An object lesson: Low density is the cure for "road rage"

[Eric]

Jim's earlier post on "road rage" inspired this one... .

I left the house this morning around 10 to hit the gym. The gym is about 30 miles away, in Roanoke. It's a straight shot down US 221 - the major North-South secondary road that divides the county. Speed limit is 55. I can make it to the gym in about 20 minutes - mainly because the road is lightly traveled and I can easily run 75 mph almost the entire way there (with my trusty V1 radar detector, of course). Occasionally, there will be a car going slower; sometimes a couple. But it's easy to just pass them and continue merrily on. And I do mean merrily. Because I'm not constantly stuck behind a &$!@@ minivan with thirty soccer ball stickers on it (or a huge SUV with ribbon and flag magnets). I have freedom of action. Hence, little stress - and no "rage." The drive is actually enjoyable.

I contrast this with traveling half the distance on Northern Virginia's Rt. 7 - a very similar road in terms of physical layout (and speed limit) but which is choked with cars, night and day - and on which one's progress is constantly interfered with by breeders, geezers, the addled, clueless foreigners, the cell phone gabbling (or texting) teenagers... just maggots galore. And inescapable maggots galore. Pass one, there's another suddenly cutting in front of you and slowing to 5 mph below the speed limit. It's futile - and enraging. Traveling 7 miles on Rt. 7 often took half an hour or more.

Dealing with this every time you get behind the wheel is the fountainhead of "road rage."

Everything ugly - from "road rage" to pollution to economic distress - comes down to too god-damned many people. Density is death. It kills freedom, ruins quality of life. It makes rents (land/homes) expensive while keeping pay low. It leads to friction between people - and the inevitable proliferation of laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaws (and enforcement of them) to deal with it.

Why did this nation allow itself to be flooded with surfeit humanity? Will we come to our senses and realize that emulating China and India is not the hot ticket to happiness?

300 million is horrendous; 400 million insanity.

[Ken]

Jim's earlier post on "road rage" inspired this one... .

:::::::::: <snipped> ..........

I contrast this with traveling half the distance on Northern Virginia's Rt. 7 - a very similar road in terms of physical layout (and speed limit) but which is choked with cars, night and day - and on which one's progress is constantly interfered with by breeders, geezers, the addled, clueless foreigners, the cell phone gabbling (or texting) teenagers... just maggots galore. And inescapable maggots galore. Pass one, there's another suddenly cutting in front of you and slowing to 5 mph below the speed limit. It's futile - and enraging. Traveling 7 miles on Rt. 7 often took half an hour or more.

Dealing with this every time you get behind the wheel is the fountainhead of "road rage."

Everything ugly - from "road rage" to pollution to economic distress - comes down to too god-damned many people. Density is death. It kills freedom, ruins quality of life. It makes rents (land/homes) expensive while keeping pay low. It leads to friction between people - and the inevitable proliferation of laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaws (and enforcement of them) to deal with it.

Why did this nation allow itself to be flooded with surfeit humanity? Will we come to our senses and realize that emulating China and India is not the hot ticket to happiness?

300 million is horrendous; 400 million insanity.

From another country rapidly heading the same way - due to a useless and imcompetent government who see every sponging immigrant as another vote for New Labour, and sees every taxpayer as a gilded lining to their personal paychecks, gold plated pensions and obscene allowances - I say 'Give me back my country, give me back my freedom, but above all, give me a government that serves the people rather than lives off them like pigs with their noses deep in a perpetual trough.'

Ken.

[Eric]

From another country rapidly heading the same way - due to a useless and imcompetent government who see every sponging immigrant as another vote for New Labour, and sees every taxpayer as a gilded lining to their personal paychecks, gold plated pensions and obscene allowances - I say 'Give me back my country, give me back my freedom, but above all, give me a government that serves the people rather than lives off them like pigs with their noses deep in a perpetual trough.'

Ken.

Amen, Ken. I hear horror stories about the UK fairly often. Is it true there's a move afoot to ban knives now?

[swamprat]

I have heard that the Brits may be getting ready to throw Labour out on its ass. We'll see.

[Ken]

Amen, Ken. I hear horror stories about the UK fairly often. Is it true there's a move afoot to ban knives now?

Not a move afoot, Eric. It is already law - in fact I could be stopped and searched and charged with carrying an offensive weapon for having a penknife or even a nailfile in my pocket. We are, literally, becoming more and more a police state every day. Now our Muslim activists are demanding Sharia law - in a supposedly Christian society. Mind you it does appear to make some punishments fit the crime.

Ken.

[Eric]

Not a move afoot, Eric. It is already law - in fact I could be stopped and searched and charged with carrying an offensive weapon for having a penknife or even a nailfile in my pocket. We are, literally, becoming more and more a police state every day. Now our Muslim activists are demanding Sharia law - in a supposedly Christian society. Mind you it does appear to make some punishments fit the crime.

Ken.

That is insane. Any chance you might flee? Seriously. If things ever get like that in America, we'll either disappear into the vast, depopulated Northwest or get the hell out of the country entirely.

It's time for open resistance - there and here.

[Ken]

I have heard that the Brits may be getting ready to throw Labour out on its ass. We'll see.

Swampy, at the moment I don't think they have a chance in hell of staying in power. Brown has to be one of the most inept PMs we have ever had. At least Tony B. Liar had some sort of oily, slimy, greasy, charisma (spit) but Brown has absolutely nothing to recommend him in any aspect of his personna or ability.

My guess is that, like T.B. Liar, in a couple of years he will be over your side of the pond. Probably delivering lectures on how, single-handedly, he saved the world from fiscal collapse.

Ken.