Dexter the Texter!

We know the guy, he is driving in the lane next to us, and sometimes he is driving in our lane. His head or eyes are looking down, with an occasional glance up to get his bearings. He is “Dexter the Texter”, and he is gunning for us. Dexter is engrossed in some meaningless conversation, when BAM! He rear-ends the car in front of him because he didn’t notice that traffic has stopped. This is all too real, and there isn’t enough that can be said about the dangers of texting and driving, just wait for the next headline related to it to understand what I’m talking about.

Austin already has a ban against texting and driving, but it is a constant battle for authorities. People still text and drive as if it is their God given right, and new drivers are hitting the road every day. The new drivers are young, and like most youngsters, they hate authority, plus texting is in their DNA, or it would appear that way. Representative Tom Craddick recently filed legislation to ban texting and driving throughout Texas. In an article titled, “Bill filed to ban texting while driving in Texas”, that is posted in the Houston Chronicle on November 12^th, 2012,  Craddick says "Driving around town or from Midland to Austin, I see so many drivers distracted by their phone," Craddick said after filing HB 63. "These drivers are taking their eyes off the road and jeopardizing the safety of themselves and others. Writing a text or checking your messages is not worth injuring yourself or someone else. I believe a ban on texting while driving will help save lives." Craddick makes some great points, how many times has someone caused or almost caused an accident because they were texting. Talking on a phone while driving is distracting enough, but when someone is texting while driving, their focus becomes fixed on the texting, and not the light that turns red, or the child who chases their ball into the street. Killing someone is a horrible way to learn a lesson, and a horrible way for someone to lose a loved one. So don’t be a Dexter, and put away the phone while driving, and Go to Distraction.gov for more information.

 

TXID or Not?

In a commentary on Sunday, November 4th, that is titled “Texas Voter ID Law”, and which is on the blog “The eyes of Texas are upon you”,  Josh Cox states his position on Voter ID laws in Texas. Josh says that Texas should have a voter ID law, and he agrees with Governor Perry’s claim that not having a voter ID law contributes to voter fraud. Furthermore, Josh doesn’t believe that illegal immigrants should have the right to vote unless they are citizens. Moreover, Josh stresses how important the right to vote is, and that Americans fought for this right, and that it is equally important to maintain the integrity of the voting process.

 

Josh makes great points, and I agree that the “United States” should have voter ID laws, in order to protect one of the most important rights afforded to U.S. citizens. There are plenty of opponents, of voter ID laws, who fear that U.S. citizens will be disenfranchised. However, the concerns with not identifying voters outweigh the opponents’ fears, and illegal voters are less likely to be informed about the issues at hand, and about America, and they are more susceptible to persuasion if they feel a candidate will be a champion for their cause. Besides, if someone isn’t smart enough to have an ID with them when they vote, then perhaps they aren’t smart enough to vote.

 

Josh supports his position with quotations from Governor Rick Perry, and the Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, which are made in the article “Reaction to rejection of Texas voter ID law”, that is posted on 08/30/2012, on the blog “Texas Capitol Report”. He provides a link to the site's main page, but not specifically to the article, which could be confusing. Overall, Josh does a good job of stating the problems with not having voter ID laws.

Mass Transportation is the Future NOW!

I love my car, and I love the freedom of the open road to go wherever I want, whenever I want, but have you driven through Austin lately during rush hour? Four days a week, I drive down South Mopac in the morning, and sit in traffic. I do allot of things such as sing, or listen to talk radio, or watch my fellow commuters (they are pretty entertaining), and I think. What I think of the most is why isn’t there a commuter train running down the middle of Mopac, and if Austin had a decent mass transit system, how many of these car jockey’s would use it? I for one would, but it has to be convenient, affordable, safe, clean, and consistent.

Private transportation as we know it has an expiration date. Gasoline supplies can’t and won’t last forever. Eventually, oil will run out, and then what? Without a solution to this problem soon, we could all be riding bicycles, or skateboards, or walking everywhere (at least we’d be fit). Anyone who spends time in Europe and experiences the transit system there will discover that we are in the dark ages when it comes to mass transit. So, we must become more aware of our public transportation needs and options now, before it’s too late.

Austin does have a light rail system, and I have ridden the train from Cedar Park to downtown Austin a couple of times just for kicks. But it is too light, and it doesn’t cover enough areas or the correct areas to really be practical for the masses. For one, stops need to be in high density retail or business areas. For example, the stop in Cedar Park is in an area with no businesses within easy walking distance of it. It should be somewhere closer to maybe the Lakeline Mall, or along 183. And, there is another stop on McNeil road, which should have been near or at the Domain shopping area. The problem is that we waited too long to build a rail system, so it is very expensive and all of the prime spots are gone, so we have no choice but to build them away from everything, and it’s only going to get worse. For more on this subject, check out this article by Lyndon Henry, “Austin, Texas: City's Urban Rail Plan NeedsMajor Overhaul”, posted on the website “LightRailNow!”. It is all about how Austin is missing the boat (or train), when it comes to rail commute.

The costs of building a realistic mass transit system are great, and will get greater as time passes, but the really scary question is “What Are We Going to Do When the Oil Runs Out”?  It doesn’t even have to run out, it just has to be on the decline, which it is. In the article “Has the World Already Passed “Peak Oil?”, Mason Inman of National Geographic News says this about peak oil., “The year 2006 may be remembered for civil strife in Iraq, the nuclear weapon testing threat by North Korea, and the genocide in Darfur, but now it appears that another world event was occurring at the same time ...  that’s the year that the world’s conventional oil production likely reached its peak …”.

So, we do need to plan for the future now. Cities will become more populated, private vehicle usage and drive times will increase due to congestion, and vehicle operating costs will increase. And, the investment expense of realistic mass transit isn’t too much knowing that it is going to get more expensive in the future.

What do you think?