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#11
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What else would a desert be but brown, dusty and barren? It's precisely
because people don't appreciate it's natural, rugged beauty that we find ourselves in a water crunch. People should let the desert be a desert and stop trying to convert it into some lush paradise which it isn't meant to be. Agreed. I find the desert to be starkly beautiful, and love the mountains. I've always assumed that I would retire to the desert Southwest. But an interesting thing always happens on our return flights from the region. My spirits begin to soar as we start to hit "the green belt" -- and are positively tingling by the time we're winging our way over the incredibly intense greens of Iowa. There's just something about seeing colors that is wonderful, and that I really miss when I'm out West. Now, of course, at this time of year Iowa looks pretty much like the desert -- brown as far as the eye can see, except for evergreen trees -- and snow, when it finally gets here. As for the dirty part...Phoenix is no worse (and certainly a lot better) than many major cities around the country. What makes Phoenix (and other desert cities -- it's certainly not a Phoenix-only problem) so dirty is the lack of rain. During droughts, Iowa gets the same way. Luckily, we are usually blessed with a nice, cleansing rain about once a week, all spring/summer/fall long -- which really does wonders on the streetscapes. The homeless situation is directly tied to the weather. Makes sense doesn't it? If you're gonna be sleeping outside, why not go where it's warm? Absolutely. I've heard that the entire west coast of southern California is the same way. What a shame that the "do-gooders", in an attempt to fix some real problems, forced the government to disband most of the mental health system, in favor of "personal choice" and "freedom". How free do we think all those schizophrenics who are now forced to live on the street really feel? Been to Seattle lately? I seems to me that there are just as many homeless (if not more...) in Seattle and they are a lot more aggressive when it comes to panhandling. I've never felt threatened by anyone on the streets of downtown Phoenix...but I've had the bejezus scared out of me a couple of time in Seattle by people rushing up and getting right in my face for spare change. Shame on Seattle for not putting an end to that problem. Dunno why you think we have an over abundance of sirens. We certainly don't hear them much down here in the SE part of the valley. Maybe you just have overly sensitive ears? :O) When you live in an area of the country that has no serious crime, you get used to sirens being a rarity. Hearing them 24/7 when we last visited Phoenix was a real downer. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
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