Influx of Californians

[lovemylegacy]

Is there anyway we can keep Californians in Cali?

[Longue Carabine]

so are you the guy to pull all of this off?? Other than getting a couple of neighbors together how do you plan on getting the rest of the landowners in Texas to not sell their land?

Again get back to all of us in a couple of years and tell us how your dream is working out. All sounds good in theory - on paper???? forget it.

I live in Georgetown - last year the fastest growing town in the country - this year the 5th fastest growing town in the country. You are a little late to the party with your theory

Luckily I'm not the only one working on it. NCED reports 840 conservation easements in Texas. However, we do not as of yet have enough in the right places. As a state where 95% of land is privately controlled, we are far more responsible for the preservation of wilderness and conservation as individuals compared to those in states that have massive protected forests/parks. I would love to facilitate an association between the aforementioned land owners and will continue to work towards that.

No I don't expect to persuade all landowners to join this cause. Unfortunately there are many, even among the hunting community such as yourself, who don't seem to value conservation.

[Kdog]

^^"don't care about conservation?" That's a low blow. He's just being realistic. What you want won't happen, nor should it.

[Razrbk89]

I share the concern about the rampant, unchecked development. Thankfully, it hasn't happened here, but I suppose it could someday. We need to get our population under control, but that's another topic.

As far as encouraging people from certain states to "keep out" of any other states... I'm willing to bet that there are just a few folks in NM, OK, AR, & LA that wish they didn't have to compete with big money Texans for recreational property....

[raiderelkhunter]

^^"don't care about conservation?" That's a low blow. He's just being realistic. What you want won't happen, nor should it.

I agree, but I do have to ask how you practice conservation in a state that is 97% privately owned.....?

[TKK]

Luckily I'm not the only one working on it. NCED reports 840 conservation easements in Texas. However, we do not as of yet have enough in the right places. As a state where 95% of land is privately controlled, we are far more responsible for the preservation of wilderness and conservation as individuals compared to those in states that have massive protected forests/parks. I would love to facilitate an association between the aforementioned land owners and will continue to work towards that.

No I don't expect to persuade all landowners to join this cause. Unfortunately there are many, even among the hunting community such as yourself, who don't seem to value conservation.

I have owned a number of properties (and still do) where I made great number of conservation improvements. In fact would bet I have spent more money and time on conservation than you have even dreamed about. My statement was simply that your statements about keeping people from moving to Texas is a pipe dream

[Goldeneagle]

I'm glad you asked a couple of those questions. Primarily the one about California businesses creating jobs here. A lot of people see on a superficial level that new available job, and think yes, that's a good thing. But then they stop and don't think about where the money is going. All of that business' profits are leaving our economy and going back to California. That money is not staying in our local economy and being spent on the various businesses here. It's being sucked out, like a drain. So the answer is no, it is absolutely not a good thing in the big picture. What is a good thing is spending your money on Texas businesses.

In regard to denying offers on principle, my answer is absolutely yes. Primarily when it comes to offers on wilderness real estate for purposes of turning it into a development. These topics really require people to look beyond the initial benefit to see the big picture, and see that in the long run we are not actually coming out ahead. It's like selling your soul to be a billionaire. Nice for awhile, but at some point you die and go to hell.

I never said I was trying to create a law that made it illegal for non residents to buy property.

As far as legality of the tax, the real estate attorney says he believes it is legal.

Do you use toll roads?

How far back do you have to go to be considered an actual resident of Texas and not someone who moved here?

I got your back Sparkles!!!!!!!

[gatorgrizz27]

I agree that it is a huge problem, I watched it happen in Austin, and the changes from one year to the next were staggering. They are moving to Florida in droves also, and they are a plague.

Rents went up 40%, bars that weren't packed to capacity closed down, more rude people everywhere, they complain about the live music and BBQ smoke, cops have to start cracking down and throwing the book at everything, it is really sad.

The most important thing is to get out and vote. Even in small local elections. If you can keep republican reps in as many districts as possible, it will keep them from being able to transform the laws. It won't stop the price increases but it will make it less attractive to them.

I have noticed a lot more trucks with Texas plates around north Florida lately, I'm happy to have more like-minded people around and keep the tide from turning.

[friscopaint]

I got sick of the Californians telling me how great California is yet moved here for jobs......

[KLWoodall]

I say no limit open season. They are tearing up more crap than our hog problem.

[Hunterlo70]

nobody wants to see the land destroyed - tell us how to stop the influx and we will jump to action

Exactly this. I hate it. I've moved to Texas from California not too long ago. About a year now and a half now. I was recruited by the company I currently work for but, my entire family is from Texas. I remembered when my parents first bought their home 15 something years ago. Their backyard was nothing but open land with an awesome pond and creek. Each year, when I would visit, more and more homes were built. All the bass from the creek and pond started to disappear and is now filled with trash from plastic bottles to dvd cases. Now, when I visit them and drive down 170, it saddens me to see what was once beautiful open land is now replaced with new homes and by the hundreds. It seriously took me an hour to navigate through traffic to get to the store to get groceries when it used to take me no more than 10 minutes to get to the store.

[Longue Carabine]

Y'all should also consider the fact that all of these people are moving to places that don't have an adequate supply of water. You all say the American way is to buy and sell. But what about the people that's land is taken so a lake to be built for people 300 miles away? That aren't even in the same water district? Habitat distroyed because big cities are taking water from new lakes all the time to supply the water? And most over 50 percent of this water is wasted to keep there yards pretty and go down drains?

While I mentioned the water issue in the petition link, I didn't address it here. In the majority of Texas, water is a limiting factor for the population size we can support. Especially for those drawing from aquifers that aren't replenished by rainfall, i.e. the Ogallalla which happens to be the biggest. The more demand you place on it the faster it will go. And then what? Will people depend on rainwater? Not likely. The overall trend is projected to be increasing frequencies of drought through 2050. In that same time period, populations of Texas metropolitan areas are estimated to increase between 2 and 2.5x their current size. This means that even if there were no increase in droughts, the water situation isn't sustainable in many areas of Texas. And those who are blessed to have aquifers like the Edwards, should be thinking proactively and not be waiting until they are stuck in a problem they can't handle. For these aquifers, population increase presents a two fold threat. First the increase in demand, secondly the new developments that collectively reduce the amount of rainwater that replenishes that aquifer. So yes, water is a major factor to take into consideration when considering the burgeoning population influx. And we certainly don't need companies like California based Niagara bottling company taking our water.

[TxAg]

While I mentioned the water issue in the petition link, I didn't address it here. In the majority of Texas, water is a limiting factor for the population size we can support. Especially for those drawing from aquifers that aren't replenished by rainfall, i.e. the Ogallalla which happens to be the biggest. The more demand you place on it the faster it will go. And then what? Will people depend on rainwater? Not likely. The overall trend is projected to be increasing frequencies of drought through 2050. In that same time period, populations of Texas metropolitan areas are estimated to increase between 2 and 2.5x their current size. This means that even if there were no increase in droughts, the water situation isn't sustainable in many areas of Texas. And those who are blessed to have aquifers like the Edwards, should be thinking proactively and not be waiting until they are stuck in a problem they can't handle. For these aquifers, population increase presents a two fold threat. First the increase in demand, secondly the new developments that collectively reduce the amount of rainwater that replenishes that aquifer. So yes, water is a major factor to take into consideration when considering the burgeoning population influx. And we certainly don't need companies like California based Niagara bottling company taking our water.

http://www.infrastructurene.ws/2013/08/22/is-desalination-the-sustainable-solution/

[WinslowBoy]

I also propose that we create a coalition of landowners. I.e "The Texas Landowners Coalition." This association of landowners, and those who support the ideals it represents, would enter a contract agreeing not to sell out to developers, subdivide their land into mini "ranchettes", or sell to nonresidents. The association would also organize votes and support and thereby possess political influence. All in favor?

There are currently several programs in Texas doing similar things all ready. The Lone Star Land Steward program works with landowners to improve habitat and implement programs to make their land friendly to wildlife YET provide income so they can keep their ranches and not have to sell it off.

Agricultural Land Easement Program and Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program are a couple other looking to keep ranches/farms out of developers hands. Unfortunately, many ranch owners aren't aware of these programs or just get fed up and take the money!!

[Longue Carabine]

I understand where the dissenters on this thread are coming from. But as time moves forward, it is going to become increasingly obvious to more and more people as these problems spread and become less ignorable, that this is not a sustainable or functional model. As we draw close to July 4th, I can't help but recognize a parallel between that situation and the direction we're headed, for several reasons. First and foremost, we are faced with ideological opposition to what we represent as a state. We're dealing with conflict on two fronts. People coming here trying to superimpose their perception and political agenda on ours (aided by considerable financial influence), and a federal government that has considerably deviated from its role and parameters, and has been pushing the same agenda as those moving here. The federal government has only been able to increasingly do so over these last decades because it is in violation of the restrictions placed on it by the creators of this country. At the same time, it has been taking power from us as a state in several ways, but primarily by completely operating outside the 10th Amendment and also making us dependant on federal money handouts (bribery). By making us dependant on that money, they ensure greater compliance with the policies they are slowly forcing on us. I remind you that dependancy is weakness, and the more robust we can make our state economy by buying local and buying from Texas businesses, the more capable we are of telling them we don't want their money and will not comply with un-Constitutional policies.

A rift between Texas citizens will continue to worsen in the years ahead as problems are seen more and more in everyone's day to day lives. School policies and information taught (i.e. propaganda), business regulations, city laws and actions, newspaper/radio/media content, urban sprawl, congestion, water issues, legal rights, loss of cultural traditions and activities/values/ways of life, etc are and will continue to be changed/ lost. There will be "loyalists" who support this model and people who just don't want to "rock the boat," but there will also be "patriots" who draw a line and take action. In the revolution the majority of the population were actually loyalists. But aren't we all glad they didn't have it their way?