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11/18/2004 Archived Entry: "College Tour"

Wow ... time flies when you're having fun. It's been a month since my last entry, and I've been trying to find time to do some catching up -- I've had some nice trips over the last month -- but it's not happening, so I'm just going to continue from here and add info about trips the last month when I get a chance.

I'm currently on a 5-day college tour with a group of high school juniors and seniors from the Philadelphia area, visiting three schools. We started out at Taylor University in Indiana (my first time with a coach in Indiana); right now I'm at Penn State University in State College, PA; and this afternoon we head to Messiah College in Grantham, PA.

Indiana doesn't have EZ Pass yet on their toll roads. I asked one of the toll takers if it was coming soon; he parroted an old union line -- "God, I hope not -- people speed through toll booths and kill toll takers!" I didn't take time to point out that with EZ Pass there usually are no toll takers in the booths (which is the obvious reason the unions fight EZ Pass -- loss of toll taker jobs) -- in fact, in the state-of-the-art EZ Pass toll plazas such as the north end of the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, there aren't even booths and there's no need to slow down, as the EZ Pass works at highway speed of 65 MPH. Indiana will catch up some day, I'm sure. I do feel a little sorry for the toll takers worried about their jobs -- but then I do, too, for good typewriter repairmen. But technology moves on, whether you like it or not, and jobs shift from one sector to another. Overall we're better off -- at least I think we are.

Regarding drivers at Eagles games, the subject of my previous post, J.P. Hayslip hasn't kept his word about emailing me a copy of the Eagles new policy. I've reminded him a couple of times that we're still waiting, but haven't had any further response from him. I'll be at the Eagles game again on Sunday and will see if I have any better luck in person.

(Posted from my motorcoach parked at Lot 44, Beaver Stadium, Penn State University, State College, PA)