There are lots of good reasons to move from Oregon to Texas. There is the fact that Texas has no state income tax nor does it have an outrageously high minimum wage that kills off small businesses. There is still a sense that individual liberty, morality and responsibility mean something and are not on the wane as in many, more liberal parts of the country. Honestly, I am very glad to be here. We have reengaged with old friends and made new ones during the short time we have been back.
For me, there is nothing like being in Texas to make me realize who I am and, especially, from where I come. I am an enthusiastic fan of Texas, its people and everything about it, but I say that as an outsider. Even though I have lived in Texas two different times for several years both as a student and as a working engineer, I am an Oregonian, heart and soul. What makes me sad about this is that the Oregon from whence I came no longer exists or, if it does, it is well hidden. Maybe I feel this way because my last couple of stints in Oregon were in places, Portland and Corvallis, whose cultures have coarsened greatly in my lifetime.
We are here in Texas to be closer to Lorena’s mother in Northern Mexico. We are not sure where we will land for retirement because so many things are in flux with the kids and aging parents, but Dallas is a fine retirement place. There are great people here. We are close to our beloved Monterrey. The food fits us to a T. The weather is acceptable. The mountains, ocean and vegetation are less so, but I will trade that for a government that stays in its place and does not dictate immorality any day.