Daily Archives: June 26, 2012

Orbitz, the horrible travel site that I and others stopped using years ago, is now sorting your hotel selections in different order depending on your operating system. PC users will get hotels at the top of their list that are $20 to $30 higher in price than those of you sing a MAC computer. Why? Because their research indicates MAC users will usually spend that much more on hotels. So, as public service to you, they will order your hotel options in price order based on your computer. I have no idea what they will be doing with Linux users, or Android users.

You can still choose to sort your options in pure low price to high price order. But this is obviously an attempt to trick MAC users into spending more money.

This is the problem with capitalism. At every opportunity they will find some way to sneak more money out of your pocket.

That is the problem of greedy capitalism.

Some Blogging Guy

As fees for driving on public freeways increase in South Florida, the PR people are out in force explaining to us ignorant drivers how fantastic the concept is. I was listening to NPR on the way to work yesterday morning when the PR lady was spewing one lie after another. I drive I-95 north every work day, and have for almost 20 years. I and everyone else on the road with me, know she is lying. She actually had the nerve and guts to say that prior to them squeezing all the regular traffic into just a few extremely narrow lanes, that the average speed was 15 miles per hour. Now, it is 45. The truth is, and by that I mean the true reality is she had it reversed.

I know, because I am in my vehicle experiencing it first hand. I am sure they have merged their statistics somehow and created a nice pie chart that demonstrates their “facts”. But they are wrong. Not just wrong, they are misleading the population.

Prior to I-95 Express, I could speed west on NW 125st, make a quick right onto the ramp to I-95, and sail onto the road, merging easily all the way to the left so that I could then pick up the turnpike.

Now?

First, there is the traffic jam on NW 125st. You see, the stupid red light on the I-95 ramp backs traffic down the ramp and sometimes three blocks or more down 125th street. Sometimes it takes several lights before I can even make the turn.

Then I have to sit and idle my way up the ramp to the stoplight. This entire process takes ten extra minutes most days.So, that is ten extra minutes of gas I am using, ten extra minutes of pushing pollution into the air. Good job guys!

When I manage to get onto I-95, it is one solid block of cars. It takes time and effort to slowly, one lane at a time, push my way left until I am in the correct lane, right next to the Lexus Lanes. My average speed is 9 miles per hour on many days, if I am lucky, 15 or 20, with numerous stops along the way.

The time for me to travel from the on-ramp to the Florida Turnpike is at least ten to twenty minutes longer than previously. Again, more gas used, more pollution. Again, good job you Express Lanes Ass Wipes.

Meanwhile, I-95 is falling apart, literally. There are gashes, uneven edges and just plain holes in the highway. And they have been there for years. Where the hell is the money they are making from this going to?

If I could get into the pay lanes, I would. Although at least two days a week they are going slower than the free lanes! But no one can, unless they enter at the beginning, in Downtown Miami. Everyone else is screwed.

I know I have written about this numerous times. I am beating a dead horse for sure. But this tells you a little bit about me, about why I dislike big government. This is a prime example. They screw up a free public interstate, start charging anywhere from 25 cents to $7 whole dollars for the honor of driving in the express lane, while everyone else suffers. More congestion, more gasoline used, more pollution into the air. And they go on the radio and lie to people, total bald face lies. Meanwhile, the roadway itself is falling apart.

Did any citizens vote on this? No. Did we get options? No. What are our options now? None. We are screwed and some fancy sounding woman is in WLRN public radio lying to everyone about it.

That is government.

Some Blogging Guy