Goodbye Christmas, Hello New Year!

Hard to believe another year is shot all to hell. Again. It was fast but good. Luckily, the whole real estate implosion didn't impact us here in South Texas as bad as it did for some areas of the country. There's something to be said about living in the Houston area.

Texas is Still Energy Friendly

For one thing, it's the energy capital of the country. As bad as King Obama wants us to power our homes on solar power panels and bat guano, it ain't gonna happen overnight. So there's that. Energy related businesses are uprooting and moving here because Texas is business friendly and has no state income tax.

Then there's the Houston Medical Center. If you ever get sick, this is the place to be; it's like a city unto itself. When I worked at the Marriott Medical Center, I saw a steady stream of patients from countries with "socialized medicine" come here to have their ills treated. Well, the ones with money anyway, not the average Joe or Jane.

The Med Center not only brings a lot of money and jobs to Houston, but also to every other area of the country that's involved with "Big Pharma". That's a huge supply chain, but don't count on it to continue when we switch over to the dark side with nationalized health care. How's that hope and change workin' out for ya, America?

More Jobs in My Back Yard

Houston is also one of the largest ports in the country. The Houston ship channel leads up to it from the gulf. Chemical plants and refineries garnish the port and surrounding area like pearls on a necklace. California still cries, "Not in my back yard!" That's OK, you can buy it from us. At least we've got jobs.

So, yeah, 2009 has been a good year. What will 2010 bring? I'll start it off with the Houston Marathon in January. I hope to spend even more time volunteering for my daughter's middle school orchestra. (She plays a mean violin!)