Some might not concur, but I believe that where we reside — central Missouri — is one of the best places in America to live and raise a family. Of course, I may be prejudiced.
For the most part, our weather is great. If you don’t think so, perhaps you have neglected to compare how Mother Nature treats other areas of the country.
I will concede that we have the occasional thunderstorm that can lead to Tornado Watches (two in the last week), and that these storms have been known to cause rivers to leave the confines of their banks.
Let’s perform a short comparison. The reason many snowbirds return to their home state in the summer from Florida or Texas is that summer weather can be difficult in the South. You think humidity can be high in Missouri, spend the summer in Florida. The thermometer may spend a couple of days over 100 degrees in our neck of the woods, but in 2023, San Antonio, Texas, recorded 75 days of 100 degrees or higher.
Where Abigail, my daughter, lives, they don’t need air conditioners, but this winter she woke up more than once to temperatures below zero — 13 days in January and minus 20 degrees on Jan. 23 and 24.
Our son Ethan and his family live in West Hartford, Conn. They experienced several snow events with significant totals, including 13 inches from a Feb. 22-23 blizzard.
Weather is not the only reason I prefer to live in the central part of the Show-Me-State.
For the most part, we are shielded from the insanity affecting other areas in the United States.
On April 13, residents of Minneapolis, Minn. proved once again why I’m glad I was not born and raised in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. On that date, Turning Point USA reporter, Savanah Hernandez, was assaulted while covering a protest against federal immigration policy.
Fox News reported that protesters swarmed her, “blowing horns in front of her face, yelling obscenities and waving adult novelty products in front of her, as she tried to cover herself and run away.”
As she attempted to diffuse the situation and leave the area, she was knocked to the ground twice.
Whatever happened to civil discourse? It doesn’t appear possible with some Democrats in Minnesota.
In last week’s column, I wrote about justice denied. The capital of denied justice must be New York City.
A Mexican national illegal alien has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson after allegedly starting a fire on March 16 at a three-story building in New York City.
One of the deaths was a three-year-old who burned to death. On April 14, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) requested the New York City Department of Corrections (NYCDOC) not release the accused from jail and turn him over to them.
Because of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s executive order, NYCDOC has refused to cooperate with ICE.
A news report on Fox News digital said, “DHS (Department of Homeland Security) said New York’s failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 6,947 illegal immigrants from Jan. 20 to Dec. 1. They are accused of crimes including: 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drugs offenses, 300 weapons offenses and 207 sexual predatory offenses.
I can’t understand why anyone would want to live in the Big Apple.
California may be the Golden State, but it has more than its share of reasons why I would never want to raise my family there.
Here is a short list. First, California has the fourth-highest cost of living in the United States behind Hawaii, Washington D.C., and Massachusetts. Missouri is the fourth lowest, just in front of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.
Number two on the list is the political climate. Progressive Democrats have controlled that state for 60 of the last 65 years. This is demonstrated in high taxes, high homelessness, and undue regulations that are forcing millionaires, billionaires, and businesses to evacuate the sinking ship of California before it’s too late.
High taxes are one thing; wasting money is another. Manhattan Institute fellow Chris Rufo recently filmed illegal immigrants staying in homeless shelters in California, paid for with taxpayer money. If that is not enough, some have undergone sex change procedures and boob jobs through California’s Medi-Cal program.
The total bill, according to the California Department of Health Care Services, for healthcare for illegal immigrants is $9 billion a year, paid for by taxpayers.
Central Missouri, it may not be paradise, but it beats the alternative in most cases.
