connecticut

[dazzleman]

One mans opinion:  1/2 of connecticut is filled with social climbing misfits who arent worthy of the franchise.

I take it you won't be moving to Western CT any time soon then?

My sister in law is actually from Fairfield county... and no I would never move there.

Where do you live in New York and what town is your sister-in-law from?

I used to live in Westchester County, NY and now I live in Fairfield County, CT.  I moved here because the taxes were more affordable, and I could get a better house for the money.

What you say about Connecticut is certainly true of some of the people who live here, but I have to say it's mostly true of the whole NY metro area, not just Connecticut.

I actually like living here quite a bit.

[dazzleman]

Connecticut has, for a number of elections, consistently been about 5 points more Republican than New York.

In previous elections when New York was narrowly carried by the Democrats, such as 1976 and 1988, Connecticut has been carried by the Republicans.

Since then, both states have moved strongly to the Democrats, but Connecticut has not come so far as New York.  I often joke with people that I moved to Connecticut because it is 20 years behind New York on the road to hell, and politics is just one example of that.

At this point, it would take an unusual event for Connecticut to be carried by the Republicans.  I think all things run in cycles, and at some point Connecticut will start moving back to the Republicans, just as the south will start moving back toward the Democrats.  Connecticut has not been a sure Democratic state for very long - it was long a swing state.

[dazzleman]

Ahoy dazzle fairfield county native here (in political exile in Texas) Dazzle is right and noticed how he said he moved there to find lower taxes and better housing. This brings up the fact that the enire state is becoming a big suburb to its big nasty liberal brothers of massachusetts and new york. Hartford is no NYC and not a liberal hotbed..... maybe if we just burned yale down...... anywho i see connecticut being a red state in 2008 if a New England candidate is nominated and i see it being in the red column by 2012

Hey man, nice to meet a Fairfield County native.  What town are you from.  I live in the town of Fairfield.

You're right; many people are moving from New York to Fairfield County.  I am a person who believes in the saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" so I don't want these ex-New Yorkers to bring too many of their New York ways with them.  New Yorkers in general have a more expansive view of government than people here, and they're forever looking for more "services" to be provided by taxpayers.  The latest in my town is that some people wanted the town to build a 5-pool complex.  This comes on top of a huge expansion of schools and the tax increases that go along with it.  And the town already has 5 salt water beaches and 1 fresh water beach.  The proposal was defeated, thankfully, when it was determined that it was very unlikely that it could be economically self-sustaining and many thought it unfair for the town to subsidize something that could only be used by a relatively small percentage of the residents.

Some people around here are unbelievably snobbish and shallow, but they're really not the majority, and I just stay away from those types.  There aren't any more of those types here than in the New York suburbs, in my observation.

I hope you're right about the state going back at least to a swing state.  I can't stand the mindless latte liberalism of some of these suburbs, making common cause with the destructive and resentful liberalism found in decaying urban areas.  It's an unholy alliance that needs to be broken.

[dazzleman]

You know I am not exactly sure what town she is from.  I had a few roomates in college from Fairfield county- Weston, Westport, Wilton area I think.  A few of them were loaded and were the types that made sure people knew it.  Not bad kids but different from what I was accustomed to.  I also worked with a few trust funders from Greenwich.  A little spoiled and narcistic but generally ok people- not my cup of tea though.

I know what you mean.  There are some people here who are too much for me, but I ignore them.  Sometimes they even give me a good laugh.

All other things being equal, people here are not all that inclined to be overly friendly, but that is true of New York also.  I find that I'm much friendlier to people here than I am in New York, because I don't see the need to keep my guard up as much.