I could not agree more, David. I grew up in Austin when it was a wonderful, friendly, laid back, center of education and government. My father's family has been there since the 1870s, so my Texas roots are real. * The first time I made the decision to leave Austin was in the mid 90s after the Yogurt Shop murders (4 young girls murdered & burned -2 of whom I knew as toddlers), the rape, torture and murder of a young woman abducted from a car wash in downtown Austin in broad daylight, and my own being stalked repeatedly.
Searching the western US landed me in a remote mountain town in the Rockies, where there was exactly ONE armed robbery in ten years.
I returned to Austin twelve years later when my mother died, and my father broke his hip. Trauma upon Trauma has ensued. Here are some fun facts:
* My smallest dog's skull was crushed by an intruder in the locked confines of my "not-so-smart" investment near the "cool" Mueller (I liked it better as an airport). The police would not even send a detective in spite of the obvious evidence left behind. They would have come for electronics theft, but not brutal assault on a defenseless pet. ** Another of my dogs was pharmaceutically damaged by ruthless, egotistical, profit mongering vets. I prevailed regarding the outrageous expense of $5,000 in three days. That was the amount of time it took them to turn a 5 lb dog blind, while also taking a full pound off her body. It cost me another $3,000 to save her. But my little dog never enjoyed her life again.
*** In the best neighborhood of Austin, my car has been broken into numerous times. One year my parked car was stuck by other vehicles four times in 10 months in different parts of town. **** I was hit head-on at over 100 mph by a motorcyclist, riding in a pack on a scenic drive. He died, but I did not, to the absolute amazement of witnesses and first responders. ***** Both my sister and her husband have experienced hit&run traffic accidents. And nearby witnesses did nothing to help.
****** Large portions of the newly fashionable East Austin are built on old landfills and have huge methane pollution problems. Bet your realtor didn’t even know that helpful fact. Nor did they tell you about the displacement of generations of hard working families who lived in east Austin, building businesses, educating their children? No, they scurry to make room for dot.com jerks who live in concrete squares and who could never function without a device. ******* Another huge housing developments has been built on top of a chemical plant on north Lamar. These are just the ones that I know about and I live in the part of Austin that is true central. So, Erin Brockovich???
UhOh, don’t forget months of over 100 degrees, scorpions, poisonous spiders, poisonous plants, and poisonous snakes.
So, IF YOU VALUE HEALTH AND SAFETY, this is not the place. The Mexican cartels are here. Drug gangs are here. Child prostitution is here. The white collar criminals at the state capitol are trying to get gambling here. Forget real estate prices increasing, worse things are also increasing: Air pollution is increasing, crime is increasing, over 10 people a day die on Texas highways, safety standards for huge trucks are being lessened, no permit or training is required for carrying a gun, speeding is not reallly considered a crime (it can just kill, that's all). If a crime is committed, you may or may not get help from the police. The Liberals are weak and phony, the Republicans are ruthless, .... need I go on?
Texas "Tejas" means friendly. It is no longer friendly. Unless you are willing to risk your life every time you drive more than a few miles, you won’t feel safe. You will be sharing the roads with speeding, drunk or stoned, armed, overpaid and arrogant new residents who don’t know where they are going, who have no earthly idea how to drive without a GPS, complete a sentence without emojiis, or have an intelligent conversation… Your heart will ache with confusion and despair at the filthy homeless encampments, populated both by questionable sorts, as well as, good hearted folks who have been driven out of their homes by conniving realtors and developers, people who cannot afford to live in Austin, nor can they afford to leave.
Will I vote for Matthew McConaughey for Governor? YES
WHY? because he was born to Texas values AND he has the cojones to back them up.
Heide |
Santa Fe, NM |
Report Abuse