Greetings, from one of the bluest towns in the bluest of states. Arlington, Massachusetts, also known as Cambridge West. Until ten years ago, Arlington was still a middle-class town with decent schools and a solid mix of blue and white collar workers.

After rent control was abolished in Boston and Cambridge, thousands of freeloading liberals were left with a dilemna? Where can we move now that our rent is going from $300/month to $2500/month? Why, we'll move to Arlington, the next town out on the public transit system. And after we move there, we'll bring our yuppie, pinko, Harvard ideals with us! Then word will get out about how trendy Arlington has become and within a few years, others like us will flock there along with all kinds of peacenicks, lesbians, tree-huggers, intellectuals, marxists, and other trust fund supported radicals.

Soon thereafter, rents and home prices skyrocketed, and property taxes rise in perpetuity. It has become impossible for a middle-class family to afford a home here. The Libs have now become entrenched in every facet of town government, from the school system to the selectmen. Diversity is now a key goal in every hire. Rainbow flags fly everywhere, and Subarus and Volvos roam the streets.

So why am I here? Well, my wife grew up here and I grew up nearby. I always thought it was a very nice town and a good place to raise a family. So we bought a home here over eleven years ago and got married.

Now I'm stuck! I have three boys, the oldest of whom has already in school for a few years. My wife is a stay-at-home mother,(has been for nine years) and President of the school PTO. I tried to get her to bail several years ago, but couldn't make it happen. Not gonna happen now.

There are advantages to living here. The location is excellent, only five miles or so from downtown Boston. Very low crime, as the exorbitant rent helps keep the rifraffe out. (Despite the constant chatter of the need for affordable housing) The schools are good, despite the leftist bent at the high school. We have neighborhood elementary schools, and we live only two blocks from our brand-new state-of-the-art school. The sports programs are well-run and organized. And on and on...

But the lefties are everywhere! The Deval Patrick stickers, pasted next to the Kerry-Edwards stickers, next to the anti-bush stickers, next to the rainbow stickers, next to the global warming stickers on every other car in town. With each year, it seems to get worse.

And so I soldier on. For a few years, I've been hinting to my wife and father-in-law that when he retires in a few years, we could all move down to North Carolina. Just maybe...

For now, I have Free Republic.