Part 2 of the Great States Battle

The great Washington vs. Idaho vs. Utah debate continues this week...

 

Activities:

NC: Utah is a wonderland of outdoor recreation. Those mountains are good for a whole lot more than helping me figure out which direction is East, kids. Or if the outdoors aren’t your cup of tea, how about kicking it with Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman at the Sundance Film Festival.  Personally, I’m a fan of cheering on my Utah Jazz or listening live to the world renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  Growing up we always used to make special trips to Utah for some real shopping and dining. Utah is even the birthplace of Cafe Rio.  Do I even need to go on?    

 

 

JM:  Brangelina, ha!  I don’t see them getting invited to meet up with billionaire investor Warren Buffet and all of his other influential friends in Sun Valley.

KM: Did someone say billionaire? Yeah Mr. Gates lives up the road a little. And Nat, how is that seafood coming out of your big lake down there? Seattle has world-class food.

NC: Along with a lot of third-world food.

KM: There is a reason that the population of Washington is greater than Utah and Idaho combined...people want to live here! Washington is great from the majesty of Mount Rainier to the quirkiness of Pike’s Market to the water activities afforded by the confluence of the Snake, Columbia and Yakima Rivers. We also boast a Super Bowl champion team and I get to see Mike Trout (the Tom Brady of baseball) each year when he visits the Mariners.

 

JM:  China’s population is 1.3 billion people.  The population of the U.S. is 0.3 billion.  That’s 1 billion (say that in your best Dr. Evil voice) more.  Full disclosure, I have never been to China, but my gut feeling is that it is not 1 billion times more fun than the United States.  Idaho is less populated, that just means more space to roam.  World famous fishing and hunting, ski resorts, Craters of the Moon, Boise State football, a nationally ranked 4th of July firework show, and “people watching” at fairs are some of our favorite things.

 

Culture:

JM:  If you’re looking for diversity, well Idaho is probably not the place for you.  I will say that most of our population is hard working, honest, and kind.  My wife spent most of her childhood years in Ohio.  She has frequently told me how much she enjoys being able to strike up a conversation with a random stranger in the grocery store (apparently this would be looked down upon in some places).

KM: For better or worse, Washington is definitely the most diverse of these western gems. The left (West) side of the state is liberal and the right (East) side of the state is conservative. We also boast a large migrant population that brings fun customs and food. The LDS population is also large enough where I don’t feel like an alien, but some of the negatives of “Mormon culture” are curbed. In general Washingtonians are educated, accepting, and active.

NC: Of course there are a lot of white Mormons in Utah, but it really isn’t a bad thing.  Pot-luck party central baby! I love the friendliness and strong sense of community felt here. If you want culture, spend a Saturday at the Walmart in Ogden.  Or just go to Salt Lake City. 

Driving

KM: Did you guys just include this category to make me feel good about Washington? I mean the only negative of driving here is that when you go to Seattle you have to look at Obama/Biden bumper stickers. (You thought I was going to say something about traffic, huh?)

JM: Let’s be honest if you took away the 1J drivers we would be sitting pretty.  For all of those non-Idahoans let me explain something great about our state.  We put the county that a person resides in on their license plate i.e. 1J stands for Jefferson County, 8B Bonneville, 1A Ada.  If an idiot cuts you off, you can see where he is from.  If you see they are from 1J, you are going to let it go because you know that is not their fault.  It would be like getting mad at a foreigner for not understanding English.

KM: I do miss knowing which county someone is from. Even 8B drivers pale in comparison to the compassionate and law-abiding drivers of Washington. I mean, you have to be more cautious when you share the road with so many bicyclists.

NC: The truth is that it’s a dog eat dog world out there and our roadways are here to prepare you for this inevitable life fact.  Do you have to drive fast to avoid being tailgated? Yes. And do you have to exert a little fortitude when navigating rush hour? Yes.  But this is the kind of stuff that will grow chest hair on you.   Ok I’m definitely losing this one, but at least our public transportation system rocks.  There’s even free Wi-Fi!

JM:  There is only one thing worse than seeing a 1J driver in front of you, and that is someone with a Utah license.

NC: Newsflash Idaho, I’ve never been late to work because I was stuck behind a tractor.

Politics:

JM:  Senator Larry Craig tapping his foot in a men’s bathroom in an airport in Minnesota to solicit sexual favors, Senator Mike Crapo DUI, and Governor Butch Otter allowing Harley Brown and Walt Hayes to join in a debate that is so ridiculous it honestly had me thinking it was a SNL clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EocFjwaJNw0  I guess that’s what happens when you live in a state where one political party has complete control.  In true political fashion I will just have to fling mud at the other states.

KM: Well if Idaho is creepy and lopsided, Washington can boast it is revolutionary. It has been the leader in legalizing things like physician-assisted suicide, marijuana, same-sex marriage, some weird gun laws, and a high minimum wage. Wow, this isn’t going well for me. Utah, you would have to really screw this one up.

NC: Well that was easy, I win!!  Can you ever really win in the subject of politics though?  Truth is, I'm no expert in this matter.  We did have a state senator in our old church ward though, and he seemed like a nice enough guy.

JM: When I start feeling down about the complete incompetence and/or corruption in Idaho I just have to read about Seattle electing a Communist to their city council.

We all agree that we are blessed to live in a great part of the word. As you can see, all of our states have some strengths and weaknesses. Let us know who you side with for the categories by using the comment box below.

Bigfoot, Big Business, and Big Wind. Oh my!

Our family, in Idaho Falls, Summer 2008

The three of us grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Jared still resides there after temporary stops in Venezuela, Las Vegas, Pocatello and Boise. Kyle lived in Portugal and Rexburg before moving to Washington. He spent two years in Yakima, WA before his current home in the Tri-Cities, WA. Natalie lived in Ogden, UT for college and has since settled in nearby Clearfield, UT.

Consequently, when we speak of our respective states, we are speaking primarily of southeastern Idaho, eastern Washington, and the Wasatch Front of Utah. Our experiences may not be shared by everyone who lives in our respective areas, but we wanted to compare the strengths and weaknesses of Idaho, Washington, and Utah.

Jared (JM)---Idaho

Kyle (KM)----Washington

Natalie (NC)----Utah

In this two-part series, we present some categories today, with more following the release of the second part of the post in two weeks.

Part I

Climate:

JM:  It is important to understand your strengths and weaknesses, and Idaho’s not going to win when it comes to climate/scenery when matched against Washington and Utah.  In Eastern Idaho we enjoy fall, winter (4-8 months depending on the year), windy season, and summer.

KM: Yeah, you can sit down for this one Idaho.

This scene could occur almost any month in Idaho.

JM:  I guess if it keeps Californians out of our state, it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.

NC/KM: Amen!

KM:The weather has been my favorite part of living in Yakima/Richland. We get all four seasons but you don’t have to worry about slick roads in town. If you are into that snow stuff there are nearby places, but I prefer being able to go on a run outside almost any day of the year.

NC: Ever heard of the “greatest snow on earth?” Utah boasts its famous winters, while also perfectly balancing the other three seasons.  It’s like the holy grail of climate balance.  As an added bonus, I lived here a solid week before realizing that not a single one of my hairdos had been destroyed by wind.  

JM;  Since I conceded this category, I feel like an objective judge between the two states.  Sorry Kyle, it’s Utah by a mile.  When a large portion of your state’s population (King County) becomes clinically depressed due to a lack of sunshine you are not going to win best climate award.

Economy:

KM: Have you ever heard a kid who never even played high school football criticize Tom Brady? Well, I would be that kid if I were to say too much here. I mean, I don’t technically have a job. I live in a state where an advantage is no state income tax, but I have no income and don’t own a home.

JM:  Amazing how you can fit a Tom Brady reference into almost every blog post.  

NC: . Recession? Economic downturn? Forget about it! While the rest of the country was in the depths of financial toil, Utah still managed to bring in high-paying jobs and attract high-tech corporations to the area.  Utah was even ranked number one in Forbes’ 2014 list of “Best States For Business.” Newsweek may call it “the new economic Zion,” but I prefer to call it home.  

JM:  I guess it’s all a matter of perspective when it comes to money.  Here in Idaho Falls we have a lot of PhD’s and pick up trucks.  The Idaho National Laboratory, agriculture, and Melaleuca are the big employers around my neck of the woods.  Even Nat has to be a little envious of Idaho’s low cost of living, particularly when it comes to housing.

NC: Touche.

Weirdest Law:

JM:  In Pocatello a person may not be seen in public without a smile.  But my favorite comes from Coeur d’Alene:  “If a police officer approaches a car and suspects the occupants are engaged in sex, he must either honk, or flash his lights and wait for 3 minutes before approaching the car.”

KM: In Washington, “The harassing of Bigfoot, Sasquatch or other undiscovered subspecies is a felony punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc7U_Z83xbw

NC: Dag nab it! It’s illegal for women to swear in Logan.  Oh, and don’t even think about trying to modify the weather unless you’ve got a permit. (I’m talking to you, former college roommates who loved to agitate me with their incessant snow dances.)

State Bird:

JM: Technically our state bird is the Mountain Bluebird. 

The Mountain Bluebird

But we share that with Nevada, so we decided to have an official raptor which is the Peregrine Falcon.  A few fun facts: reaches sexual maturation by 1 year and mates for its entire life (typically 15 years), considered the fastest animal on the planet due to top speeds of 200 mph (322 km/h for our Canadian readers), and the word peregrine means “wanderer”.

NC: A state filled with wandering promiscuous poultry? I don’t like it.

KM: The Willow Goldfinch (American Goldfinch). Apparently we share this bird with Iowa and New Jersey. Is it ever healthy to have something in common with New Jersey?

The Willow Goldfinch

NC: Nope. Nope. Never. The California Gull is our bird of choice.

The California Gull

KM: Seriously Nat, not only is your bird a pest, it bears the name of another state!

NC: Yeah, they were really living up to that pesky reputation when these miraculous birdies assisted the early Mormon settlers during a major cricket plague. They managed to gobble up all those threatening insects to save the crops and consequently the lives of all those people.  

Part II coming on April 19, 2015