Getting Passed

Last night I made a run to my nearest grocery store. Right in front of that grocery store is a pretty ordinary children's park. What is not ordinary about it is that the slides and jungle-gym and seesaws are surrounded by adult workout equipment - ellipticals and stationary bikes. "What a great idea." I thought to myself, "Instead of just sitting on a bench, bored out of their minds, the parents can get a quick workout in while watching the kids play."

I walk home from the grocery store on a sidewalk made out of that rubbery track material, which is exponentially better for your knees if you run on those streets like I do. I walk past my bus stop and admire the digital display that gives real-time updates telling you how long it will be until your bus arrives. Not sure if bus 73 goes the way you need? No biggie, just click on the display to see the route. Oh and don't worry about walking or cycling to be eco-friendly; these buses run on electricity which is magnetically pulled from wiring in the road when the bus passes over.

One of the most glaring differences that I've noticed between Korea and the US thus far has been the disparity in the level of infrastructure and "smart city design." It's unbelievable. Coming back from Costa Rica to the US, I felt like I had time-traveled forward 50 years. Now going from the US to Korea, I feel like I've gone another 50. The roads, the bridges, the airport, the trains, and, most of all, the little "smart" things like I mentioned from my trip to the grocery store, are all so much better than anything I've experienced in the US.

This is what we too could have if we had a government that actually functioned properly and spent money in the right places. We could have mother-effin buses that pull electricity from the road! But instead we want to give tax breaks to oil companies and maintain a military budget larger than the next 12 countries combined (and yes, conservative friends, I think we spend too much money on inefficient Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security programs as well). While our government is busy managing one artificial crisis after another, other countries are getting shit done. While our two political parties are fighting over the wheel, jerking the car left and right all over the road (or slamming on the brakes), other countries are speeding past us in their eco-friendly buses, staring out the window in disbelief.




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*This foundation in no way helps orphans, kittens, pandas, or rainbows. All proceeds will be used to buy Austin good beer from the American grocery store.