California is the Greatest Country in the World

First, the truth. I started planning this article before I learned that there is a real movement right now in the Golden Stated to secede from Trump’s Disunited States.

My family moved from Lewiston, Idaho, to Los Angeles, California, in 1952, just a month or two before my sixth birthday. Our first ‘home’ was on Venice Beach. I immediately fell in love with the Pacific Ocean.

As I grew and learned more about the state in which I lived, I became fascinated and excited. Within 163,696 square miles, 760 mile long and 250 miles wide existed everything a human being might desire. From oceans to mountains and deserts, from snow skiing to surfing, hunting, fishing, nightlife, art, and a diverse population, there was no need to visit any other state.

Central California is an agricultural treasure chest. Industry is plentiful near its three major cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The entertainment industry is one of the largest sources of income in our nation. For tourists, foreign and domestic, no other state offers such a variety of opportunities for leisure and excitement.

One day in my high school economics class I learned that if Los Angeles was a nation, it would be the 10^th wealthiest country in the world. The entertainment industry, combined with tourism and the real estate market, allowed money to flow like water.

I had everything I wanted. However, a business opportunity in San Diego found me taking my young family south in 1977.

San Diego was beautiful and the weather even more predictable. A new friend repeated a single line every morning: “another boring day in paradise.” It was very accurate.

I didn’t find our state’s most southern city as enjoyable as Los Angeles, but I continued to have access to the Pacific Ocean.

In 1986, after an unpleasant divorce and a new marriage, I made another move. I was moving to Reno, Nevada.

I love Northern Nevada, with the exception of its right-wing extremist political beliefs. I experience four distinct seasons, and they are all beautiful. I will remain here until the day I die. However, the truth is, I would find a way to return to Los Angeles if it was affordable. It is not.

California is without a doubt the greatest state in our nation. If it should be allowed to secede from the United States, it would survive and likely flourish. However, if the wealthiest and most populous state in America no longer contributed to the national economy, the future of the United States would be perilous at best.

I find those who criticize the “California lifestyle” no less than jealous. If you have never enjoyed the oceans, mountains, or the endless entertainment choices offered by the Golden State, you never experienced the best of America.

California offers everything anyone could desire, including the exchange of free thought and less judgement for anyone’s lifestyle.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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