Gas Prices
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,070
Likes: 107
From: Southeastern PA
You sound as if you were the only one that lived in California. I think you mentioned you lived in the bay area. Have you not noticed how SF and around changed over this past decade? You're denial or far from reality. Sure homelessness is everywhere in the US. But what's in California is no comparison. What's shown on youtube, social media, or your claimed kool aid is real. It's not fabricated. Where else can you see a homeless town? Where else can you see people pee/****/doing drugs on the streets or in front of your house? Where else can you see someone can break in your car/shop and cops do **** about it? Where else can you see a nationwide store had to close their shop because of theft? Tell us if those things don't exist in California.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,070
Likes: 107
From: Southeastern PA
Ok, but he wasn't named successor of Apple because he happened to be in the room and they needed some random person to take over.... Did he not get to be in a successor position by being incredibly smart and hard working?
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,839
Likes: 4,107
From: Maryland
Hard work beats out good fortune 99.9% of the time.
You don’t just get promoted bec you’re lucky, you had to have put yourself there to be noticed and built relationships with senior executives etc.
If you own a business, you had to put your company in a position to take advantage of the opportunity to capitalize on that good fortune. It may have taken decades to reach that point.
People that have good fortune are ones that won the lottery. Lol
BTW the fact that all of us are in America is the greatest fortune because no other place gives you the same opportunity for success.
You don’t just get promoted bec you’re lucky, you had to have put yourself there to be noticed and built relationships with senior executives etc.
If you own a business, you had to put your company in a position to take advantage of the opportunity to capitalize on that good fortune. It may have taken decades to reach that point.
People that have good fortune are ones that won the lottery. Lol
BTW the fact that all of us are in America is the greatest fortune because no other place gives you the same opportunity for success.
And yes, just being born in America or being able to come to America is luck.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,839
Likes: 4,107
From: Maryland
So do you think when you see a 20 second video clip of a homeless encampment in a California city [or ANY city, for that matter] in a park, or on 1/2 of a block, that clip is a fair representation of what the entire city looks like??? C'mon - you can't really think this.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,491
Likes: 386
From: ON/NY
He was lucky that Steve Jobs was dumb enough to delay Western medicine for his cancer....and Cook was very very lucky in that he took over when the cell phone industry was poised for a massive explosion in growth...it was perfect timing... all of the "hardworking" stuff is so overblown...of course hard work is super important, but many downplay how much timing, luck and risk play a role...Tim Cook should take over Tesla as the CEO
Thread Starter
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,521
Likes: 261
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Many homeless people like to stay on the West Coast, despite the impossibly high cost of housing, due to the mild climate (particularly in coastal Southern California) and the ability to live outdoors most of the year. Snow is quite rare, and thunderstorms, while they do occasionally happen, in fall and winter, are much less frequent than in many other places. Perhaps the biggest natural hazards are earthquakes and wildfires....but even then, major earthquakes are not that common (maybe one in a decade), and a wildfire can't take out your home if you don't have one.
Last edited by mmarshall; May 2, 2026 at 01:12 PM.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California
The homeless are only in big cities, unfortunately only the poor and middle class suffer.
Wealthy ppl live in suburbs and the ones that live in city, their kids go to private schools. In Manhattan, the luxury buildings all have private parks and amazing amenities.
It’s crazy to me to let a few people ruin the public spaces for everyone else especially small kids and teenagers.
I remember 1st visiting CA in 2006 - it was paradise. I went everywhere from Venice Beach to San Francisco. I still go back almost every year but many places in LA are terrible now. I have not been back to SF except to go the airport. Again if you’re in wealthy places, there is no impact but the ppl that need nice public places the most are the ones suffering and for what?!
BTW the population in NYC and Cali are decreasing that is with accounting for illegal immigrants coming in. Imagine a place like California losing people, how bad things have to be to leave paradise.
Wealthy ppl live in suburbs and the ones that live in city, their kids go to private schools. In Manhattan, the luxury buildings all have private parks and amazing amenities.
It’s crazy to me to let a few people ruin the public spaces for everyone else especially small kids and teenagers.
I remember 1st visiting CA in 2006 - it was paradise. I went everywhere from Venice Beach to San Francisco. I still go back almost every year but many places in LA are terrible now. I have not been back to SF except to go the airport. Again if you’re in wealthy places, there is no impact but the ppl that need nice public places the most are the ones suffering and for what?!
BTW the population in NYC and Cali are decreasing that is with accounting for illegal immigrants coming in. Imagine a place like California losing people, how bad things have to be to leave paradise.
A lot of these people are not just on drugs but are mentally ill, so pushing them out and jailing them is probably not a good solution
He was lucky that Steve Jobs was dumb enough to delay Western medicine for his cancer....and Cook was very very lucky in that he took over when the cell phone industry was poised for a massive explosion in growth...it was perfect timing... all of the "hardworking" stuff is so overblown...of course hard work is super important, but many downplay how much timing, luck and risk play a role...Tim Cook should take over Tesla as the CEO
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Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,491
Likes: 386
From: ON/NY
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,190
Likes: 530
From: Knoxville, TN
SF is baaaaaaad. There's always been a homeless problem, sure.
But for example, when we were in SF in '23 or '24 (ICR), we wanted to go to an inside rooftop bar just because they're fun and for the views.
We were staying at The Fairmont, now right around there it was nice and no homeless...
But this rooftop bar was at the top of The Hilton a few blocks south, and it was realllllly sketchy outside just getting from the cab into the building... Not good. Used to be a super nice area, I mean The Hilton usually isn't in a trashed area.
We did a boat tour and the very next day there was an article in the paper about how a group of thieves did a bunch of smash and grabs to like 12 cars in broad daylight, just about right where we were standing 24 hours earlier waiting to board the boat.
LA had a horrible homeless problem when we lived there... And it's so bad now these day that the cops don't come when someone gets carjacked sometimes. The one friend I made out there to keep in touch with for life was a neighbor who told me that all that happened right around where we used to live which was a nicccce area. We spent MONTHS figuring out a good place to live.
But for example, when we were in SF in '23 or '24 (ICR), we wanted to go to an inside rooftop bar just because they're fun and for the views.
We were staying at The Fairmont, now right around there it was nice and no homeless...
But this rooftop bar was at the top of The Hilton a few blocks south, and it was realllllly sketchy outside just getting from the cab into the building... Not good. Used to be a super nice area, I mean The Hilton usually isn't in a trashed area.
We did a boat tour and the very next day there was an article in the paper about how a group of thieves did a bunch of smash and grabs to like 12 cars in broad daylight, just about right where we were standing 24 hours earlier waiting to board the boat.
LA had a horrible homeless problem when we lived there... And it's so bad now these day that the cops don't come when someone gets carjacked sometimes. The one friend I made out there to keep in touch with for life was a neighbor who told me that all that happened right around where we used to live which was a nicccce area. We spent MONTHS figuring out a good place to live.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California
SF is baaaaaaad. There's always been a homeless problem, sure.
But for example, when we were in SF in '23 or '24 (ICR), we wanted to go to an inside rooftop bar just because they're fun and for the views.
We were staying at The Fairmont, now right around there it was nice and no homeless...
But this rooftop bar was at the top of The Hilton a few blocks south, and it was realllllly sketchy outside just getting from the cab into the building... Not good. Used to be a super nice area, I mean The Hilton usually isn't in a trashed area.
We did a boat tour and the very next day there was an article in the paper about how a group of thieves did a bunch of smash and grabs to like 12 cars in broad daylight, just about right where we were standing 24 hours earlier waiting to board the boat.
LA had a horrible homeless problem when we lived there... And it's so bad now these day that the cops don't come when someone gets carjacked sometimes. The one friend I made out there to keep in touch with for life was a neighbor who told me that all that happened right around where we used to live which was a nicccce area. We spent MONTHS figuring out a good place to live.
But for example, when we were in SF in '23 or '24 (ICR), we wanted to go to an inside rooftop bar just because they're fun and for the views.
We were staying at The Fairmont, now right around there it was nice and no homeless...
But this rooftop bar was at the top of The Hilton a few blocks south, and it was realllllly sketchy outside just getting from the cab into the building... Not good. Used to be a super nice area, I mean The Hilton usually isn't in a trashed area.
We did a boat tour and the very next day there was an article in the paper about how a group of thieves did a bunch of smash and grabs to like 12 cars in broad daylight, just about right where we were standing 24 hours earlier waiting to board the boat.
LA had a horrible homeless problem when we lived there... And it's so bad now these day that the cops don't come when someone gets carjacked sometimes. The one friend I made out there to keep in touch with for life was a neighbor who told me that all that happened right around where we used to live which was a nicccce area. We spent MONTHS figuring out a good place to live.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,190
Likes: 530
From: Knoxville, TN
I'm so glad we did it, though, just for the experience. And it was a very wise move career wise for him.
SF I've always loved but no I wouldn't live there either. It's just beautiful with the bridges and the landscape etc.. You can't beat CA for natural beauty that's for sure.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California
Oh yeah, overall we hated LA. Just too much of a hassle, you need a xanax or a shot or both after just driving to the store to get milk. I'd only live there if I were rich enough to live deep in Beverly Hills/Golden Triangle and had assistants to do EVERYTHING.
I'm so glad we did it, though, just for the experience. And it was a very wise move career wise for him.
SF I've always loved but no I wouldn't live there either. It's just beautiful with the bridges and the landscape etc.. You can't beat CA for natural beauty that's for sure.
I'm so glad we did it, though, just for the experience. And it was a very wise move career wise for him.
SF I've always loved but no I wouldn't live there either. It's just beautiful with the bridges and the landscape etc.. You can't beat CA for natural beauty that's for sure.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California