A response to the “if you don’t like it, leave” commenters.
When someone complains about Florida, or any other state for that matter, and other commenters reply with “then you should move to another state”, lets just keep in mind that’s not a viable solution for everyone.
First, if you are on any form of supervision, you can’t just leave. There’s a process that involves the cooperation and willingness of two jurisdictions. Some are on lifetime supervision. The bottom line is; there are a percentage of us who would give our right arms to leave but simply can’t.
Second, many of us have family or community ties to where we are. Some are caregivers to a loved one, some are parents to a child in school. Uprooting yourself is one thing, but uprooting your dependents is another. Taking an elderly parent away from the doctors they are comfortable with or moving a child away from friends they grew up with is not an easy thing to force on someone. Also, many are divorced and can’t expect an ex spouse to cooperate in relocating children to another state to facilitate visitation. Given the choice of not seeing their children or suffering in Florida, for many there’s no choice.
Third, many of us are dependents ourselves. Can’t find jobs, can’t afford housing, live with parents, siblings, or friends and can’t afford to just pick up and relocate to someplace they have no support. Sure, if you have an Uncle in Vermont who will let you stay in his guest house and give you a job at his furniture factory, great! You have an option. But if you’re going to get off the bus in Burlington and survive off the $1375 in your bank account, it’s not happening.
And finally, and this is an important one… some of us are intransigent and unwilling to be stepped on. This is their cause, this is their life. You will find gun owners who would sooner have a firearm pried from their dead fingers than give up their guns. That’s how some people feel about their humanity, their dignity, their family and their rights. To use a maritime metaphor, there are some that will abandon ship and some that will go down with the ship. Respect to those.
By no means is this is a judgment call for anybody who actually has the option to leave and chooses to stay or go. There are very valid reasons for both and every individual has their own personal considerations when it comes to making that decision. I only want to make two statements; if you’re going to make statements telling others to leave Florida, please remember not everyone can, and if you’re going to make statements telling others to stay, grab an oar and help us paddle!
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You are by far the most sensitive, intelligent, well spoken human being I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoy reading what you have to say,when you say it. Thank you, thank you for representing all of us! As for the haters and trolls, we’ll they will receive the judgements they so justly deserve.
And even if you leave, you are still on the Florida registry unless you can petition to remove, so what is the point? The old saying “You can run but you cannot hide” applies because one stroke of the keyboard and someone you live near in your new state, finds your past on the Florida registry.
I have major OCD and change is really hard for me and have even quit a job I loved over new policies that had a major impact on one’s quality of job environment. I no longer even know the rules for the registry as they change faster than I change my socks.
I go and do my registry requirement and otherwise wait for the next round of harsher restrictions with each new session passed by law makers. Something somewhere has to give.
But if you are not on the registry say in Georgia, you can use a pseudonym without risking 5 years of prison. Sure, a search suing your real name will turn you up on the Federal registry, but if you are off, it won’t show up on the local one telling people where you live. People say that isn’t relief, but these are the same folks who crow about essentially meaningless “victories” in court. They need to make up their minds.
Amen and amen. I have enough money to leave today. What I can’t do is uproot my kids, job, wife’s job, family and support system and go to GA. All very good points stated in the post.
I am reminded of Capt Bob’s view on this, to the effect of, ‘well I like it here, and state bureaucrats can’t get rid of me!’
This may be the best post in this forum I’ve ever read. Kudos to whomever wrote it.
Well said.