A City Divided and shows in City Council Vote.

As a residence of San Antonio since I was 8 years old, I came to realize somethimg about the city. That there is a disconnect between its sides and parts of town. That one side of town is totally different from the other side. Like small cosmic universe of a certain culture, the difference is almost like night and day. As a resident of the far East Side, you begin to feel that your city don't even care about you unless you drive a car and own a home in the Dominion.

This disconnect between those who live in side the loop and those who live outside the loop at the Thursday city council meeting. The council voted 8 to 3 to Denounce Arizona's new Immigration law. Those that supported AZ new Law are the City councils are 8, 9 and 10. All Clearly these districts are out side of Loop 410. I don't know if this is a sign of thing to come for other things that effect the city such as development, law enforcement, and transportation but I'm starting to see at the public meetings on certain sides of town. At the South side Smartways SA meeting on June 23, I was told by almost all who attended was that "enough! don't ride the bus, we do and that should be shown in the number of bus routes and services provided on the South Side." These attitudes and feeling in my opinion have been dormant for decades and are only now coming to the surface. With a new Generation coming of age and demanding to live with in the center of the cities themselves, It only a matter of time that we'll see the South Side Become A power house just Northsiders as the North Side is today.

Already they are reconstructing the San Antonio River on the South Side to be a park just like Brackenridge. They are building the New Texas A&M Campus on the Southside. Also I've started to see more and more people who live on the South Side attend public meetings more and more. Although we lack bookstores and such, We are starting to have problems with traffic jams that are just unheard of in decades past. Only now are we starting to see the tide turn south.


http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/council_approves_resolution_denouncing_arizona_immigration_law_97100349.html?c=y&viewAllComments=y

http://webs.sanantonio.gov/council/maps/CouncilDistrictMap09.pdf

Smartwayssa.com

Immigration isn't so simple anymore.

When I heard about AZ new law, My thought was, "this is 20 years to late." And let me tell you why it to late.

Take Eric Balderas, High School valedictorian, and Harvard Student. He was here since age 4. Every morning, like any other school kid, he put his right hand on his heart and said 'I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of American. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all.' How is this kid any different from any other who was born with in our borders?

The Reason why AZ Law is 20 years out of date is because we have kids like Eric here who no nothing of their birth country. They are American as you and me. They know English and speak no different from others who they grew up with.

Until We enact the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act that has been introduced without success in Congress since 2001, we'll be seeing more and more people like Eric get deported to a country which sucks and have no memory of or don't speak no Spanish. That's Right, Mexico Sucks, why do you think Eric parents came to America?

The next time you support tough immigration enforcement, just remember, their are kids like Eric Balderas that will get sent back to a country that sucks and no nothing about. Why people want to send back intelligent people is beyond me. Now I haven't mention the ones that died in Iraq who are serving a country there not suppose to be in. Today, the Immigration debate isn't simple anymore. It not about sending back Illegal Aliens, but about sending back our undocumented Citizens.

Driving legally is getting harder to do

Today in the San Antonio Express News, there was a story on SAPD cracking down on those who run around railroad crossing gates and those who parked on the railroad tracks. It was an effort to inform people about the law and to collect some good old ticket dollars. This is response to 3 people getting killed because they couldn't obey the law.

But also it not just that, Last Legislative Session, several laws were passed to make it harder for people to get driver licenses.

In a state that requires every man, woman, and some children (teens) to drive here and there, maybe somebody should have shouted at this one sided policy and say "hey, they're idiots out there causing alot of accidents. Maybe we should invest in more transportation options." But no, it was "lets make it harder to make stupid mistakes by making young people attend drivers ed course this way those kids can spend there mother's money on a drivers ed course."

Also they are now enforcing kids, up to 8 years old to be force to sit in a child safety seat or shorter than 4ft 9in. When I was 6 years old, I was sitting down like a regular kid in the back seat and the safety seat was well history. And that was before we had air bags.

Is it just me, or is this state refusing to see the problem for what it is that there's only one choice to get around and thats by car. And if there is only one choice to get around and it turns out that it is an unsafe way to get around, shouldn't we invest in other modes of Transportation? I don't know about you, but maybe its time to ignor those who say we need more roads and instead say 'we need more buses, more trains, and more light rail.' After all, all those roads are getting clogged up with idoits talking on there cell phones.

Sources
Police issue tickets to drivers ignoring railroad warnings
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/police_issue_tickets_to_drivers_ignoring_railroad_warnings_95481069.html

Viewpoint: New drivers ed rules aim to make Texas roads safer http://www.mysanantonio.com/community/opinion/new_drivers_ed_rules_aim_to_make_texas_roads_safer_93466124.html?showFullArticle=y

Tickets loom if kids aren't in booster seats
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/motorists_now_fined_if_children_lack_booster_seats_95269799.html

Anger at BP and Obama Misplaced.

After over 40 days of the gushing pipe of Crude oil into the Gulf Of Mexico, we as a nation are frustrated and angry at the Administration and BP. But what is done is done, and things could have been done to prevent the spill, but not it's aftermath.

I have a saying, "It takes a dead guy to put up a traffic light." And we can apply this saying to the disaster in the Gulf Of Mexico. You see, the saying refers to the fact that it takes a death at an intersection to get a traffic light at that intersection.

The Story goes, 'One day after Mr Tim walked across an intersection that was known as a hazarded crosswalk by local resident. "We've been complaining for years to get a red light at this intersection for years" Complained Mrs Wallace. And now after the death of Mr Tim, the City said that it will begin construction of a traffic light by next week.' Sounds Familiar huh!

Now with the lack of equipment by the US government and the petty corporation that has the equipment, we now have a disaster that will change the future when it comes to drilling off the United States. What died was the Gulf Of Mexico residents and there lively hood. All parties can point fingers at each other demanding that they had this and that before the disaster. But that is thinking from the sidelines and after the fact. It no different saying that Tim Duncan Should have pass the ball to Parker instead to Ginobili. We can point to what should of happen but ask yourself, did you really think this event would have occurred?

Now with the death of Mr Tim, (The Gulf Of Mexico, Louisiana and other Gulf States) we can now put in the traffic light that some people were demanding years ago. Unfortunately as always, it takes a death to put in a traffic light.