Arizona Sucks

In case you missed it, the Associated Press just put out an article titled, ‘People in Sunny States Happiest, New York Least’. The article went on to state that people in sunny and outdoorsy states are among the happiest in the country. People are supposedly most happy in states with good climates, low crime rates, good air quality, and good schools. All of these factors makes perfect sense to me except for one small part of the article. How in the world does a state filled with crime, extreme temperatures, illegals, piss poor schools, no jobs, and nothing to do but drink to excess rank fifth in the entire country? That’s right, Arizona has been ranked in the top five states with the happiest people.

The only thing Arizona even comes close to having on the ‘happiness checklist’ is abundant sunshine and more often than not the sunshine is filtered through the brown cloud which is just about permanently planted over the Phoenix area these days. If you have considered moving to Arizona for the sunshine or the supposed glorious weather, remember just this one thing. Abundant sunshine isn’t going to pay your bills and it surely isn’t going to stop your children from being robbed at gun point while on the school bus.

Arizona is not an outdoorsy state and there really aren’t many exciting outdoor activities if that is your thing, especially so in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The main outdoor activity in Arizona is hiking and that can only be done safely for about half of the year or so. The most popular outdoor activity amongst most Arizonans is getting plowed outside on a bar’s patio.

You’d be an idiot to think a state full of uneducated degenerates and illegals is going to have low crime rates. The crime in Arizona has been continually on the rise and it is only going to get worse. Not to mention the crimes in this state are truly like something out of a horror movie.

The brown cloud and the traffic backups speaks enough for the air quality in Arizona. While, Arizona’s dead last ranking in public education tells the whole story of Arizona’s education system. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you think you are in a good school district – your kids are still far behind the rest of the country.

In the end, it couldn’t be more obvious that the writer of this article has never been to and has certainly not lived in Arizona, but this ranking is still worth a laugh especially for those of us who know the truth about Arizona and aren’t living in some sort of fantasy state of mind. Share your thoughts about Arizona’s ranking below.

Merry Christmas!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-18-happiest-states_N.htm

In case you missed it or are fortunate enough to be outside of the Phoenix area, a local Arizona news station ran a piece last week about how life out in Arizona might be portrayed to the rest of the country. Viewers were left to ponder the question of whether or not the state of Arizona has a national image problem. Surprisingly enough, this is a great example of the typical Arizona attitude for you – instead of considering what the necessary steps are to begin fixing the multitude of problems currently plaguing the state and its millions of residents, even the news stations out here are more concerned with only how Arizona and its people LOOK to the National eye. With that being said, it is pretty clear to most people these days that Arizona does have an increasing image problem because the truth about Arizona has been exposed as the population growth went way up in recent years, and also as a result of the mortgage fraud and subsequent real estate meltdown out here in the last few years. Here are just a couple of Arizona’s many problems grabbing attention in the national spotlight:

Worst school systems in the country – that’s right, every single other state around the country outranks Arizona when it comes to public schooling. Education is not valued in Arizona and this certainly affects all facets of life out here from the workplace to the grocery store to eating out at a restaurant. You can continue to make excuses, move your children to another Arizona school district, or even continue lying to yourself – it does not matter though – you are putting your children’s safety and future at risk by sending them to any of Arizona public schools. If you have kids or plan on having children, you really should re-evaluate settling down in Arizona at least until your children are in college.

Increasing violence and hate crimes – every single year, the violence in Arizona seems to be getting worse and increasingly more violent. Nobody wants to admit to it, but these crimes are increasing and becoming even more commonplace – and don’t think you can escape it by moving to a supposedly higher income zip code or to a gated community. Arizona boasts some of the craziest, most unbelievable crime stories that you could not even make up if you wanted to. Watch just one day of the local Arizona news and you will never want to step foot in this place again.

Weather – the one problem that can never be fixed, but it is still important to continually point out how dreadful and depressing the summers can be out here. You know the weather in Arizona is terrible when even people who are just quickly passing through on a cross-country road trip still feel the need to complain about how high the temperatures are out here. It’s never going to get any cooler in Arizona, so stay far away unless you are prepared for month-after-month of the extreme heat, and the famous Arizona dry heat argument goes right out the window when the temperatures are over 100 degrees.

Economy – what economy? Arizona population growth is dwindling, construction is way down, there were never any great jobs in Arizona, and now we have a surplus of houses and commercial buildings. How is Arizona going to turn it all around this time? Can Arizona rely on its economic growth strategy with such a poor national image? Probably not – Arizona is a retirement and winter golf state, at best, and that is all it should have ever been provided there was enough water for all this grass out here.

What it really comes down to is what does the state of Arizona have to offer you? Is it the comparatively warmer winters? Or is it all the congestion, pollution, violence, and blowing dust storms? What does Arizona offer you that you can’t find anywhere else, except for those 4-5 months of temperatures over 100 degrees? Don’t wait for Arizona to try and fix its deteriorating image – get out while you still can and still have your sanity.

If you have read through this blog or if you have spent anything more than a weekend in Arizona, then you should be quite familiar with the countless problems which are currently plaguing most of the state. Some people are under the impression that these issues exist at the same magnitude everywhere else around the country. While there are many issues which certainly affect everyone around the entire country, there is a few that Arizona residents can really claim as their own. Some of these major downfalls found throughout Arizona would include:

Lack of Good Jobs – it’s no secret that a lot of people and areas are hurting in this department right now. A lot of very qualified people are unable to find jobs and everyday someone you know is getting laid-off somewhere. The difference between Arizona and most other places is that Arizona has always had a slim number of strong career opportunities. Even when the economy turns, most in Arizona will still be working at grocery stores or trying to sell overpriced condos – this is not the case in most other places.

Terrible Schools – Arizona has the worst public education system in the country. It is under-funded, overcrowded, and infiltrated with illegals. You cannot argue with the facts – and remember – even if you think your local school district is better, remember it really is just comparatively better when put up against another deprived Arizona school district. Go outside of Arizona and the truth will haunt you for the rest of your life, and you can bet the school system here will surely affect your children’s future as well.

Questionable People – Arizona is one giant melting pot with grossly measured ‘ingredients’ leading to an unpleasant taste and an insufficient balance. In Arizona, you have just a couple at the top, a few in the middle, and an abundance of bottom feeders. Just sharing a grocery store aisle with one of these Arizona deadbeats will boggle your mind and make you question your own existence. It really is one of those places where it is everyone for themselves – you can’t trust anyone out here and you shouldn’t even try.

Extremely Hot Weather – ideal climate is certainly a matter of opinion. Arizona happens to have months on end of temperatures over 100 degrees. Some might prefer the comparatively mild winters here over the snow found elsewhere, but you certainly pay for it during the summer months. Regardless of opinion, you surely can’t say anywhere else in the country puts up with non-stop heat like those in Arizona do from the months of March – September.

Illegals Galore – how long is it going to be before illegals outnumber the number of US citizens in Arizona? In exchange for the increased strain on our schools, hospitals, and law enforcement; we reap the benefits of more crime, more unfit and uninsured drivers on the road, increased spread of disease, as well as national security risks too.

What do you think? What sort of fantasy land are people living in who think Arizona shares the same problems as anywhere else?

In the past, one of the very few reasons for actually relocating to the Valley was the low-cost of living. Everything was cheap, and real estate was extremely affordable – just about anybody could actually afford to buy a decent sized home with a pool and actually make the payments. As time went on, Arizona real estate prices would become increasingly more expensive and many Arizona locals were effectively priced out of the market – or forced to try and buy in the far, far outskirts of town. Obviously, real estate has risen in price across the entire country and not just in Arizona. However, the job market and average Arizona salary has remained quite stagnant over the years and has left many people struggling to buy their own home and actually make the payments.

Home prices across the Valley have not (and may not) fall back down far enough where the majority of Valley residents will actually be able to afford to own their own home. Many have been priced out of the Arizona real estate market due to the abundance of poor paying jobs in the area.

Arizona can attract tons of people and we can continue to build tons of new housing developments – but if there are very few who can actually afford their own home, then what will happen to all these homes? Who is going to buy them? How many people will be forced to leave Arizona due to the lack of high paying jobs?

Unless you are retired, actually work in the area, or you work from home – you may want to think twice about buying that home on the Valley’s fringes just because the initial investment sounds quite a bit cheaper. Arizona has a ton of relatively open land so the real estate trend has always been to build out, and not up – resulting in suburban sprawl which spreads for miles and miles. These new areas often offer brand new housing, shopping centers, restaurants, and schools – but are they just too far away from everything else and do they offer many jobs outside of retail/restaurants? How successful can these fringe cities be if they can’t offer good jobs in the immediate area?

For the most part, the majority of jobs in these fringe areas are service-oriented to meet the daily demands of the residents in these new areas. Many of these jobs include grocery stores, restaurant chains, movie theaters, and gas stations. If you are planning on working for any of the few big employers in the Valley, you are almost guaranteed a lengthy commute every single day. The roads leading out of these fringe cities will be extremely congested as just about EVERYBODY has to commute elsewhere for work.

Many of these fringe cities may have grown too fast and too far out because of the recent housing boom. How much planning actually went into these cities or were they rushed to meet the Arizona housing demand of recent years? Will they stand the test of time or will they be abandoned by people hoping to move closer to everything else?

Arizona homes built in fringe developments may seem a lot cheaper initially, but are they really cheaper in the long run? What do you think?

I had a yard sale at a house I rented just north of downtown Phx. I’ve had plenty of yard sales in my life and NEVER had any one try to pass a counterfeit bill. At this one yard sale, I had THREE different people try to pass fake bills! I accepted one (tried to spend it at Taco Bell and found out when they didn’t accept it), my roommate accepted one, and I caught the third one because it had gotten wet and the ink was running. – Furreal

I guess this is what Arizona residents have to resort to now that the real estate boom is over and their HELOC has been frozen or canceled. Can’t even afford to shop around at yard sales anymore … sad and pathetic.

You may not like it – you may even blame many of Phoenix’s current problems on it, but all of the growth in Phoenix’s history has been absolutely necessary for its survival. Just about everyone has complained about one thing or another when the population of the Valley has surged from transplants from the mid-west or California. Comments such as ‘we don’t need or want these people’ and ‘they ruined my quality of life’ are all too common. Unfortunately, the truth is that this growth is absolutely necessary for the Valley’s economy to survive another day.

Obviously the influx of new residents is responsible for more traffic, pollution, and potentially more crime. However, without this growth where would the Valley be? Would it even continue to exist or would it become the ghost-town of a former model city?

Unfortunately, Arizona must take the good with the bad (there is currently no other choice). If Phoenix stops growing and people stop moving here – it will create quite the situation that I don’t even have words for.

What are Arizona Realtors to do these days? Homes are not selling like they were just a couple years ago and there are tons of overpriced homes on the market. It is truly a buyer’s market, but why buy now when it will be even cheaper tomorrow? How is a Realtor going to earn your business, if for some reason you decide to buy into the Arizona market even after reading this blog? Lie, lie, and more lies. Here they are in no particular order:

‘Now is a great time to buy’ – when is it not a great time to buy when you are earning an over-inflated commission on every piece of property that sells? The fact of the matter is that the home that you are looking at today will only be cheaper tomorrow. Why rush into buying anything, but your absolute dream home?

‘Arizona real estate is still a great investment’ – not so fast. Real estate can be a great investment if done correctly, but it can also be the complete opposite. Historically, the rising value of your home will barely beat out inflation in the long run. Of course, this was not the case if you had bought an Arizona home 5-10 years ago and were able to sell it at the peak of the real estate bubble back in 2006. So … invest in a home you can feel safe and enjoy living in for a while, and not your ticket to becoming a millionaire.

‘This is one of the safest, most affluent, and nicest neighborhoods in the Valley’ – except for the illegals, the meth-lab next door, the unspeakable number of foreclosures, home invasions, the over-controlling HOA, and the Repo guys who are constantly cruising the streets.

‘Trust me’ – no comment.

‘This one won’t last much longer at this price’ – it will and it will more than likely still be around in a couple weeks, if not months. Arizona real estate is definitely not selling as soon as it hits the market, and there are more than enough homes to meet the current demand. In reality, this home will still be for sale in a couple weeks AND it will be even cheaper. What’s the rush? Remember, you are going to be the one living in the house – not the Realtor!