🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <DqFqLz.MAJ@txnews.amd.com> Rick Shank,
ricks@dvorak.amd.com writes:

>I doubt exact numbers are critical to the argument.  The message I was trying
>to convey is that the numbers are small but not insignificant.

Like I said, out of thin air.

>Either get a better dictionary or learn what etymology means.

Duhhh, thet there's the study of bugs, aint it?

<sigh>  OK, here goes.  From the Second College Edition of the
American Heritage Dictionary, (published in *Boston*,  BTW),
Ignorance:  1. Without education or knowledge 2. Exhibiting
lack of education or knowledge 3. Unaware or uninformed.  

See?  Nothing about attitude.

>It's worse than you think.  The fundamental design is unsafe and inefficient.

I agree.  It's not "worse than I think".

>As you improve your reading skills you will realize what I have said
>does not necessarily contradict what you have just said.

There is nothing wrong with my reading skills.  Condescending,
aren't we?

>If many of the people driving on it were not ignorant, they would 
>recognize it is not safe and they would slow to a safer speed.  They 
>would also avoid it like the plague.

Is there a point here?  It's the only reasonable path from A to
B for a lot of us.

>Again, as you improve your reading skills, you will recognize that
>this in no way resembles what I stated.

Again, my reading skills are just fine, thank you for trying to
improve my lot in life; I am forever in your debt.

>Again, as you improve your vocabulary skills, you will recognize that this
>is a contradiction.

Again, there's nothing wrong with... ah, but you're not
listening, are you?

>I have moved all my life and I learned to drive in Boston.  I tend to 
>disagree.  Austin drivers are some of the worst I have ever seen.  

That's purely anecdotal.  You do know what anecdotal means,
don't you?  I mean with all your superior reading and
vocabulary skills... ;^)

>There
>is another group of people who tend to disagree with your assessment.  They
>are called insurance companies and Austin is considered a significantly high
>risk area.  If you have experienced this level of ignorant driving in other
>cities, please state the names of these cities so the rest of us can avoid
>them.

Oh, please.  Just listen to yourself.  "They are called
insurance companies..."  Jeez.

So Austin is a high-risk area for auto insurance.  So what?  So
are a lot of other places.  It proves nothing; it just gives
them the excuse to jack up our rates.  As to your initial point
of how a growth environment attracts mental defectives, and
that it's the reason for Austin's "ignorant drivers" (Yes, I'm
paraphrasing.  You do know what... Oh, never mind.), well, it's
hogwash, pure and simple.

>Rick

Look, Rick, I didn't pick this subject just to get in a
flamewar with you.  I just happen to disagree with the notion
that there's something unique to the people who drive in Austin
that somehow makes them "worse" or "more ignorant" than those
anywhere else, or even worse than some statistical norm.  What
metric are you using?  How much they annoy you personally? 
That's what it seems to me.  It seems ludicrous to me that you
can claim to be able to make judgements on someone's mental
capacity by observing their driving habits for a short time
from another vehicle.

There are jerks (etcetera) on the road everywhere, not just
here.  Personally, I'd *much* rather drive here than in
Houston, but that's just *my* opinon.  And lighten up, willya?

Gordon in Austin
I speak for myself only.