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Comment by toomuchtodo | Hacker News Reader

Texas policy is actively hostile to women and the poor (healthcare, labor protections, etc). You’re probably fine if of means, and not a woman of reproductive age. Everyone else is existing in Texas as an economic human factory farm.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/20...

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/13/10-states-worst-quality-of-l...

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-miscar...

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-maternal-mortality-...

https://www.propublica.org/series/life-of-the-mother

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California is hostile to the poor. When median income in SF is $140K per household. A two-bedroom apartment costs $5000 per month. It's literally illegal to build housing for actual poor people who have jobs there. I know plenty of working class folks in the 40s and 50s here in SF with multiple roommates, because CA has effectively become a rent-seeking paradise. There is no future for these people. They will eventually lose their housing and either move to a state like Texas or become homeless.

I’d rather be poor and/or homeless in California, anywhere in the state, versus Texas. Especially as it relates to climate. Texas is running out of water and will only keep getting hotter.

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/13/texas-water-explaine...

https://www.texastribune.org/series/texas-water-supply-droug...

Wait... you're talking about a Water crisis in terms of Texas compared to California? You really should give Cadillac Desert a read.

Texas is draining their portion of the Ogallala, and are putting strain on Texas rivers, but California is literally a desert that moves water to its cities from hundreds of miles away... devastating communities and national parks in the process.

California is the world’s fourth largest economy and the number #1 state by population, they have the resources and the political will to ensure continuity of basic human living needs like water. I argue Texas has neither. I’m not here to change your mind, those who want to remain in the sacrifice zone Texas is are free to make that choice.

Data centers, solar panels, and battery storage belong in Texas, not humans, roughly speaking.

> California is the world’s fourth largest economy and the number #1 state by population

Texas is the world’s ninth largest economy if we include CA, and is projected to pass CA in population by 2050. Not really sure what your point is.

I obviously don’t love Texas. I moved away. I just think it’s a very reasonable place to live and we could do a lot to improve California by addressing our problems in way that Texas has successfully combatted them, especially housing and solar development.

Just ask that person if they've ever lived and travelled around there, and how old they are, etc

The entire state of California is in a significantly worse water situation versus practically any other state (much worse than Texas).

I argue California has more resources and is better positioned to manage their future water scarcity needs than Texas.

Citations:

John C. Morris, Jonathan M. Fisk, Megan Heim-LaFrombois, Franziska R. Baack; A comparative study of water allocation and drought in two US states. Water Policy 1 January 2026; 28 (1): 1–18. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2025.350

https://uswateralliance.org/scorecard-finds-that-most-states... (California is the only state requiring water utilities to plan for climate change; California ranks #1 on their scorecard, Texas #2)

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