Have We Become The People We Said Never To Trust?

Anyone who has spent all or part of their teen or growing-up years in the sixties will surely remember the famous slogan delivered from under protest banners flying high or tacked up in seedy apartments and dorm rooms decorated with day-glow posters of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.

Remember what it was? Come-on, sure you do. Here's a hint - it was one of the catch phrases of the hippies - the 'Love' generation. It went right along with, "Make Love Not War". And it was usually drawn with magic markers on rumpled 'used-to- be white', dorm room sheets.

Still nothing? Hey man you're not trying.

OK, last clue. What could the most ironic thing that millions of settled, responsible movers and shakers of today's society (us) could have said all those years ago to make us squirm now in our CEO chairs or heated leather Lexus seats?

No guesses? Really?

OK, well everyone who thinks they know the answer, jot it down on an old 'zigzag' joint paper and stuff it into the back pocket of those jeans, (despite the fact that they're three sizes larger than they were in 1968, and now fit a whole lot tighter) And even worse, you're not wearing them tight in the butt any more to be sexy! Then send it off to me in your old college laundry bag. Winners will be chosen completely at random by the judge (me) whose thoughts are likewise completely random (me again) and.... Oh forget it. You give up?
All right - well if everyone has guessed or is so stumped that they're about to give up and turn on the 24/7 'Bad-60's-sitcoms-all-night' cable channel's Beverly Hillbilly's re-run marathon, here is the answer. It was;
"Never trust anyone over Thirty."
Let me explain.

The whole irony thing slid insidiously into my consciousness the other day when I happen to hear a song that was pretty silly and pretentious forty years ago (and it hadn't improved with age) spilling out from the speakers of my Cadillac.

It was a little ditty called 'Signs' or some such title. To be honest I don't really re-call who did the thing back then nor would I recognize the singer nasally droning it out today, even if you picked him up by the scruff of the neck and bodily wumped me over the head with him.

But it was the words to the song - silly and naive as they were back then, that really started me thinking. The song, as I began to remember, was about how the middle class, up-tight, grown-ups (definitely not us back then!), had made up way too many rules in order to force their stodgy, middle class values on the free and uninhibited sprits (us - the 'cool' Baby Boomer kids). And even more insidious, the song reminded us Boomer kids back in the 60's, that the adults had put up all kinds of 'Signs' to infringe on the rights of all of us mellow, young Boomers, who asked for nothing more than to, 'let-it -all-hang-out.
As the still unknown pop vocalist of today sang about how the sign and the rules were encroaching on our freedoms and individualism, I started to get this unpleasant little nagging feeling at the back of my mind.

And then it hit me.

We were the ones who were now putting up the signs and making everyone conform. The signs that tell everyone what they can and can't do and what they better do if they know what's good for them.

For instance, the environmental movement which had started out as a quasi-religion of 'love mother earth' by free-spirited hippies in communes, has now been taken over by grim humorless bureaucrats who watch over things like 'Big Brother' and use a bewildering array of sometimes contradictory government laws to enforce their will.

For heaven sakes I heard only last week about someplace across our fruited plains where not only were you ordered to recycle, but you had to put your garbage in clear plastic bags so that the enviro police could make sure you were!

Whoa... Hey 'Bro' was this what the free spirits in the commune had in mind? Weren't we protesting the heavy hand of government telling us what to do?

It sort of reminds me of that great old movie from the 60's by Woody Allen. It was called Bananas and was about how a Latin/American freedom fighter (who looked suspiciously like Castro) changed when the 'outsiders' became the 'insiders' and could make all the rules.

As the farce, broadened into the ridiculous, I recall one scene where the dictator makes a law that everyone will have to wear clean underwear every day and they have to wear them on the outside of their clothes so that the 'Underwear Police' can check them daily.

Want another one we would have protested as infringement of free expression? How about a planned community that recently told a resident that they would have to take down their colored Christmas lights or risk a fine. Why? Because someone had passed a 'rule' that all Christmas lights had to be white! (I wonder if they not only require underwear to be worn on the outside, but mandate that it must be white as well !!) Hummm. Are we seeing a pattern here?

Or take the government itself. Now I know that I wasn't so stoned that I don't remember those protests. The ones where all we wanted was to get the government out of our lives and off of our back - right?

Now it seem like we've not just invited them to tell us what to do, but are demanding it ! You know the drill. "Why doesn't the government do something about this or "we need a law that says...." Ah uh.

There are underwear laws and white light rules in our futures folks.

Now don't get me wrong - I know that a lot of these laws and regulations have been put in place "for our own good". But wasn't that what an older generation told us forty years ago?
Ah well, maybe we should just shrug our collective shoulders, light some sandalwood incense, pass around the old bong pipe and just chalk it up to just another 'sign' of the times.

Peace dude.



"Shadow of Inocence" - Rick Wasley



http://www.kunati.com

http://www.kunati.com/shadow-of-innocence-hip-myster/
Ric Wasley has spent almost forty years wandering through corporate board rooms and honky-tonk bars. He now divides his time between writing mystery novels - Shadow or Innocence - A McCarthy Family Mystery - Published by Kunati, http://www.kunati.com , and observing the really 'juicy parts' of the human condition.

Considering Florida For Retirement: Part 3

Note: This is Part 3 of a 3 part article on Florida and its many different regions for retirement.

In Part 1 we laid out the basic facts about the Sunshine State and Part 2 we had descriptions of 8 different regions of Florida (my definitions):

- Panhandle
- Northeast Atlantic
- Mid-Atlantic – The Space Coast
- Central Florida
- South Atlantic
- Middle Gulf – The Nature Coast
- South Gulf Coast
- The Keys

In this article which I'll will call Retirement 303, I will provide my opinion about the pluses and minuses of these regions, and why certain ones might appeal more to different people.

Please note this is not a scientific study, merely a collection of opinions. These areas are quite large, so generalizing is definitely a hazard – there will be exceptions to everything.

The state is so big that people who can warm up to the idea of living in Florida could be happy in many, if not all, parts of the state.

1. Panhandle:
This area goes from Pensacola in the west to Tallahassee (Florida’s Capital) and the Big Bend Area. Much of the population is situated along the coast in the west, while the coast is almost totally unpopulated for a huge distance between Carrabelle and Homasassa Springs to the south. The non-coastal region is similar in terrain and feel to southern Georgia.

Pros
Long Coastline
Many Bays
Moderate Home Prices

Cons
Hurricane History
Spring Breakers
Coldest winter weather in Florida (but not that cold)
Not so great airline travel options

Who Might like living in the Panhandle
The area around Pensacola and Panama City has many military bases, so it is obviously very attractive to military retirees.
People who like beaches and boating will have plenty to do in the Panhandle.


2. Northeast Atlantic
Butting up against southeastern Georgia, this part of the state has the huge Jacksonville Metro and then goes down the coast with quite a variety of different towns – from posh Ponte Vedra to rough and tumble Daytona Beach. Jacksonville is like many other fast-growing American cities, although it is in Florida it could fit in anywhere.

Pros
Big city with major sports and culture
Beaches and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean
History around St. Augustine
Many developments to choose from
Reasonable home prices in many communities

Cons
Crime and traffic in Jacksonville
Snowbirds might be disappointed with cooler winter temps

Who Might like living in the North Atlantic part of Florida:
Jacksonville area multi-generational communities offers a way to live near children/grandchildren
Golfers will find plenty of courses including some very high end ones in Ponte Vedra.
St. Augustine offers history


3. Mid-Atlantic – The Space Coast
The central coast of Florida might offer the least traffic and congestion of Florida’s Atlantic coastline. It has beautiful barrier islands, plenty of birds to watch, and a lower key way of life.

Pros
Less traffic and congestion
Access to nature
Affordable real estate prices

Cons
No big towns nearby
Winter ocean is cold
Medical care

Who Might enjoy living on the Space Coast:
People who are looking for a less congested, slower way of life away from big towns and cities but close to beaches might enjoy a Space Coast retirement.


4. Central Florida
The region we define as Central Florida goes from Gainesville in the north all the way through Orlando and down to Sebring. It is a relatively flat interior region with many lakes, along with the giant Ocala National Forest.

Pros
Some of the most inexpensive real estate in the U.S.
A choice of hundreds of 55+ communities, some of them very big
Opportunity to live on a lake
Places designed to retirement towns, like Winter Haven
Quieter than along the coast
Orlando Airport

Cons
It’s a drive to the beach
The Orlando area has some high crime and traffic
Quieter than along the coast

Who might like living in Central Florida
People who want a very big active community like On Top of the World or The Villages.
Bargain hunters will find the best deals in Florida.
Folks who prefer the country to the coast, including horse lovers who might gravitate to the Ocala area.


5. South Atlantic Florida
The region I'm talking about is the Atlantic coast of Florida beginning in about Stuart and going south to Miami. This part of the coast certainly has the warmest winters. It is also the most congested, and offers the greatest variety of towns to live in. From the poor cousin Pompano Beach to Rolls Royce-afflicted Palm Beach, there are many towns to choose from. Miami is one of the most unusual and complex cities in the world. It has an Art Deco tourist section on the beach, super-affluent islands, ethnic neighborhoods and culture, a thriving international business community, and quiet neighborhoods for retirees.

Pros
Warmest winters
Great variety of towns and communities
Culture
Mass transit, big airports, cruise ship departures

Cons
Higher real estate costs
Traffic
Congested
Hurricane threats

Who Might like living in the South Atlantic part of Florida
Originally, and this is still somewhat true, the east coast of Florida attracted snowbirds from the Northeast – New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey. If you are used to a fast-paced lifestyle, attention to status, and a strong interest in things cultural, this might be the place for you.


6. Middle Gulf – The Nature Coast
Starting below Tallahassee the west coast of Florida is sparsely populated and eventually ends in the bustling Metro of St. Pete/Clearwater/Tampa. The beaches aren’t generally as well developed or populated as elsewhere in the state.

Pros
Less populated and developed
Lower prices
Nature is less disturbed

Cons
It is not generally that exciting
Fewer choices in towns and communities

Who Might like living on the Nature Coast
People who like less development and more access to nature (like the Suwanee River or an an undeveloped coast) will enjoy this area. So it appeals to those who are looking for a quiet, as well as inexpensive, place to live.


7. South Gulf Coast
For our purposes this region starts with St. Petersburg and eventually ends in Marco Island, just above the Everglades. It includes the huge St.Pete/Tampa/Clearwater Metro, sophisticated Sarasota, sprawling Ft. Myers, and chi-chi Naples. The beaches are fantastic, such as those on Sanibel or the Keys off Sarasota. There are also dozens of little towns with a low profile.

Pros
Fabulous beaches
Warm winters
Tremendous choice of towns and active communities
Wide range of where to live – from big to small
Like most of Florida, great boating, fishing, golf
Culture

Cons
A history of hurricanes
Traffic and congestion
Suburban sprawl

Who Might like living on the South Gulf Coast
As the East Coast of FL was traditionally populated with northeasterners, so is the West Coast home more often to midwesterners. Lots of retirees here followed their friends down here from western Pennsylvania, the Midwest, Canada, and West Virginia. As a result many communities have a more laid back, less frenetic pace. As just about everywhere in Florida, if you like golf, fishing, going to the beach, and shopping, you will have found your retirement heaven.


8.The Keys
Our final district starts in the Everglades below Miami and ends in Key West, the Bohemian center 90 miles from Cuba that locals refer to as Paradise. Along the way are many narrow keys, some of which host small towns and bigger ones that are home to Islamorada and Marathon. This area is about as different from Florida (and the rest of the U.S.) as it could be.
Pros
Warmest winters of all
Arguably the best fishing in U.S.
A boating paradise
Ultra-relaxed
The Keys and Key West are unique in many ways

Cons
Some of highest real estate prices in FL
A hassle to drive to the mainland
Mandatory hurricane evacuations
Sophisticated medical care is a long ways away

Who might like living in the Keys
A lot of people who live here are escaping from somewhere else. Or they are obsessed with fishing, boating, or an artistic lifestyle. Or they want a very relaxed lifestyle where shoes and shirts are optional, or where you spend more time on your bike than you do your car.


Summary
Florida has just about something for everybody, except for cold winters and mountains. Its different regions are diverse and worth exploring to find which one offers you the best fit. There is no substitute for getting out and exploring different areas and towns to see what you like and don’t like firsthand.


Resouces
Part 1
Part 2
Directory of Florida Towns and Active Communities


Comments: I hope you have enjoyed this rundown of Florida by region. I would love to hear your reactions, agreements, and disagreements with these assessments. Please let me know in the Comments section below.




View the original article here

Consider Florida For Retirement: Part 2

Note: This is Part 2 of a 3 Part series.  In Part 1 we laid out the basic facts about the Sunshine State and divided it into 8 different regions.  Now we'll get a little more discriptive about each of those regions. 

Panhandle

First, in Florida’s Panhandle on the Gulf of Mexico you will find towns like Panama City and Pensacola. Both are relatively low key, lower cost, and very popular with retirees. Panama City has a reputation for attracting spring breakers in the springtime. Since there is several large military bases in the area, many military retirees have decided to retire here. There are great beaches here and numerous bays – fishing and boating are topnotch.

At the start of the Panhandle in the “Big Bend Area” is Tallahassee, a completely different kind of place. A college town, it is home to both Florida State Univ. and Florida A & M. Also the state’s capital, it is considered one of the more liberal enclaves in the state (although people who view themselves as conservatives will find like-minded people too). Though not on the water, it is only an hour’s drive to very peaceful areas of the Gulf, such as Apalachicola.

The real estate market is relatively stable and slightly below the state median price. Traffic can be bad. Winters are mild. Although there is an occasional frost, the prime vegetable growing season is winter.

Northeast Florida – Jacksonville to Daytona Beach

Jacksonville is one of Florida’s 3 big urban areas, along with Tampa/St. Pete and Miami. This one tends to attract the youngest residents. There are huge suburbs and new developments. Some of these include neighborhoods for families with children, along with others designed for the 55+ crowd, an approach that is attractive to many who want to retire near their grandchildren.

Going east from the city, Jacksonville Beach offers many little neighborhoods on the beach. Jacksonville has a great airport and some of the country’s top medical facilities.

As one goes south along the beach you run into very wealthy enclaves like Ponte Vedra, home to many famous and/or wealthy people.  Historic St. Augustine is an interesting, if touristy town.

Palm Coast is a massive development originally started by ITT in 1969. Now a city, it is one of the largest developments in the country. It has multiple neighborhoods and developers, and attracts families and retirees for the recreation, newer homes, and attractive prices. At $120,000, 2011 home prices were lower than the Florida median.

Finally there is Daytona Beach, site of the famed speedway. The city on the beach has somewhat of a checkered reputation as first a destination for spring breakers and now for motorcycle rallies.


Mid Atlantic – the Space Coast

From Titusville to Port St. Lucie, Florida’s Atlantic Coast tends to be overlooked. The traffic isn’t as bad, and the climate is a bit warmer in winter. Real estate is quite inexpensive, with the median home in Melbourne going for $120,000 in late 2011.

The area generally has inhabitable barrier islands that many of the nicest neighborhoods are on. It is quite easy to live very near the water. The bigger towns are on the inland side.

A drawback is that in otherwise great retirement towns like Vero Beach it is a long drive to the nearest big airport. Parts of this area were severely walloped by hurricanes in the mid 2000's. A significant percentage of the people who live in this area are retired.


Central Florida

Moving away from the coast there is the gigantic center portion of Florida, which runs from the college town of Gainesville (University of Florida) in the north to Ocala’s horse country, the major metro of Orlando, and on down to Lakeland, Winter Park, and smaller towns below that. The climate is different in central Florida – humidity is a bit lower and it gets hotter in the summer.
The area is filled with countless lakes – in many areas like Lakeland and Cypress Gardens it often seems like there is more lake than land. The housing crisis has hurt this part of Florida as hard or harder than anywhere in the country. It is filled with inexpensive active adult communities, RV communities, and inexpensive communities of manufactured homes. As an example, the median price of a home in late 2011 was $80,000 in Ocala.

Nearer the huge city of Orlando the selection of communities is more varied, going from very low budget to gated golfing communities where all the homes sell for more than a million dollars. For budget-minded retirees, we like this area. Real estate prices are cheap and there are tons of communities to choose from.

Check out places like Mount Dora and Kissimmee. Famous active communities like On Top of the World and The Villages are in this part of the state. Many people believe that central Florida is the most conservative portion of the state.


South Atlantic Coast

Stuart is not only a very cute town on the coast, it is reputed to be the northernmost part of Florida benefiting from proximity to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.

From here south the coast gets more and more crowded, going through retirement towns like Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Palm Beach, and finally, the huge and most unusual city of Miami.

Here in this region the ocean and the beaches are beautiful. One can find any type of community for any budget here. The Century Villages (there are 4 of them) are old-line, very large active communities dotted throughout the region. Those are fairly inexpensive, but it is easy to spend plenty to live in very exclusive communities like Sailfish Point on Hutchinson Island near Stuart.


Middle Gulf – The Nature Coast

The Gulf Coast is surprisingly unpopulated in its northern regions below Tallahassee. The first town of any consequence coming from the north is Spring Hill. It has a lot of communities to live in, most of which are nothing special. It is a short drive to the beach.

Tampa/St.Petersburg/Clearwater is one of Florida’s biggest Metros. Tampa tends to be the commercial center, while St.Petersburg’s island location and many nice neighborhoods and beaches make it more relaxed. Although has a lot of interesting neighborhoods rather than 55+ developments, the city is filled with retirees. Home prices are low (about $70,000 according to City-Data.com).

Going south from there is Sarasota, a wonderful place to retire for people who are looking for culture, restaurants and a vibrant community. It has active adult developments and nice general neighborhoods. The beachfront barrier islands of Siesta Key and Longboat Key offer a chance to live on the beach but be right next to a city. Sarasota proper has a more liberal outlook than many other places in Florida.


South Gulf Coast

Fort Myers is the biggest community in this part of the state. It is a diverse community in its own right – from a very pretty and restored downtown area to sprawling developments to a very long coastline. Real estate prices are low and traffic in season is high. It has a terrific new airport and active cultural life. Towns around it and south of here offer different attractions.

In Cape Coral anybody can buy a house on a canal for well less than $100,000, whereas Punta Gorda is strikingly more upscale.

To the south Bonita Springs offers great beaches and plentiful golf. Naples and Marco Island, the last 2 towns before the Everglades start, are the decidedly upscale parts of the state. Naples has a wonderful downtown and beautiful neighborhoods on the beach, plus very expensive active adult communities on the bay.


The Keys

Starting below the Everglades on the East Coast of the State the Keys begin on a series of mangroves. Narrow Route 1 connects them to Miami over a series of bridges and narrow coral islets, ending in Key West just 90 miles from Cuba. In most places the Keys are less than 200 yards wide, although the principal towns of Marathon and Islamorada are bigger.

While great for vacationers who love the beach and fishing, the Keys are better for younger retirees than older ones. That’s because it can be a long way to Miami for healthcare, not to mention the problem of mandatory evacuations that can come in hurricane season. Property values in Key West, the tropical and bohemian paradise, are among the highest in the count

In the next post, Consider Florida For Retirement: Part 3, we'll get deeper into what would attract different types of people to the different regions.



Resources:
Directory of Florida retirement towns and active communities



Comments?
What are your favorite parts of Florida? Do you think I have characterized it accurately? 
Let me know if you have any thought about it.

Consider Florida For Retirement: Part 1

There are people that “hate” Florida, and there are those that “love” it. Surprisingly, the people who don’t have a strong opinion seem to be a smaller group.

In Part 2 of this article I'll get into more about the regions and which ones might appeal to different folks better than others, but here in Part 1 I would like to provide a “Florida Retirement 101" crash course.

My objective is to help you understand this very large and popular state, which is diverse in more ways than you might think. You still might not like the idea of Florida, but at least you will know more about it.


First, a few facts

The 2010 household population was 18,800,000, the 4th most populous in the U.S. Median age is 40.7, higher than national average. Some 21% of the population is 62 and over.

Part of Florida’s geographic diversity comes from its unusual shape – it is both tall and wide. So tall and wide that it takes over a day to drive from Pensacola to Key West. Its different regions tend to attract different kinds of people, offering another kind of diversity.

Florida is the 22nd largest state, has the longest coastline in the contiguous states, and the only state to have a coastline on the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. It is a very flat state, which is one of the things that people tend not to like about it (Mount Dora, at 185' is one of its “loftiest” towns).

Florida’s median home value in early 2012 was $120,600 (Zillow), about 20% lower than the U.S. median ($145,000 – Zillow, or $163,500 – NAR). According to Zillow.com the priciest metro in the state for homes is Naples ($199,000) and the most inexpensive is Ocala ($84,200).

From a tax viewpoint Florida is very friendly to retirees. There is no state income tax. There used to be a tax on intangible assets (stocks, etc.), but that has been eliminated. Sales tax is 6%. Florida has a homestead law, Save Our Homes, that protects full-time residents from property taxes above the rate of inflation.

One of the few economic negatives about Florida is that in many areas near the coast, property insurance is very expensive. Many private insurers have pulled out of the market after several bad hurricane seasons, leaving the non-profit Citizens Insurance Co. as the insurer of last resort.

Weatherwise, it is a well-known fact that Florida is pretty warm in winter and hot in summer. Along the coasts you can count on very high humidity. In the interior it will be less so. Hurricanes are a problem everywhere in the state, but worse along the coasts. Winters in the north around Tallahassee and Jacksonville will have an occasional frost, but generally warm up enough in the day for any outdoor activity. As you move south winter temps get higher and higher. Key West is the only true frost-free city in the continental U.S. – yes, even Miami has seen a few snow flakes on the rarest of occasions.


The Diverse Regions

Florida is quite representative of the U.S. from an ethnic and political basis. It has every ethnicity and political stripe – in fact many of its residents, young and old, have moved here from somewhere else. As Florida votes in our Presidential elections, so usually does the rest of the country as a whole.


We'll break the state into 8 regions:

The Panhandle

Northeast Florida – Jacksonville to Daytona Beach

Mid Atlantic – the Space Coast

Central Florida

South Atlantic Coast

Middle Gulf – The Nature Coast

South Gulf Coast

The Keys


In the next post, Consider Florida For Retirement: Part 2, we'll get into some of the differences in the 8 different regions



Resources:
Directory of Florida retirement towns and active communities

The Top Military Recording Artists

OMG!  This is seriously bad.
I'm gonna go ahead a apologize ahead of time...

USMC Hammer

The Captain & Ten SEALs

My Morning Flak Jacket

The Dandy Warheads

Tank Williams, Jr.

Donny & Marine

Jeep Trick

Booker T. and the MiG's

M*A*S*H Mouth

Fatigue

Boy Slim

SEALs and Crafts

The Grateful Collateral Damage

Black Hawk Sabbath, featuring Osprey Osbourne

The Omaha Beach Boys

$500 Billion for Fighting

George's Thoroughly Good Destroyers

I warned you!!


Okay, smartypants ... Can you think of any?






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