Have any of these "liberal California sucks!" letter writers ever lived in a conservative state?

Go spend some time in Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri. Rampant poverty and violence. Rape is an epidemic, as are unwanted pregnancies, STDs, illiteracy.

Afraid of Big Government? The major employer in many of these areas are prisons. Their economies are powered by locking people up. The ultimate goal is to assign a cop to each citizen, one who follows you around all day writing tickets and kicking you in the ass periodically.

Taxes terrible here? Go drive on a no-shoulder highway in South Carolina, which is No. 1 for fatal auto accidents in the nation. Bounce along the washboard roads of Arkansas as your vehicle disintegrates around you. We have nice roads in California because we pay for them. How about assuming some of that personal responsibility you're always whining about?

You live in a liberal democracy. You should kiss the ground of your liberal democracy. God bless the USA! If you want to live in some conservative paradise, Afghanistan is wide open.

Want housing prices cheaper in California? Leave. You'll open up space for those of us who love it here. You can get a shack in Kentucky for next to nothing.

Sean R. Shealy

San Luis Obispo