Misc

Memo to Governor Martinez and Governor Hickenlooper of Colorado.  As a reminder for you, many rest stops along the interstate highways were constructed as a necessary service to the traveling public.  They should be open every day.  This trip of ours up to Fort Collins, Colorado had no open rest areas on northbound I-25 from Santa Fe to Colorado Springs.  On Sunday, there were no open ones Southbound on I-25 from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque.  And there are no safe crossovers to use the ones that are open in this peculiar system.  That system is having potties closed to save money while at the same time giving tax breaks to corporate America when they don't even need them.

I have to chuckle at the drama over these forest fires in the west where the media loves to show fire fighters standing around watching every thing burn to a crisp.  Yes, they save an occasional structure, but mostly they have little effect.  And to my knowledge those $30,000 apiece fire retardant drops never ever stopped a forest fire.  Nature will pretty much run things during times of drought.  Meanwhile the Forest Service is cutting their budgets to the bone to support armies of fire fighters who can do very little.  The only things that stops these monster fires are rain and humidity.