What Concerns Me About Tucson

I have been pretty positive about Tucson in my blog. I'm sure that Tucson is a good match for us in many ways. I also think we've been in a honeymoon period and once we're here longer, we may find more to object to. Considering my goal to be balanced, I decided it would be helpful to write about the negatives about Tucson. First, the most obvious, it is miserably hot here in the summer. It even gets humid, according to some people I've met. There are four months of uncomfortable weather outside. Of those four months, two are really miserable outside. This time would be the monsoon season, in July and August when it rains really hard for brief periods. As snowbirds, Larry and I won't be around for that. The second negative I've already hinted at--driving here takes some getting used to. We live near a busy road and we often have to wait to turn onto it. We walk to Safeway whenever possible because it is tricky to make the u-turn needed to get home. It has taken me time to learn the best routes to get to certain locations. It seems like I always have to cut across 3 lanes of traffic to get to a left turn lane in order to make a u-turn. The locals complain about the busy traffic and say it's worse when the snowbirds land. Larry points out that the traffic in Bellevue and on our freeways is worse. I guess it's what you are used to. The third obvious negative thing about Tucson is that we miss our friends and family back in WA. However, we do have nephew David and Katherine here and my friend Cherie, which is nice. Our neighbors are great, as are the ASG'ers I've met. A fourth thing is that more people carry guns than in WA. I've read about more shootings in the south part of town than in the Seattle area. The citizens, though, do not walk around with six-shooters in holsters.

OK. Time for the less obvious. The recession is going strong here. AZ appears to be in about as bad shape financially as CA. The governor has proposed many budget cuts to try to balance the budget. We are worried about what the effects of budget cuts will be. Government workers who are lucky enough to hold on to their jobs have to take furloughs now and then. Social services and health care for poor people are being slashed. The schools are underfunded and even their great all-day Kindergarten program is likely to be cut. Some state parks are being closed (probably temporarily) and roads are not going to be repaired as much. I'm not sure, but I think AZ is worse off than WA in most ways financially. The home construction industry certainly has tanked big time. Tourism is down. What will this mean for us? We'll have to wait and see.