lege courses count toward associate
degrees, while other classes transfer
with full credit to four-year state
universities. In addition, a special
task force coordinates efforts to help
veterans and their family members
attain higher-education opportuni-
ties in the state.
Food costs are comparable with
the rest of the country, and because
so much produce is grown in Califor-
nia, fruits and vegetables here typi-
cally are fresher and less expensive
than elsewhere. Many communities
have regularly scheduled farmers’
markets offering fresh produce,
“The open-
ness and
friendly atti-
tudes [make]
paying our
taxes a little
less painful.”
— Col. Don McCor-
mick, USA-Ret.
fl owers, and nursery items such as
vegetable and fl ower plants and even
small trees. Utility costs vary widely
depending on the service provider.
Unfortunately, California has
been hard hit by budget shortfalls
with the recent problems in the
economy. An April increase in the
state sales tax and higher top-bracket
income tax rates create one of the
highest tax burdens in the country.
However, the state also will get the
largest amount of American Recov-
ery and Reinvestment Act funding
— estimated at about $85 billion over
the next two years — intended to
stimulate the economic situation.
Col. Don McCormick, USA-Ret.,
and his wife, Michele, live in a single-
74 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2009
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