There’s usually plenty of room to maneuver your shopping cart at the grocery store but every once-in-awhile, you find the aisle blocked by a person who is so absorbed with their shopping they have forgotten there are other people trying to shop. You try to get past them – but can’t, because your path is blocked by the parked cart of the oblivious person who hasn’t noticed you’re trying to go about your business.
It’s a lot like that on the road, too.
Here’s an example. A common example. An encounter I have literally every single time I drive from my home into town. Scale this up and it is easy to understand why traffic sucks everywhere:
The main road I take “down the mountain” is one-lane-wide for most of the way into town, which means if there’s a slowpoke up ahead, you are pretty much stuck until the road widens to two lanes at the bottom of the mountain. But – often – you’re still stuck because the slowpoke ahead of you doesn’t move over to the right lane when the road widens to two lanes. He just sits there in the left lane. This happens even when there is no other traffic in the right lane. The person ahead of you will just sit there in the left lane – often driving well below whatever the speed limit is, oblivious or indifferent to the fact that he is acting like a big chunk of cholesterol blocking an artery.
Following cars – if they do not wish to continue following the left lane hog – must then attempt to pass the left lane hog in the right lane. This can be difficult to do if there is traffic in the right lane. What often happens is a two-lane conga forms, with cars stacked up behind the left lane hog (in the left lane) and cars stacked up in the right lane. The latter cannot be faulted because there is no additional lane for them to move over into and – besides – they are not doing anything discourteous by driving at whatever speed they are comfortable driving in the right lane.
That’s what it’s there for.
Just the same as it’s not obnoxious to pull your shopping cart off to the side of the aisle and ponder the goods while other shoppers go about their business.
The reason left lane hogging is obnoxious is precisely because the left lane is for passing/faster-moving traffic. The driver who uses it to drive slower than the traffic behind him – or even the speed limit – is preventing traffic from passing and blocking faster-moving traffic.
The italicized text is important. Some of the people who won’t move over to the right lane argue that “speeders” are the ones in the wrong because they are driving faster than the speed limit. But it is not any driver’s job to enforce the speed limit and by doing so, all that is accomplished is forcing the traffic behind the left lane hog/speed limit enforcer to attempt to get around him or her using the right lane, which isn’t supposed to be used for that. What often ends up happening is that frustrated/annoyed drivers weave right-left to get around the obstacle in the left lane and this increases the chances of an accident happening due to the erratic/unpredictable movement of traffic.
Smoothly moving traffic is closely correlated with reduced accident rates and that is why people who won’t yield the left lane to faster-moving/passing traffic are driving unsafely as well as obnoxiously. To drive the point home, consider the unlimited speed sections of the German Autobahn (which by the way were the model for what became the U.S. Interstate System). Over there, not only are drivers taught that the left lane is for passing/high-speed traffic only, drivers who do not use their mirrors and get out of the way of overtaking/high-speed traffic are punished on account of what is likely to happen when a Porsche doing 180 MPH overtakes a Fiat that’s doing 60 whose driver doesn’t get out of the way in time.
The example is extreme – but the underlying point is the same. 
American drivers used to be taught to keep right except to pass and to yield to faster-moving traffic. Just as they used to be taught to hold the door open for people behind them and not talk loudly in public places. Such civilities have dissipated.
It is still the law, in fact – to keep right except to pass and to yield to faster-moving traffic.
But it is a law that is rarely enforced and a custom of civility that American drivers routinely ignore. Probably because the laws about keep right except to pass and yield to faster-moving traffic are hardly ever enforced.
And because the custom has been lost.
As a result, it is a pretty much daily-driving experience to find oneself stuck behind a driver who does not understand – or does not care – that he is making traffic worse (and driving less safe) than it otherwise would be if he (or she) would use the rearview mirror, take notice of faster-moving traffic and move over to the right to allow it to pass.
. . .
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Between the town I live near and a town south of there is a 15 mile stretch of road with few places to pass and few places to pull over – it’s moderately hilly and curvy with no real pull outs. The curves are not tight and the hills aren’t steep, and even my old Land Rover Defender with the mechanical diesel has no problem keeping at 60-65 MPH the whole way. However, TxDOT did one good thing – half way between the towns they widened the road from two lane to four, two lanes in each direction, for about one mile. And here’s what usually happens: I’m stuck behind someone doing 45 or so. As soon as we hit the four lane section, that pinhead starts doing at least 65, making it a challenge to get around him before the end of the four lane section, especially when I’m chugging along in my (maybe) 100 HP, two ton truck. It frequently ends with me cutting them off and flipping them the bird. And if I fail to make it around them, they immediately slow down to their earlier speed.
Hi Michael,
Yup. Same here. They will speed up whenever the road straightens out – and especially if there is a passing zone – and then go back to driving below the speed limit as soon as the road curves …
“…….consider the unlimited speed sections of the German Autobahn……… there, not only are drivers taught that the left lane is for passing/high-speed traffic only, …………”
Sorry Eric but this is not quite true.
While drivers are taught in Traffic School (a requirement in order to obtain a German Driving License) the Left Lane is for passing only, it is not for “high speed traffic” also. ALL drivers are REQUIRED to drive in the Right Lane unless passing. It doesn’t matter how fast he is traveling. Also, passing on the Right is prohibited. This rule applies to ALL Autobahnen – be it 2, 3 or more lanes. This means: one is not allowed to drive in the middle lane of a 3 Lane Autobahn UNLESS he is passing.
Not certain what the punishment is now however a few years ago, driving in any lane other than the Right and not passing was punishable by an 85€ ($96) fine and 2 points on ones driving license.
You definitely need to check that left lane well ahead of passing, and don’t dare go left lane if you see an obvious fast mover coming up. There are slower moving trucks on the Autobahn and this gets a bit challenging on the two lane sections – pay attention Amerikaner!
It doesn’t help that most government traffic “planning” is very anti-car for the last couple of decades now.
In the 1950-1970’s traffic planners worked to speed traffic by removing obstacles (aka ADDING capacity, widening pinch points etc). Unfortunately like most government, they are probably 30 years behind on demand. So they were always behind and late to the party, building for the problems of 30 years ago.
Starting in the 1980’s traffic planning started to change. It was no longer to add capacity and improve things for drivers. That’s when traffic calming, roundabouts etc came into vogue with those “planners”. Then they wanted to consider bicycles and pedestrians into the mix even on roads that those users would rarely or never use.
I know it’s not only my area where some 4 lane roads (two lanes in each direction) have been reduced to three lanes (one in each direction and a turn lane). So you now have roads that no longer have left lanes! Instead of adding a fifth lane for the turn lane, they just cut two traffic lanes……
I agree with the poster that the 55 mph law back in the 1970’s helped create the left lane hog.
The left lane blocker stuff really started with the 55mph NMSL where it became self righteous virtue signalling duty to stop people from passing. Joan Claybrook or maybe one of her fellow cretins of the era was even on the record supporting left lane blocking because it forced faster drivers to slow so they could weave through.
As to adding capacity, it works going from one lane to two in a direction but beyond that is largely ineffective except for making more on road storage of vehicles. The reason is it only takes one idiot to block the new lane.
AMEN. I was going to mention that.
Nobody ever complained about too many lanes in the road
The beloved (cough, cough) DOT did just that in one area. They inserted a turn lane in the middle of one particular road, so now no one can pass. It never fails: One car going 40 in a 55, with ten vehicles (quite literally, have counted going the other way) stuck behind them with no way to pass, and the slow car refusing to either speed up or get out of the way. The turn lane was supposed to help with the flow of traffic, but I fear they solved one problem only to create another.
Morning, Shadow!
Yup. In my area, it’s similar and they also painted over probably half or more of the legal passing zones that used to exist – so no one must risk a ticket to pass the slowpoke.
No guts no glory. I have been known to use that turn lane to pass near town – the 35 zone with the 26 mph drivers. I’ll report back when I get a reckless driving ticket.
Why is productivity never factored in? Adding 10+ minutes to every drive/ shipping because of “traffic calming” must add up to a real value of billions of lost taxable income every year.
Well-executed roundabouts are fantastic (and also enormous).
Unfortunately most of the ones I run into are terrible, and they are made excruciating by the fact that very few people know how to use them properly. (Hint: you should almost never need to stop, and you should only have to slow down a little bit).
I noticed that roads in the 80s started with these reverse camber turns, the type that would make you feel like youre leaving the road if you took the turn “too fast.” These have been extended from residential cutthrough streets to even urban arterial highways in some cases. They have a way of cutting speed by up to 10 mph.
I’m going to make a sign just like in the picture to carry on my front seat. It might read, ‘if I’m passing you on the right, and you’re reading this, eat a bag of dicks.’
In Gulf Shores Alabama the last couple weeks, I’ve been really impressed. Haven’t seen the same level of inconsiderate A-hole drivers as in Az. Even in Pensacola, with full on Florida crazy, slowpokeism doesn’t seem to be a thing. Noticing a pattern though with the crazies of a certain shade driving Chargers. Not inconsiderate, just RickyBobby like indestructible. Then again I feel that way in a Charger.
Ugh, we have the left-lane luggers up here, as well. They have the same, self-righteous mind set: “If I am going the speed limit, I have every right to be in the left lane, even if I am not passing anyone and have multiple vehicles behind me”. Situational awareness, let alone consideration for other drivers, is non-existent. On more than one occasion I have passed a left lane lugger in the right lane and given them a dirty look. Some get a clue and move over, others are so far out to lunch they would hit a moose before realizing it was in front of them.
Future article Eric
Prion driving by those that have been impaired by the transfections called “vaccines”
Hey Mark,
I do believe Eric has an old article or two on just that subject, not that things have improved much, if any.
Had to drive from home in Central WA to Seattle and back, yesterday. What a cluster you know what. Here a combination of bad pavement, not enough lanes, and moron drivers make it a miserable drive.
I’ll have to pick on unprofessional truck drivers this time. The drive back home eastbound at 1:00PM was the worst. After the mountain pass, the freeway goes from 3 lanes down to 2. Trucks play leapfrog constantly in these 2 lanes – miles go by as the left lane truck crawls past the right lane truck. There was one semi hauling an empty flatbed trailer that refused to move right, he was in the left lane for more than 15 miles. Friday afternoon is busy as the weekend warriors head east to the dry side of the Cascades so it gets crowded quickly yet the trucks hit the left turn signal and just move left at will. Two cars in front of me, saw the semi move left the guy in a car was run off onto the shoulder, boy was he pissed. No wonder road rage is increasing.
Completely off topic, but last night my youngest attended her prom. I did not know homeschoolers had proms, but they do. I received an email about a month ago from the HEAV with a list of local homeschool proms in the area and asked my daughter if she wanted to attend. Surprisingly, she wanted to. She didn’t have a date or friends to attend with so she went by herself.
She and I went shopping for the dress, shoes, got her hair done and the whole shebang. She looked very pretty. Now, my daughter, being quite sheltered her entire life, is very confident, witty, and suffers from lack of filter. I think that is the difference between a lot of public school kids vs homeschooled kids. Public school kids go through a lot more drama having to deal with other kids, who can be pretty mean. Extreme confidence during high school is pretty rare unless the kid has a steel backbone.
She attended prom and we asked her how it went. Come to find out NONE of the boys asked any of the girls to dance. She said the room was pretty much girls on one side and guys on the other, unless they were with dates, which most were not. So she said the girls started dancing with each other. I said “What did you do?” She stated, “I asked the boys to dance.” Her father and I looked at each other. I asked her, “How did that work out?” She said the four that she asked all said yes, but the first one ghosted her on the dance floor about a minute in. The second one finished the dance and disappeared afterwards. The third kept focusing on how tall he was, and she said the fourth guy and her hit it off and actually danced together three or four more times. At the end of the evening she asked (demanded?) that the young man walk her to her car. He did ask her for her phone number, but I would be surprised if he called.
I am at a crossroads here. I don’t know how I feel with a woman doing the asking and chasing. At the same time if the guy won’t, should the woman attempt to? Can a woman have respect for someone that lacks the ambition to put in the time to go after her and she rules the roost? What the hell happened to young men?
Mine is 45, successful marriage 20 years now.
No dating till they’re 25.
First guy comes around, gut ‘em, hang over the fence as a warning to any other horn dogs with bad intent.
“Dad, is this dress too short?”
“Well kid, ya gots to advertise if ya wants to move the merchandise.”
“Mom, Dad’s being disgustingly again!!”
She told me any guy she dated was scared of dear old Dad. “? – me, really?”
“Yes, between the guns and the Harley and your owly disposition.”
PS: if a guy makes it past the front door, make it a gun cleaning day. Various firearms spread out on the table, Dad in olive drab shirt, dew rag, sunglasses, Sky Pilot playing on the stereo, the smell of gun solvent in the air. “Ya like guns Sunny Jim?” “Well, do ya punk?”
I am afraid hubby would do just that. 😬
👍 🔫
LOL.
My problem is I am of the mindset that one should get married young so you are both working together toward a common goal and building a life.
I don’t want to have to watch her go from guy to guy to guy increasing body counts, suffering broken hearts, and becoming jaded. Find someone young, get married, work, buy a house, have a couple kids, make some money, retire and travel the world together, then die. Isn’t that the timeline?
My daughter told me that all the guys she dated thought I was scary, so mission accomplished! 😆
Hi Mike,
I really don’t want to chase him away. I would actually have some respect for the guy who willingly made it to the front door to date my daughter. That is hubby’s area. I want to play nice future mother in law. 😁
You do want to watch out for the Eddy Haskell types (cough cough).
“Well hello Mr / Mrs ……., gee what a wonderful home you have!” Meanwhile, off to the drive in theatre …
Even homeschooled kids are impacted by the society at-large, although to a lesser extent than those in the minimum security GovCo indoctrination centers. “Toxic Masculinity” is everywhere these days being touted as an existential plague. The “girl power” movement is what dominates teenage social media to the extent that society is marinating in it.
All this on top of guys having to have the courage to face rejection creates your daughter’s situation. Writings by Warren Farrell such as The Myth of Male Power and Christina Hoff Summers, The War on Boys, exposes much of what our matriarchal society has devolved into.
Be glad she may have found one man among the boys.
Hi Mark,
I am a bit surprised (although I shouldn’t be) that this has made it down into homeschooling. I just expected these guys to a bit more confident and self assured.
Hey Raider,
I’d like to concur with Mike’s point and add a little.
As a boy and young man, it was difficult to face rejection, but eventually I’d grow thicker skin. Courage in breaking that ice with the fairer sex was always necessary, but I came to have a little confidence at some point. It may be seen by men as one of life’s little ironies that though it is usually females who make the choice of initiating a relationship, it is the male who usually must initiate contact.
But that may be part of the test of worthiness, and girls who must initiate contact might come away with some resentment at their suitor’s timidness.
Unfortunately, it has been increasingly the case that girls have been made hostile to boys, being taught that any approach or “unprofessional” contact is tantamount to rape or assault. Courage to absorb a rejection is one thing, but this is an escalation that many young men might see as not worth the trouble. Then, of course, they’ll begin to unravel, as that drive to mate is probably more powerful than any other motivation in their lives.
I’m not sure that I’d expect homeschooled boys to be less exposed to this “feminist” hostility, but even if they were insulated from this, perhaps they never learned how to approach girls. Guidance is still very important.
I have a homeschooled niece who is quite absorbed in the far “leftist” ideologies, and I have difficulty dealing with it. Cool kid, too, otherwise, and very smart. But led astray easily, it seems.
On the other hand, one of my best friends dropped out in the freshman year of high school. In school, he was not an item to girls as far as I ever saw, being a short, poor kid. Out of school however, he became a regular Don Juan. I think it had something to do with the fact that he had friendly, gregarious parents, so he still had significant social exposure, and also had no problem bringing over girls.
Anyway, good luck to you and your daughter in this world. It’s not easy for today’s young people.
Hi BaDnOn,
Mark and you make valid points about today’s young men. Guy #4 actually reached out to her this morning. I didn’t ask what they talked about or for how long. I am keeping my mouth shut and staying out of it, but he has won bonus points from me for finding his cojones. 😉
I can’t speak for all men, only myself, but the fear of rejection is strong at that age. You’re supposed to be strong and all that but, you just have to overcome that fear. Not easy.
My wife was the slightly more aggressive pursuer in our relationship. Married now nearly 30 years. Ours was a set up by a mutual friend who knew we’d get along but introverts having trouble relating to the dating scene. The mid 1990s was an interesting time, old enough to know the Leave It To Beaver idealism but jaded enough to realize that’s pure bull.
I didn’t come from survivalist rural family but was even then big time survival capable libertarian, spent lots of time backpacking and did a NOLS course that changed my life direction.
I’ll be honest, one father did the shotgun and shovel thing when I showed up and that relationship ended up not going anywhere because the daughter was like her dad, a fake facade. The girl I ended up marrying had a father who was a legitimate bad mofo but he didn’t have to prove anything. A quiet but confident demeanor that commanded respect. I only found out after a few dates that he was a forward air controller in Vietnam, his O-2 shot down once, never captured. He died too young, just 64. I miss him as much as I miss my own parents.
Hi Keith,
Congratulations to you and the Missus. I enjoyed reading about your courtship. I am sorry to hear about your father in law passing so young, but am glad to hear about the positive influence he added to your life.
The problem is the men bad culture. A series of feminist catch 22s that results in doing nothing. Which in of itself may be considered ‘men bad’. So yes, women are going to have either do the approaches or send signals that can’t be taken back.
I haven’t done much swing dancing lately, but that’s like living in the old world. Which much of the reason I did it. It was safe to approach a woman and ask her to dance.
Hi Brent,
I always thought swing dancing was pretty cool. I was born with two left feet, but I loved the music of the 1930s-1940s…Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington…so good. That’s impressive that you know how to do that.
I was driving the Suburban in northern British Columbia on a two-lane paved road, a pickup ahead of me was driving slower than the posted speed limit. It’s been 24 years now, don’t know how that happened.
While passing the pickup truck, I saw an old man probably in his 90’s, driving the way he wanted to drive. You can understand that an old codger would be driving slow enough to be in control. Freeway traffic is another story. Have to have some forgiveness for someone who just wants to drive the highways and byways, the only place we have is this place on the planet at ground level to begin with.
Plenty of room out there, have to share it all.
Don’t hog the left lane, drive the right lane at the speed limit plus 10 like everybody does.
When you’re on your own
Out on the open road
Feelin’ like anything can happen…
And you run
And you run
And you run – Midland, Runnin’ Wild
Jackass yesterday was going 5 mph slower than me and drifting right. I move to the left lane to pass and he decides to match my speed.
Not sure what that is about, but I see it often.
Why Armageddon Sucks
Lew Rockwell this morning, quoting David Martin:
‘Estimates of Israel’s stockpile range between 90 and 400 nuclear warheads.
‘I would like everyone to ask themselves if we should be allies, or even tolerate the existence of a state with a “Samson Option” of rage-quitting and killing us all.’
https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/israels-nukes-2/
Israel is our misfortune.
I watched a video at Unz.com where 100 Jewish men were chasing one woman down the street, she was terrified. The morons threatened to rape her, kicked her, a police officer walked with her, then she was placed in a squad car and removed from the ugly scene the dumb Jews were creating.
Those 100 Jewish
menpussies thought she was sympathetic to the Palestinians.The Jews aren’t exactly the best neighbors. When you are hunting down a woman, that makes for more trouble, you are the problem.
No wonder there is so much Jew bashing over there at UR.
Probably because the laws about keep right except to pass and yield to faster-moving traffic are hardly ever enforced.
Because judges are more likely to throw out cases that are predominantly subjective. “Well sir, I was trying to get over, but there was not enough space between the other cars for me to slide in-between.”
Might be a case where traffic cameras might actually do some good. After all the main reason why speed limits are enforced is because there’s a machine that can produce a record of your speed (at least in theory) that can be submitted as evidence.
Maybe something else sucks around here… like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There’s a nice campaign slogan for somebody: ‘The Public Sucks. F*ck Hope.
– George Carlin was right.
He was taking about politics but it applies equally as well to their ability to drive.
Morning, BID!
You’re making me think it’s a waste of my time and money to convert my TA to a 4 speed (like my old TA, which got wrecked by a dude who ran a light and T-boned it). I have been gradually accumulating the necessary bits and pieces; not there yet but getting there. Maybe I ought to forget about it!
I thought I was cynical! Then again, reality is what it is…
Hi Eric:
My Camaro is back to a M20 Muncie 4 speed and should be out in a month or so. My advice is consider going for a manual with overdrive as you have a bigger engine and thereby it will be quieter and cheaper to tun on the Interstate. Lots of choices in OD manuals but some are pricier than others though.
Hi Landru!
My plan is to replicate what my TA would have been if it had been built as a 4-speed car. That means all the “correct” parts, including the Super T-10 four speed. Yes, I know – and agree – that a modern five or six speed would give me the advantages of overdrive gearing and allow comfortable highway cruising. But I almost never take the TA more than about 20 miles from the house and all of that is on country roads. I really like the gear whine sound of the T-10 and the way it feels. I used to own a factory-stock four-speed ’76 TA and loved it. The only reason I have the orange ’76 with the automatic is because the old ’76 got totaled many years ago. I found the orange TA about out a month after that and have owned it ever since! I love it, too. But I will love it more as a “factory” 455 four speed car!
LOL!! Sorry Eric – wasn’t my intent.
You’re a bike guy so you know how this works. If you want a pleasant drive free of idiots you go riding at the break of dawn in the back, less traveled roads.
It’s just the reality of the world we live in now. Do the “upgrade” to the TA – then drive it at the right times.
Even among the friends and family I consider sane, they are quite frankly , inconsiderate drivers that are basically unsafe with zero situational awareness and near zero ability to handle any situation that requires evasive action or god forbid, counter-steer.
I’ve given up on trying to influence them. If I can’t influence them – how would I ever influence the general public?
It’s exactly the same situation at the Scamdemic. People live in their own bubble and won’t be swayed out of it regardless of the circumstances or data presented to them.
In some ways 2020 has helped me gain some peace; I now know that a large portion of the public is sub-moron level. I now see them for what they are and deal with them accordingly.
“Dogma” will be re-released into theaters in a month.
George Carlin is at the height of his cynical powers in that film as Cardinal Glick.
It really is too bad Carlin was so anti-white. Anti-establishment, yes, but also anti-white.
Having a evening class and driving to work I witnessed a car swerving in and out of traffic. Got to school and it turns out a classmate was the reckless driver. She too was cussing the rest of us trying to keep out of her way. According to her she was the only competent driver out there. When I told her I was one of those incompetent drivers trying to stay out of her way she quietened up…. I reminded her that even with her lack of concern for others she arrived at school about 15 seconds ahead of me.
At least a slow driver probably stops at red lights and stop signs unlike most of the idiots on bicycle’s that run a stop light and cut you off whilst screaming obscenities at you when you honk your horn.
Here the citidiots on bikes like to pass all the stationary traffic at a red light and get to the front of the q. Not good when it’s a large transport truck that can’t see you. A bunch of the fools have taken a dirt nap when said truck turns right. My brother calls it natural selection.
We live in The Golden Age of American Narcissism, as evidenced by the selfish nature of many vehicle operators (and the Orange narcissist in charge.)
In addition to these lane hogs, does anyone else find issue with people slowing to turn – yet keeping to the opposite side when making said turn, and also unnecessarily impeding traffic flow?
You get people stopped turning left that are 5′ off the center line, which prevents passing on the right shoulder.
Or right hand turners that keep left ON the center line, and nearly come to a complete stop before ever-so-slowly turning right.
And many of today’s speed demons can’t even negotiate a curve.
They’re hammer down until they reach a corner – and then hard braking as if John Force just released the parachutes on his funny car.
Drivers have been replaced by operators.
So true, Flip!
I have fun with my old truck sometimes. I’ll be heading into town on the secondary highway (US 221) that’s mostly straight for most of the way and will notice a “sport sedan” gaining on me. It catches up and often tailgates me. Then we get to Bent Mountain, about two miles of switchbacks; I continue at the same speed and watch the Clover flounder trying to keep up.
It’s a most enjoyable sport!
What hilarious is being behind them.
Despite being 5mph below any posted speed limit or curve warning sign with speed . . . Tap the brakes . . . Then at least 3-4 trajectory modifications to get through the simplest of constant radius turns.
There is just no helping these slugs.
The drivers of devices here in Austin seem to always want to drive at Ludicrous Speed.
When the Model 3 devices first got delivered, TxDOT capped the “on demand” tolls on the express lanes between the hip new neighborhoods south of Downtown and the northern suburbs where Apple, Dell, and HP have offices after pictures on Reddit started to embarrass the state with the numbers hitting $20.
‘It’s a lot like that on the road, too.’ — eric
It also can be like that in the airways, a patchwork of DIY flying at airfields without control towers, but a centrally-directed ballet at big city airports.
Two flights had to abort landings at DCA on Thursday because an Army Blackhawk helicopter headed for the Pentagon got in the way. “Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. He said he would speak to the Defense Department about “why the hell our rules were disregarded.”
Speaking of who gets to disregard rules, the CIA plans to shed a thousand staffers through attrition over several years, instead of doing DOGE-style reductions in force. If you wish to know who rules you, observe who is exempt from the rules that apply to all others.
This really began when the 55mph National Mandatory Speed Limit went into effect. That did two things.
1. Prior to Nixon’s Fatwa (one of his worst along with the EPA) speed limits were prima facia. That is, it was strongly suggested but, not mandatory. 55 was absolute. My brother got tagged for 57 on the interstate and they made it stick. Weeks prior the speed limit was 70.
2. It gave the opportunity for the “Good German” types to passive aggressively become speed monitors. I recall a bumper sticker that declared, “I May Be Slow But I’m Ahead Of You”. Anyone buying one of those and putting it on their car should have been shot.
Since then we’ve added all sorts of BS laws such as seatbelts, absurdly low BAC levels and such. Cruise control has only exacerbated the problem along with any number of “distractions” such as phones and the dashboard tablets. Almost always when I pass someone on the right they’re on the phone and/or texting. Since ’20, when some states stopped giving road tests for licensing it’s gotten exponentially worse.
I don’t see a cure until that Deagle prediction of half the population dying comes true and even then…
Rude and Clueless, it’s the American Way…ask anyone living near one of our overseas bases.
Overseas bases? Try living near one of the bases here in the US, particularly in a high cost of living area where the active duty personnel try to eek out a 10x return out of the houses financed with their off-base housing allowances, especially, the late career types attempting one last score.
In Florida, the late career and military retirees in an area near a base will make your life miserable in the HOA.
I lived outside Tampa for a decade in an HOA with career retirees, some still actively working as contractors. The all-volunteer military is definitely another grift opportunity at taxpayer expense.
I figure MacDill will be ground zero in the next big war.
“Hey, where’d that peninsula go?”
Future article Eric
Prion driving by those that have been impaired by the transfections called “vaccines”