No need to feel sorry for me. I quite like it here. A place need not be defined by its government, and certainly not it's central government. I have lived in Northern, Central, and Southern California and the experience is quite different from one region to the next. While there are many things that may not align with my beliefs within the government and cultural influences, and this can be difficult to deal with sometimes, I can still get along with my neighbors, live my life, raise a family, and enjoy the extraordinary natural beauty of the place I live. The government tries hard to make things worse from time to time, but in the long run it is no match for the enduring land and people. Rural/small town vs. Big City is a better hureistic for me than California vs. Texas or some other state. I've seen the pictures that you post and California certainly doesn't hold a monopoly on natural beauty, but the mountains, coast, rivers, and forests of California shouldn't be dismissed just because of a government, or because of the degredation of it's cities.