Let's talk about Austin, Texas.

36 years ago, I was in Tenth Grade.

For the most part, my classmates resembled the class of people I had been classmates with since the Sixth Grade - bratty, rich kids who were not fond of the fact a Little Brown One was in their midst and made no bones about making that one apparent.  Confederate flags everywhere did not help matters.

Everyone wanted to go to the University of Texas at Austin.  I didn't want to be anywhere near them (which was my main driver for my ultimately winding up at Trinity University.)

Then I went to Austin a few times while I was in college.  With one exception (that is a story in and of itself) I found it to be a place where everyone was pretending not to be a redneck - even though deep down inside they were.  Did I mention people didn't (and still don't) acknowledge that the Interregional Highway (I-35) cuts through the city to reinforce the divide between The Right People and everyone else?

When I visit my darling nephew and niece who live there, I bite my tongue as I observe people pretend that they are in some liberal oasis in the middle of Texas.  It really is anything but.  Between the existing rednecks and tech bros (and their hangers on) who are either Anglo or honorary Anglo (that's Asian for the rest of you) the attitudes of their denizens really have not changed that much over the years.

Fast forward to last weekend.  Uber and Lyft paid good money to put a referendum on the ballot challenging the Austin City Council's regulations on the matter.  They lost and decided to abandon the Austin market.  Someone at National Review called Austin second rate for saying no.  I put the article on my Facebook with my comments on how Austin is overrated.

I got a reaction from a former suite mate.  It was a rant rather than a case for saying Austin really is what the hype is all about.

The throw down is coming.

I'll tell you the results.