Friday (Not So) Random Ten

oh.my.gosh.
The New Riders of the Purple Sage are coming to Dallas! They are playing the Granada Theater in a couple of weeks. David Nelson and Buddy Cage are touring together and the reviews are rave! REAL hippie cowboy music! Yay!!! I wanna go....
So, here is my list for this week in honor of their return. Country/Rock songs they used to be called....
These are by NRPS:
1 I Don't Know You
2 Last Lonely Eagle
3 Glendale Train
4 Take It Easy by Jackson Browne (I like his version better than The Eagles)
5 Box of Rain - Phil Lesh & Friends - I especially like this song when he has a pedal steel AND sax player; i don't think this one has that. Sorry.
6 Lying Eyes - The Eagles
7 Wonderwall by Ryan Adams not a true country/rock guy but a real nice addition to the family
8 CAn't You See by The Marshall Tucker Band
9 Amnesia by The Pousette-Dart Band (couldn't find a link to it)
10 Terrapin Station by David Gans

this list could go on and on but you get the idea....
Tell me yours please!

Getting to the Real Issue is Hard

I used to live in Farmers Branch, Texas and still would if it had been economically feasible to do so when my oldest daughter was entering high school. Farmers Branch is a "first ring" suburban city adjacent to Dallas. It was developed in the 1950s & 1960s and there has been no substantial new housing available for quite some time - the land was all used up. The last major residential development took place in the mid to late 80s. That development is comprised of homes well beyond the starter level or first step-up level. Prices are generally from $300,000 (a figure that Californians and others consider entry level, I know!).
Anyway, there has been much made of the new city ordinance regarding services and housing being made available to "illegals". Various forces are at work both for and against the law, which among its provisions are prohibitions against landlords renting to undocumented persons. Violators face fines and or jail time. The law has been called racist and "anti-minority" by those seeking its repeal. Many of my hispanic friends and relatives (I am married to a Mexican) think it would be fine to "send them (illegals) all back." So I am pretty sure that isn't the point of the ordinance.
Farmers Branch is facing the dilema of declining property values and overburdened city services as its character changes from that of desirable bedroom community to a more urban style enviroment. Over the past 20 years it has been struggling with how to best maintain the quality of life for its residents. "Enterprise" zones, where (re)developers were given tax breaks, minimum square footage building rules and other incentives have not slowed the influx of immigrants seeking houses at the price points of the older homes in Farmers Branch. The new residents, instead of tearing down the older houses and rebuilding the McMansions the city wants, are moving multiple families into them, creating traffic and safety hazards with more cars parked in the neighborhoods than the streets were designed for.
And then there is the money issue. The few small builders operating in Farmers Branch are seeking any method to obtain property to redevelop in advance of the DART light rail line coming to town (when property values will increase substantially).
So, it is up to others to shift through the noise and figure out what is really the motives people doing all the shouting have. Same as every other local and national issue.
My opinion? Keep the law and "send 'em all back." I wouldn't want to anger my father-in-law...