't find that in an investment or vacation property anywhere in Canada.

Apart from that bit about wildfires, of course.

[GenYus234]

Snowbirds generally don't move to the places that are most commonly hit by wildfires as those are usually in the mountains where the winters are colder.