Forgive my sarcasm, as it is not normally in me...but it is the only way I can communicate the frustrations I am feeling...
We all know what potholes are, correct? Potholes are not a new discovery and I'm fairly certain we know the cause and how to fix them, right? I'm almost positive that 99 and 3/4% of drivers in the United States know the definition of potholes, what they look like, that they can come in various shapes and sizes and have a tendancy to fill with water (particularly if you have 6" of ice on the roads and the temperature suddenly rises). I'm also pretty sure that we all know the ramifications of hitting a pot hole and what it feels like being jossled around in the car, as well as that damage can be done to the tires, axles, rims/hubcaps on your car. And if you haven't figured out yet that when you are walking on a sidewalk and someone drives over a pothole filled with water, you will get splashed....then you have more important issues to address. Why then, are all of the things I mentioned above, that I didn't even need to elaborate on, considered valuable news?
I am not exagerating, I've just listed in that short, common sense description of potholes, the main idea of the entire morning, noon and nightly news in DC for the past two days. If you were unsure where I was going with the paragraph above...read it once more and I think you'll get my drift, but it gets better....
In addition to just making potholes the topic of conversation, there are hotlines so you can report potholes, pothole cams, car experts giving demonstrations and providing advice so you can call them with questions concerning potholes, and even a guarantee that if you provide an image of the pothole and the location, it will be fixed within 72 hours (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just an unnecessary guarantee and a waste of a picture).
Anyone from Pennsylvania likely has at least five potholes on their street (if it is a short street). Anyone in PA have 10-15 minute long segments about pot holes on the radio and on TV this week? I doubt it! For those of you who have at least visited Pennsylvania, and of course those of you who do or have lived there...do/did potholes consume your lives as it appears they should be consuming ours?
Ever hear of the power of suggestion? I do believe we are seeing it in action as the residents in and around DC have suddenly become obsessed about potholes!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Are You Kidding Me?
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2 comments:
I do agree with you. But in the non-Pennsylvaniaer's defense, you and I did all grow up in the state with the worst highways in America (a statistic that PA is quite proud of) so we are more used to it than others. Also, this is not the only place where I have lived that potholes are a hot topic of conversation on a regular basis. Massachusetts was the same way, however it was with good reason, I think Rob and I went through 12 new tires in the 6 years we lived there because of how many potholes consumed the streets-it was like they were out to destroy Betty. Many times you had to choose which pothole to hit because swerving to avoid one would ultimately result in hitting another. Ahh, another joy of having a license to drive.
I've lived in PA most of my life and even Erie can't compete with Eugene! I think we're something like 100 million bucks behind in street repairs! Fortunately, nothing will get done because people out here like to bitch for 5 years, complain for 5 more, discuss and debate for another 10 years, and then finallt take another 5 years to say they won't fix the problem because it's nov longer the same problem it was 25 years ago!!!
Rory
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