It has been a week or so

since Gerogetown gave us a taste of the pleasures of bus riding. I haven't seen it, but I understand that the Williamson County Sun was kind enough to print my letter to the editor, which not all of us subscribe to (though we should...). I reproduce it here for your
amusement, information, consideration, and, hopefully, YOUR comment.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
While waiting for the Gtown-SCTx bus to complete its circuit of the town center and take me home from HEB on Feb 4, I watched as dozens of cars passed me, rarely with more than one person aboard. I pondered my own state, still welcome to risk life and limb as a driver on Texas highways, but not ignoring the fact that every day that passes finds me older. I admit that I am not as sharp as I was ten years ago, but my driving responses haven't suffered much with the 80+ years.

But I know that the time will arrive, sooner or later, when I surrender my driving privileges and must find alternative ways to get to market, or prowl the toney shops of Wolf Ranch. The City of Georgetown, for past few months, has provided what I am certain would be an ideal solution for really old people who must tend to their daily sustenance.

On the bus ride to HEB, I sat across the aisle from two of my neighbors who have surrendered their driver's licenses. Both of them regretted the deadline set by our City Council for the the end of the bus service to our community. With them I discussed what a fine solution the bus had been. We can putz around our campus on golf carts, but hate the prospect of competing with our juniors for that wee slice of the highway that we pay taxes for. An extra quarter cent sales tax would probably be enough to keep all of Georgetown communicating via bus.

And then, as SCTx residents, there is that thousand bucks a household we "contributed" as our annual stipend to sustain the Community Association. The bus service to town is reasonably a part of our Community services. Another consideration is the 50¢ fare for old people. I doubt that there are many people in SCTx who would not gladly pay the full $1.00 fare to have the service. I suspect that Those In Charge have all the rider statistics for this test period and would be happy to bring their Dog and Pony show to the SCTx ballroom for a public discussion. Our SCTx population may be getting older by the minute, but we still have plenty of very bright people who could contribute ideas to the matter at hand.

Economically, the IRS allows 55¢ a mile for travel in a car. We all know that after adding insurance costs to depreciation of the car and the expenses of maintaining a machine, especially in a goosy-priced gasoline market, we'd be lucky to get by for that price. But people come to SCTx not to economize, but to "live the good life." For me, that means mostly convenience, but at a reasonable cost. Keeping great neighbors demands, mostly, not trying to take advantage of their kindliness for day-to-day living problems. For an aging population, transportation becomes an almost daily concern.

Ecologically, which really hasn't much influence on most of us, each of us driving a two-ton vehicle to buy thirty pounds of groceries is a great leap beyond ridiculous. Not that we should worry. The Generation Y people are the ones that are going to have to live with our thoughtlessness. If it was good enough for gran'pappy, it is no longer good enough for us. We all bought houses with heat-absorbing roofing, which in itself is pretty stupid. Then we put in a tenth of an acre of grass which requires intensive watering throughout the year in these, our pre-dust-bowl years. Ignore the chemicals we apply to keep down the bugs and contaminate the aquifer: Generation Y are welcome to develop gills to permit them to survive.

There are a lot of other factors, many of them personal, most of them public, that should get our attention. Selfishness is not a lost art: we all have things that we deem essential to our comfort in life. That they may conflict with our neighbors' interest rarely causes a brou-ha-ha. Generally, SCTx people are reasonable and rational. Many of us do extend ourselves to charitable acts, either organized or personal. Our generation is living so much longer than we ever expected, and staying healthier far beyond earlier generations. A consideration of the future for our general well-being demands that we make Georgetown do its civic duty and provide bus service for us, the means of paying and other details to be worked out from both sides.
Jack Birchall
102 Anemone Way
birchall.jack@yahoo.com