Do you like where you live?

[Joecoolyo]

The minaret thing is truly a storm in a tea cup as the British would say. Can you imagine a place where the local community decides how much tax we will pay; where the politicians are essentially powerless; a state that lives by its' brains rather than its' brawn; a place that doesn't tell other states how to do things. As close to paradise as currently exists on this planet. And we get beautiful scenery as a bonus.

Sounds awful, allows for populist but bad measures to get through. But that's just me.

 

[warmonger]

Sounds awful, allows for populist but bad measures to get through. But that's just me.

Only if the voting population are as ignorant as they might be where you come from. Here, because they know it is up to them, most people take the time to be informed and, for the most part, they get it right. I'm not pushing this as a Swiss - I'm just a dumb foreigner who gets no say.

The point of any political system is to make the correct decision more often than not. The Swiss come closer than any other place I've been to in getting it right.

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

That's perfect! That's the exact look I have when I realise I have to be in Dundee!

 

[Traitorfish]

That's perfect! That's the exact look I have when I realise I have to be in Dundee!

Touché, Mr. Sharuminar.

 

[Joecoolyo]

Only if the voting population are as ignorant as they might be where you come from. Here, because they know it is up to them, most people take the time to be informed and, for the most part, they get it right. I'm not pushing this as a Swiss - I'm just a dumb foreigner who gets no say.

The point of any political system is to make the correct decision more often than not. The Swiss come closer than any other place I've been to in getting it right.

If they took time to be informed, then why'd they vote for such reactionary and Islamaphobic measures as banning a building associated with the religion?

Actually, I take that back, they were informed, by a sustained campaign by conservatives or reactionaries within the country to exclude a certain population from their country.

Direct democracy is neat until something scares the people, then it's just tyranny of the majority. I much prefer a country where it's much harder to get a law in place, either due to a partisan legislature, or a very hard/scrutinizing process that prevents things such as the above from passing at all, or even being looked at.

 

[zjl56]

Well, as some of you may already know, I do not like where I live. My short-term objective is to get out, and my long-term objective is to stay out.

First, I live in a small town about an hour outside of Minneapolis. It's a major hassle as it makes meeting friends and socializing in general very expensive. The town also has a disproportionately high poor white trash population; meth busts are common. Crime is actually pretty bad in town too, with lots of break-ins to cars and burglaries. Utility rates are higher here than in Minneapolis because of the town's massive debts. The town also sucks at snow removal, so driving around town is like Russian roulette with cars.

The greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area isn't much better. Downtown, save for the skyway network that is only open for a few hours on weekdays, is boring. Downtown St. Paul isn't much better, save for better parking and less crime. Traffic congestion is terrible and the proposed "solutions" by our metro overlords always result in more roads getting torn up.

The "positives" that people point out aren't really positive at all. Bike trails, for one. Do you know how cold it is in this city? Who in their right mind would want to ride a bicycle here? Also, cyclists are nuisances on city streets because they don't obey traffic laws; the entitlement mentality is rampant in smug bicycle-riding Minneapolitans.

Lots of theater and art? Couldn't care less. I got roped into going to some ridiculous art performance thing a few years ago. It cost $20 and we had to sit there for nearly an hour before this woman came out and started making these horrible screeching noises on some instrument. The one silver lining from that story is that I was never invited to another one again.

Good shopping? Maybe 20 years ago. All the malls and shopping areas have gone downhill since. That applies to downtown, too; there used to be a lot more down there years ago, but they've all been converted to offices since then.

No Japanese grocery store. Some other major metro areas don't have them either, but at least those areas are within driving distance of other areas. I knew a couple of people that made a trip to Chicago, a six-hour drive, just to go to the Mitsuwa grocery store.

Kiplinger's had a good line about Minneapolis: "Minneapolis is progressive and hip, but with a Midwestern sensibility." That's right. Do you know what that means? Taxes. While the taxes are bad enough on their own, the "Midwestern sensibility" is really paternalistic Puritanism. Don't expect to buy alcohol on Sundays, and don't expect to find it in grocery stores. For places that do have alcohol sales, you have to go in and out separate doors. Politics in Minnesota is backwards too: the DFL (local Democratic Party) does everything in its power to try and make Minnesota the highest-taxed state in the country, and the GOP offers only token resistance and is content to be the party of complaining about abortion and not enough people going to church.

Lastly, Minnesota is cold. It's cold for six months out of the year. When it isn't cold, it's humid and mosquito-riddled. It isn't just cold, though, it's bitter cold. It's lose-a-toe-to-hypothermia cold.

Whew! That was a lot.

Maybe Perfection will have some positive things to say.

Hehe, I don't know if the situation in Iowa is any better than that of Minnesota, but I definitely agree that so many of the "positives" especially in terms of bike trails and parks are erased by long cold winters and quick/ brutal summers, and the fact there is really nothing to see beyond miles of flat forest or corn. I would be much happier to just live 500 miles south, but with the cold we get, I would trade the same weather for some mountains.. Anyway, can't complain too much on the culture scene, but I would definitely recommend to stay far away.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Pretty simple question: do you like where you live?

No.

What do you like about where you live?

I can see the night sky pretty good, despite all those city lights. I can even see the Milky Way.

Dislike?

The people here are highly conservative.

I have a foaming-at-the-mouth hatred of conservatives.

Would you want to move, and if so, where? Across town? Overseas?

Yes, I do want to move.

If we already had sci-fi goodies, I'd be the first one to leave the planet in a heartbeat. The obvious first stop for me is Delta Trianguli, but unfortunately, there's no planets there since the metallicity is too low. Sadly, we don't have sci-fi goodies, so I guess I'll have to stick with Earth. However, there is no place even ON this planet that is liberal enough for me.

 

[Traitorfish]

Direct democracy is neat until something scares the people, then it's just tyranny of the majority. I much prefer a country where it's much harder to get a law in place, either due to a partisan legislature, or a very hard/scrutinizing process that prevents things such as the above from passing at all, or even being looked at.

Out of interest, would you include yourself in this knee-jerking multitude, or is that a condition which only afflicts other people?

 

[azzaman333]

I like living in the east of Melbourne, but I'd like to live a little closer to the city, and a little closer to the train line.

 

[schlaufuchs]

The minaret thing is truly a storm in a tea cup as the British would say. Can you imagine a place where the local community decides how much tax we will pay; where the politicians are essentially powerless; a state that lives by its' brains rather than its' brawn; a place that doesn't tell other states how to do things. As close to paradise as currently exists on this planet. And we get beautiful scenery as a bonus.

Only if the voting population are as ignorant as they might be where you come from. Here, because they know it is up to them, most people take the time to be informed and, for the most part, they get it right. I'm not pushing this as a Swiss - I'm just a dumb foreigner who gets no say.

The point of any political system is to make the correct decision more often than not. The Swiss come closer than any other place I've been to in getting it right.

Coming from a region in which Direct Democracy commands a great deal of power (with just 500,000 signatures you can get anything on the ballot and pass it with a 50% majority, completely passing both the legislature (both houses) AND the governor (it can be reviewed judicially, but that takes years)), I can safely say that it is a stupid system and works, actually, rather like how joecoolyo just described.

 

[warmonger]

Coming from a region in which Direct Democracy commands a great deal of power (with just 500,000 signatures you can get anything on the ballot and pass it with a 50% majority, completely passing both the legislature (both houses) AND the governor (it can be reviewed judicially, but that takes years)), I can safely say that it is a stupid system and works, actually, rather like how joecoolyo just described.

In my opinion, the system is only as stupid as the people who use it. I don't care if you don't like real democracy. It works here and that is why I like to live here, which is the whole point of the thread.

It's not about whether you like where I live.

 

[wolfigor]

If they took time to be informed, then why'd they vote for such reactionary and Islamaphobic measures as banning a building associated with the religion?

Before being hijacked by people with strong political agenda (as some writing on this forum), the issue was about the interests of residents which should have right to object to the construction of buildings that will effect negatively the interest of the local community.
Pretty much bringing forward the interest of residents regardless of the (religious) needs of other people that may not live nearby.


In general I have to agree with warmonger: Switzerland is one of the best administrated countries I ever seen.
There is care for every detail and a respect for law that is rare to find anywhere else.
I still prefer Scandinavian countries, but that's my personal flavor for lifestyle (and handling of local language).
All my friends living in Switzerland (most of the work at CERN) love the place.

 

[wolfigor]

I live in Oslo, and even if the town and country are far from perfect, I really think it's a great place to live.

On the positive side is the quality and level of life: nobody is really poor (not to any objective meter), the state takes care of people, good education, care for the local environment, and really a lot of fun.
"Fun" includes some of the most beautiful and extrovert girls in the world together with a love for open air activities... as soon as the sun shine in the sky, everybody go walking in the forests or BBQing in the parks: it's amazing.

This is the only capital where you can take the tram and be on the ski slopes... for ski junkies like me it's heaven.
In summer I love sailing... again Oslo is a great place for it: endless sailing in breathtaking scenery in the fjord.
Outside Oslo there are great places for hiking too.

Staying in town can be boring sometime, but if you love open-air activities just out of your door, this the capital town for you.

There are negative points to the town, mostly due to the extreme tolerance of local people and police.
Anyway as long as you stay away from Grønland and some areas near the central train station you are ok.



I'm quite happy to dedicate my post #1000 to the town of Oslo