What do you dislike about the state you live in?

[HappySaver]

I'm in IL so:
Hate: corruption, taxes, head in sand attitudes of elected officials, old boy/girl network, winter, TERRIBLE roads (its either winter or construction around here)

Ditto for MA. Also: Ridiculously expensive and old housing (and I hate the traditional architecture of housing here - it's all ugly capes and boxy colonials).

Like: Location - near beaches, Maine and Cape, Vermont, New York, etc. Economy is in fairly good shape - we're only here because we both have jobs.

[frugalgirl]

Another person in PA here but originally from Maryland.

Hate:
1) As mentioned, having to buy liquor in the state store and beer in a separate beer store - sold only by the CASE at the beer store. If I want a six-pack, I have to go to a bar and pay twice the price. I live in Western PA but not close enough to WV, MD or OH to make it worth my trip to go across state lines to get alcohol.
2) The fact that every single municipality, unincorporated town, township, etc. has its own government. This means that every little local area has its own school, police department and road crew (like DS mentioned in NJ). This in turn means that services are redundant and property taxes are high. This also leads to a direct correlation between the quality of the school district and the value of your property. With more retirees than all but one county in the entire nation, this means that the quality of the school district is controlled by retirees that never want to have their taxes increased to build a school. In turn, our property values are in their hands as well.
3) The system for property tax assessment. This varies county-by-county and is often only done when the house is sold. This leads to the young families paying 3 or 4 times as much in property taxes as the retiree next door who has lived in his house for 30 years. Ridiculous inequality of taxation. In MD, the state trains the county tax assessors and every property in the state is reassessed every 3 years.
4) The infinite, ongoing, never-ending road construction and repair. Here in PA, there seem to be billions of mom-and-pop road crews that bid for contracts and take months to repair small stretches of roads. In MD, the state and county control the road work and get it done fast with big crews and the proper equipment.

Like:
1) Relatively low income tax rate: flat 3.2%
2) No income tax on clothes, shoes and most food. 7% on everything else in my county.
3) In our area, the schools are excellent.
4) Relatively speaking, the cost of living is low.
5) The people in Western PA are genuinely good-hearted.

[LaVicky]

Southern California Here

Dislike - Politics, Taxes 9.75%, Poorly rated school system, expensive, and Im in Los Angeles County which is a mixed bag, I live in an area that has a lot of people living off government assistance and government housing so that is a big problem in my section. Lower income area so a lot of more undesirable people living around us with showing lack of respect for law, others, education, etc.

Likes - WEATHER, we have beautiful weather and get snow once that sticks for more than a day every 7 yrs or so. Live in the desert, but can drive just over an hour and get to the mountains, snow, skiing or beaches. And well California has just about everything you can imagine, just would love to live in a much prettier part of Cali with a better neighborhood and neighbors.

[Ima saver]

I live in the mountain of North Georgia. Cost of living is low as are property taxes. We get all 4 seasons. I am only 10 miles away from North Carolina and about 30 miles from East Tennessee.
I do dislike that I have to drive to North Carolina to buy liquor.

[NJDebbie]

I live in NJ also and I agree with everything disneySteve mentioned, but I love that I don't have to pump my own gas (especially in the winter). I paid $2.54 a gallon for gas yesterday.

[PrincessPerky]

Come on down to South Carolina, ya'll!

It's peachy since we got the indoor plumbin'

Folks is pretty dumb, but they do love their Jesus!

We're home to the horse fornicator and an adulterous governor who wanted to fire school teachers rather than take that socialist stimulus money from that America hatin' Obama!

We don't pay much mind to book learnin', unless you're studyin' the bible - but don't worry there's always someone around who'll tell you what it says if you caint read it yooself.

Taxes and housing prices is low, so come on down!

rolf!

[nick__45]

Personal property tax, high state income tax, and too religious for all the wrong reason.