Some guys are willing to commute/drive long haul in a fervent quest to save on state taxes, but looking at that last paystub I see California withheld $10,500 from me last year, a sizable chunk of which I’ll get back (since they still allow work-related expenses, including union dues, to be deducted).

The thing is, living in the 916 area code also allowed me to legitimately sit short call reserve at home and not get touched for two months at a time. The area I live in has great schools, great weather, and a Prop 13 lockdown on property tax increases. When I do go in it’s a 1:45 drive, rain or shine, no delays or cancellations, and I always get a seat in first class. Throw in the couple VDOs I wrangled last summer (which were only possibly because I could be there in under two hours) and I’m failing to see the attraction of other options in a purely mathematical equation.

If you don’t want to live in California for idealogical reasons, I get it, but from a dollars and cents, what’s your time worth to you perspective I gladly wave the Bear Flag.