More About Laredo

Good morning!!

We'll talk more about Laredo, Texas, today, especially since it is right there on the front page of the newspaper. The Laredo in the paper today bears no relationship to the Laredo of my childhood, yet I feel that I must comment about it.

President Obama and President Calderon are there on the front page, smiling broadly as they have concluded an agreement which will allow Mexican trucks and truckers access to all American highways and destinations.  The Goody-Two-Shoeses among us will smile beatifically and think, how nice for the poor Mexicans. I am not a Goody-Two-Shoes, and I don't think that way. 

I first heard about this deal on midnite-gun-nut radio, which I  listen to in my insomniac hours, and I first heard about it ten or fifteen years ago.  This truck agreement was to cut a lot of money out of US control, by importing goods from China to ports in Mexico (instead of Long Beach, etc. in the USA.  Not as many people employed in the USA on that one, right?). Then the Mexican truckers, who are poorly paid by comparison to the United States truckers, will pick up those Chinese goods and cross the border without inspection or hindrance, and zoom up several massive freeways towards a central US port of deposit, from whence more webs will pick up the goods and head for the nearest Walmart, supermarket, or wherever they are bound for.  Do we or do we not understand that there are many many US truckers who will not get paid for this work?  And that the ones who do will be competing for the work at the lower rates earned by the Mexican drivers?  This is a business deal for the sake of Big Business.  Nobody else.  Like the China trade.

Back to Laredo.  This massive freeway will lead from Laredo up Hwy 35 towards San Antonio, then skirt around the southeast portion of the outside San Antonio go-around.  (San Antonio has two go-arounds.) From there it will rejoin 35 and head north by northeast through (but  not quite through) all those cities along that freeway.  I am a devotee of Realtor.com, and wondered for a time why those lovely houses in the towns of Round Rock, New Braunfels, etc., were going for such a low low price.  Well, I think it's because the owners had heard the distant early warning.  I would not buy anything remotely near highway 35 now.  Get out your map and trace a line on 35 from Laredo up to Little Rock, Arkansas. This is where the depot is supposed to be.  Nowadays, since the trucks can go anywhere, we have no need for a depot to switch over to American trucks which was part of the first idea.

You will notice that Texas is neatly divided into two by this procedure.  When last in Brownsville, Texas, two years ago, we noticed that the huge freeway which chops that city in two and has been in a confusion of non-completion for years, was approaching completion.  That freeway is to head along the southeastern section of Texas and terminate in Louisiana somewhere, but you know what? They won't need to terminate it anywhere now.  The truckers can just barrel on through all the states even if their wheels are falling off and their combustion is fouling the air, because they are not to be inspected at the border. What border?

If  I sound crazy or confused on this subject, I urge you to try on Google, "Trans-Texas Corridor."  In fact I think I will do it right now; should have done it before starting this garbled post.  Well, there it is. Wikipedia says that the one huge corridor idea was abandoned in 2009-2010, in favor of leaving the more traditional system in place.  Somebody figured out that, if we give up all the regulations, let Mexican trucks come in, willy-nilly, we would not have to have those big 12 lane superfreeways and toll stations.  Phyllis Shaffley was one of the people wailing most about that old plan; I would read her and reluctantly agree with her.  It was the end of Texas as we knew it, and have you-all noticed it? It's the end of the United States as we knew it....but of course, you've noticed that already. Haven't you?  YAZZYBEL who promises more childhood, sunny skies, and return to sanity tomorrow.