Slick Vik

On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 9:22 PM, august948 said:

 

Not exactly.  We don't know what skills they bring, since we aren't processing them and asking.  Some may already be skilled at this trade or that, or at least have worked farms growing up.  But what most certainly happens is that most will gain skills and become skilled labor in due course.  Thus they are competing not just against high school dropouts but also high school graduates who don't further their education one way or the other.

 

It isn't the same lobby screaming about illegals and then wanting them to come.  That would be nonsensical, and I can assure you the powers controlling the Democratic party (and the Republican party) in this matter aren't insane.

 

We tried amnesty, remember?  That led to even greater numbers trying to come in.  The proof is in the pudding on this one.  All Trump had to do was talk about it when he got elected and the numbers trying to cross dropped dramatically.  That's because suddenly amnesty became less certain and the likelihood of deportation became perceptibly higher.  At any rate, anyone who comes here illegally should not ever, ever have the chance to become a citizen.  Maybe make them permanent residents and they will be in the system and paying taxes (if they aren't already).  And it's laughable that either party is going to use any increased tax revenues to reduce the deficit.  They're paid well to dole that out to special interests.

 

I'm glad to see you think Reagan was a hero.  Trump may well go down in history as a hero, too.  At least he's trying to fix things that the Democratic and Republican establishments both don't really want fixed.  That's more than the presidents in between the two, from both parties, have tried to do.

We do know, skilled workers who have decent jobs don't risk their lives going through an unforgiving desert. The ones who come are desperate and poor. For the most part they go to slaughterhouses, farms, construction, janitorial services, and landscaping, not exactly skilled work. The farming lobby is 100% not wanting a sensible immigration to pass, because they can get cheap illegal labor. I've spoken to a Republican congressman in person about this (my uncle is a donor), and he told me blaming illegals is a smokescreen to protect farms and like businesses that hire illegal workers.

Regarding amnesty, the greater numbers had nothing to do with it. Illegal immigration went up because of 9/11, when borders were shut. Before that, workers came back and forth seasonally, and border guards didn't really care either, it was an understanding. As far as becoming citizens, the party who did that would have millions of votes coming their way. I guess there isn't much difference between being a permanent resident and citizen, but if someone is living here for a long time and contributing to society, why not? To send a message they are lesser? That just creates unnecessary resentment. 

Regardless if extra revenues are used for the deficit or not, they are still extra revenues that can be used to help the country. You're making a talking head assumption. 

Trump will never ever go down as a hero. He is despised worldwide and by half the people in his own country. He's not fixing anything, he's making things worse that will make it difficult for the next president to fix. The countdown to his demise is on, either the election or Mueller will lead to it.

On 11/14/2018 at 11:34 AM, august948 said:

 

Agreed.  The point that's missed in all the rhetoric about immigration is that the job market obeys the laws of supply and demand, like any other market does.  Part of the reason unemployment has suddenly gone down is that we've finally done something to restrict the labor supply.  The reason we've never gotten anything done, from either party, is that business leaders don't like a tight labor market.  They want as many people coming in as possible so they can keep their labor costs down and reduce turnover.  Those business leaders control both parties via lobbyists and money contributions.

 

Allowing unlimited immigration, both legal and illegal benefits the wealthy and powerful to the detriment of the working and middle classes. No one has any right whatsoever to be a resident or citizen of the US unless they are born here.  We need to manage the influx of immigrants closely to make sure the average working folks are protected.

 

As for citizenship, if you've come here illegally you should never, ever be allowed to be a citizen.

The people who come illegally are only really competing with high school dropouts in the labor force. I do agree with you that the same lobby who screams and yells about illegal immigrants also wants them to come so they can pay lower wages and make more profit, it's utter hypocrisy. As for the last part, if people are living here and contributing, it makes more sense to do another amnesty so they are in the system and pay taxes, which will help reduce the deficit. Ronald Reagan the republican hero did it, and Bush Sr. supported it also. But again, business leaders don't want that.

On 11/14/2018 at 10:41 AM, cougarpad said:

,Also I firmly believe that when a person goes through the process to be a citizen they tend to have a better appreciation to be in the US, and also are more likely to be allegiant to this country and not the country they immigrated from.

I don't agree with this last part. People who get an opportunity to succeed here are thankful regardless. 

1 hour ago, H-Town Man said:

 

Good comment. The one continuing problem though is the mystifyingly high cost of light rail. Unless they have a pretty good rainy day fund, I could see them having to do a bond election to jumpstart anything.

 

The high cost is labor. Rail is built cheaper in other countries. 

Great news this will help metro’s referendum next year also.

On 10/22/2018 at 2:37 PM, samagon said:

my guess is that this is accurate. I drive through there occasionally, and as the streets move away from the bayou they go up steeply in elevation. go for a drive around the area, you'll see what I mean.

I got the seller disclosure it says house never flooded but garage got 10-12 inches of rain. This makes sense since garage isn’t elevated. Means it has to be elevated or rebuilt,

Any thoughts on 6715 park? Seems awfully close to the bayou but listing says no flooding. 

https://www.har.com/u/1bB7dC3d

On 4/30/2018 at 4:37 PM, wilcal said:

 

Looks like initial fares are right at $300 RT while United is asking $638. 

 

Interjet is also flying the Sukhoi Superjet on the route. They are one of the few north american airlines using the SSJ100 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Superjet_100

 

It holds 93 versus United's 4X daily service with EMB-175 aircraft which have 76 seats. 

 

 

The flight has disappeared 

Better question is how many ride the bus

Interjet starting IAH-BJX June 22. There is huge demand here as United runs 4 flights a day.

On 3/8/2018 at 6:11 PM, Reporter said:

V as in Vik, right? The troll formally known as Slick Vik strikes again. 

 

 

 

 

Nope. I support this project 

Single track is better than no track 

The reason the train stopped is because Lanier and his cronies turned union station into a baseball stadium instead of the train gateway is was planned to become 

On 8/30/2017 at 2:26 PM, BeerNut said:

1. good luck trying to get a hotel for months.  Will be filled with workers and people displaced. apartments will fill as people that were renting homes will move into apartments that weren't damaged.  there will also be taking on short term rentals while their homes are being fixed

2. Meyerland is going to look like a neighborhood on the coast.

3. I'm sure those with house over garage townhomes are feeling good about their purchases.

4.  some people will be extremely flood sensitive

 

What if the garage floods?

This was my uncle's house, so many memories. The last time I stayed there was in 2009 and the power went out. I had fond memories of this place as I liked its modernist style and most importantly my uncle and aunt who lived there. My aunt just turned 80 actually 

Thoughts on this article?

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/How-to-fix-Houston-traffic-Let-s-talk-MaX-Lanes-6832229.php?t=080f5754dc&cmpid=twitter-premium

Houston needs to get past the driving only mentality but it won't as long as powerful lobbies have the ears of local politicians

Beyond that the article is full of lies. Los Angeles, Denver, and Phoenix are actually investing more in rail expansions and LA actually wants to accelerate the process and convert BRT to rail as well.

Saying autonomous taxi will replace public transit is laughable and the biggest irony is the quote that says vehicles that carry more people take vehicles off the road. That's pretty much the definition of rail transit.

False. Anyone who says that the widening of the Katy Freeway did not do anything to alleviate congestion, or more to the point, provide improved mobility for thousands of people every day is either flat-out lying or utterly ignorant. It did not become re-congested because thousands of people every day decided, "oh, hey, there's a nice wide freeway out there, let's go for a drive." It became re-congested mostly because we've added another 2 million or more people since the project started.

Using the logic of the "induced demand" theory, -- we should not have added additional rail cars to serve the redline when the original cars became overcrowded at certain times of day. If we add more rail cars, more people will just use the rail line and it might become crowded again. Maybe we should remove some cars and force people to take alternative forms of transportation or ride on the bus -- We should not add gates at Bush Intercontinental. In fact, I guess we should eliminate some gates and force people to take alternative forms of transportation. More airport capacity encourages more people to fly, thus zero effect on congestion. -- We should not expand the container port at the port of Houston; that will just encourage more people to ship things and the container facilities will just get congested again.

There are many examples of freeway segments closing and no real effects on traffic, (pierce elevated) people simply take alternative routes. And comparing the red line is hilarious. A lot more people fit into one rail car than any automobile. Unfortunately wider freeways simply encourage more driving, especially in a town where for the most part the field is rigged to make driving the only option. You're seeing things from a Houston only perspective.

Yeah, I know it's a fairly well-known theory. That does not reduce its idiocy.

It's not idiotic. In fact removing lanes is an even better idea because this forces people to take alternative forms of transportations or drive on alternative routes. More freeways encourages more people to drive, thus zero effect on congestion.

For the love of God, please tell me our mayor did not really say he thinks adding roadway capacity causes increased congestion. That's even step beyond the idiocy of induced demand.

Fairly well known theory.

Half of those things listed are seasonal, including sports teams and to a lesser extent, theater/ballet/symphonies.

There are other events when sports teams aren't playing. Also the Astros and rockets don't intersect except for two months. What event does the galleria have? Skating on ice? Not a single one.

It's apparent you never talk to international visitors, everyone of whom eould prefer the Galleria to Downtown. Not one of the dozens of foreign visitors I work with every year has expressed a preference for Downtown. There is very little fun to do Downtown, especially after dark.

Sounds like your idea of visitors to downtown are your NIMBY neighbors. I've talked to many international visitors and none are impressed by a shopping mall. Those are a dime a dozen worldwide. And you're lying again. Downtown has theatre, ballet, symphony, rockets, Astros, house of blues, and other events that come through. The galleria is just a mall, like any other mall except it's bigger.

You are so funny, Slick. The Galleria isn't going to close any time soon. It's a tourist destination, and extremely popular. It's also a whole lot more fun than Downtown, and will remain so for some time to come.

It's not a tourist destination. The only malls in North America that fit this criteria are Minneapolis and Edmonton. It's popular with natives but there's nothing fun about it unless you like to shop. Downtown has infinitely more things to do than a mall.

Out of towners, and especially out of country visitors, love the Galleria. They do not like Downtown at all, since there's very little to do or see, and no one wants to go to bars every night. Never underestimate the power of a major shopping venue to make visitors happy.

You're wrong malls are dying across the country. I understand you have an opinion but it's simply outdated.

Deadmalls.com

Jesus. Next it will be triple stacked, no really this has been discussed for some Texas freeways since double stacked isn't the answer. The alternative elephant in the room can't even be discussed. The oil/car/construction lobby is too powerful.