STL thoughts

-Whoever thought that the city of St. Louis would be home to some of the most obnoxious members of the avian species? I suppose that since I live across from FP I get an extra large dose of the creatures, but it's getting a bit annoying. Not only do the birds start chirping outside my open bedroom window at FOUR AM, but apparently a woodpecker has set up shop in a nearby tree as well. Today was the second morning in a row that I've been woken up by the incessant tapping. Grr.

-With all the highway 40 nonsense filling our ears lately, I think its easy to think that the whole thing is a big unnecessary waste of time and money. I think there are better ways it could have been done, but here is a little example of why this highway needs help fast. The accompanying audio clip says that this shot is from underneath the McCausland overpass...right next to my neighborhood. Not very comforting to think that's what's holding up my car as I drive to the mall or whole foods. Yikes!

-The impending state takeover of the St. Louis schools has me thinking that, 1. it's been a long time coming, and 2. people probably won't give this new arrangement the time it needs to enact measurable change, but since the takeover is going to last a minimum of 6 years, it just might work regardless of public opinion. I think the biggest problem with the school district in the past 5 years has been the fact that a couple misguided looneytoons have gotten impatient and pissed off when things don't go their way so they wipe the slate clean and hire someone new. Something must change if the city is ever going to attract new residents and businesses and people can't ignore the problem anymore just because they didn't go to city schools or have to send their children to them. I'm crossing my fingers, but I am not holding my breath.

-I like to read this blog because it talks about lots of important local issues in a way that doesn't get super snarky or stupid or angry. Most of the people commenting have knowledgeable opinions as well. I think more people need to get a well-rounded view of the issues our city faces. I also think that people tend to focus so much on national and global issues because they are easy to prove your helplessness. But local issues are just as important as national and global issue, if not more so. Why? Because that's where people can actually change things. But there's also little excuse for non-performance, which would mean that we can't be lazy. And that's hard. But things don't get better just by sitting on your couch watching the latest TV drama.

That being said, I'm on the look out for some way to get involved in the local political/revitalization/bring the city back to its former glory scene. If anyone has any good ideas, let me know. And I'll be sure to recruit any interested parties when something cool comes up.