Keep motorists SAFE, but not with call boxes

San Diego County wants to keep motorists SAFE with an expensive yellow-

brick road of bright-yellow call boxes. Too bad the yellow-brick road doesn't

get traveled on very often anymore, giving legislators a reason to try and close it

down.

The San Diego Service Authority for Free Emergencies, also known as SAFE,

is a government entity that maintains San Diego County's emergency call

boxes through a $1.00 yearly fee on vehicle registrations. Found throughout

the county along highways and in remote areas, the yellow call boxes connect

directly to trained dispatchers to help motorists in times of emergencies.

In 1990, 170,511 call box calls were made by motorists to receive roadside

assistance; in 2010, however, the number of call box calls was a measly 11,625.

Although the number of calls has significantly decreased over the past two

decades, the program still receives approximately $2.6 million each year for its

use. Over the years, the SAFE program has built up to $12.8 million in reserve.

Though the SAFE program plans on removing several emergency call boxes

over the next few years, the estimated cost of maintaining the current call

boxes will significantly increase, specifically the cost to outsource the calls to a

contracted company called TeleTran Tek Services.

In a time of smart-phones and in-vehicle communication systems like On-

Star, the question remains as to whether emergency call boxes are still a

necessity. Spending millions of dollars on a program used less than 12,000

times a year may not be the most practical use of tax-payer dollars, especially

during a recession. Instead of spending the money to maintain a program

that is barely used, that money could go towards fixing county roads or other

transportation services.

Birthday Life Lessons from "The Morning After"

Yes sir, it is my birthday. My age? Oh well...it's the 1st anniversary of my 21st birthday. That will be the new counting method around here from now on, just in case you didn't know.

So yes, today is my birthday. Well, technically yesterday was, since I'm writing this post in the wee hours of what is often called, "the morning after." There's a quote from the British poet, Lord Bryon, that I often like to refer to at times like this: "If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." This line befits tonight more so than any other. And so, here we are..."the morning after" my 1st anniversary, writing to ensure I don't go completely bonkers.

It's funny. With every new year (and every new birthday, or in my case, anniversary) comes many new realizations about the people in my life and the relationships I hold dear. The people who want to be there, who love you enough to care, will do all they can to ensure that you have your one special princess day. It's a process of humility--torturing yourself and embracing humiliation by participating in the embarrassing birthday rituals to please everyone else around you.