Driving in Houston

DRIVING IN HOUSTON

Everyday driving in Houston gets worse. More traffic, more accidents. Too many people for infrastructure of roads. TXDot is always several years behind in road building area. The have never planned ahead and thus ending up costing about 10 times as much to build to catch up. Possibly the biggest mistake in Houston was not going ahead with the rail lines for the Metro system. Several years ago they had to chance to vote on this but due greatly to the influence of big oil it was voted down. Big Oil in Texas is king and what they want they get. In this case it would have saved maybe a million gallons of gas per day in the greater Houston area.

Now Houston is paying for it. Just a few years ago the Katy freeway was widened. Traffic wasn't to bad for a couple of years but now it is a daily nightmare! Part of the problem is that they installed a toll road instead of the rail system in the middle. When you look at the way the Katy area is growing it won't be long before this freeway will become the biggest parking lot in Texas. Commutes for many people will double making life all the more miserable. I fear the day when Texans become so irritated that they will start shooting at each on the highway. It is already a problem with many people driving as if they don't really care about anybody else or even their own life. Possibly the biggest problem is that many Houstonions can be classified as Brain Dead as soon as they get behind the wheel. I have had many people do things in front of me that I swear there is no functional brain in the person driving. This maybe due to many different causes.

Remember the evacuations for Hurricane Ike a few years ago. Things have become so much worse I don't want to imagine another evacuation in a year or two. It is very possible that half the people would not be able to get out just because the highways cannot handle it. Then again many of the poor and working class live in the areas of Houston that would have the difficulty getting out. Because of this our Governor and TXDot really are not to worried. Long as the rich which live on the north side and others areas get out. This is just the way things work in Texas.

TEXAS Hotter than Hell!

Yes Texas is Hotter than Hell in the summer!Most places in Texas are still so damm hot during the first of September that myself and many others are tired and cranky because of the heat. This summer has been another extra hot one. The sad thing about most of Texas is that there is no place close to really get out of the heat. This is true for the poor and the working class. The rich well many of them just fly off to the mountains when then want or they take vacations in other parts of the world where the summers are alot nicer.

I was raised up north. Yes I enjoy the winters but the heat of the summers bothers me more each year. Here in the central Texas area the public parks that are nice are so limited. On a holiday they are so crowded with people that can afford to go anywhere else that you don't even want to set foot near them. Much of this problem comes for developers and politicians in Texas who have never had much interest in those who are not of the wealthy class. Look at the Canyon Lake area. A large development paid for by tax payers money, but most of the area is dedicated to private property and clubs. Areas available to the public are small and limited. The other problem is the population of the area of south central Texas is growing so fast that it makes the problem much worse.

Last year I had the chance to escape to Alaska for a couple of weeks in early August. This helped me cope with the heat of Texas. Other years I escape to southern Mexico in the mountains for a week or two and this is a wonderful relief. Due to a change of employment this year I have been stuck in the Hotter than Hell Texas all summer. One thing to look forward to is not retiring in Texas. There are many other issue that make this a difficult state for many people to retire in.

You often see bumper stickers that say "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as soon as I could." Texas slowly grinds you down and may start with with what you think is a good job but many people who come here work for poor wages (far less than what other parts of the country pay) and no medical insurance. Texas has the highest percentage and number of people without medical insurance and our Governor and his friends will make certain that will not change. For a lot of people who come and work here they will find that after a few years they are still to broke to leave or move anywhere else. With this you have become a prisoner of the state of Texas and its very wealthy who control how everything is run in the state. Remember the big business owners in Texas need you to stay here and work for lower wages. How else can they make their extra millions of dollars each year!

The number one virtue in the United States is GREED!

Remember everything is BIGGER in TEXAS