Metro Frustrations

Oh D.C. Metro... we have a love/hate relationship. I finally threw away my mini-metro map yesterday. A graduation from my novice days of subway riding. I can get around the subways without frantically checking my location... or the train I'm getting onto. It is such a nice feeling! This is the "love" part of my relationship with the metro.

Now for the hate part. Apparently they are doing maintenance on the blue and yellow lines. I hope it is done by tomorrow because today's commute was terrible. I knew something was wrong the minute I got to the Pentagon... and the platform was packed. The first train was for the yellow line... and it was PACKED even before the passengers starting getting on. There was no way any other person would be able to fit... until a lady with a broken arm shoved her way in... only to have the door close on her arm. Some people are idiots. Anyways, instead of running the normal 1-2 minutes apart, the trains were running about 5-7 minutes. Time is precious in the morning commute but I knew I was going to be late. I finally shove my way onto the next train... which was PACKED even worse than normal. Amazingly, I was only three minutes late... which in my office is excusable. The commute back was slow as well. The blue line stopped every 50ft or so... the yellow line was running every 10 minutes making for another jam packed metro car... only worse because it was half-filled with obnoxious tourists who fail to understand that you DO NOT TALK ON THE METRO. Everyone is too tired to listen to you blabber about absolutely nothing. Okay... I think my metro rant is now over.

In happier news I got to experience life on the House floor yesterday. I was there for the appropriations vote that barely passed. Health care reform is coming through this week. While the Democrats continue to bicker, my congressman and most all of the GOP caucus appears to be united in their opposition to a 1.6 TRILLION dollar plan that could cost according to the Congressional Budget Office, over 6 trillion dollars in the next ten years. Listen I'm all about helping people but seriously... we are talking trillions of dollars and no ideas of paying for it... except by raising your taxes. So much for Obama's ideas of "change." Democrats (and most politicians in general) will raise your taxes. They always have and they always will.

Here is a link to an interview on C-Span with Hillsdale's president Larry Arnn. He says some interesting things about our school... and the article in the Wall Street Journal that everyone at my school cannot stop talking about, "Why Hilsdale is better than Harvard." I will be having dinner with a good friend and graduate of Hillsdale tomorrow night... Mr. Ben Stafford. Looking forward to another free meal!

I also got my picture with Congressman Hoekstra on the steps of the Capitol. There should be something in the Advance newspapers back home...

I am going to continue some pleasure reading... back to work tomorrow. Definitely ready for the weekend!