I had that same congestion issue Gordon and solved it with the hub I showed in this thread.
Powered hub thread Since I got that hub every port is in the same place and available without going behind the computer, and though some cautioned about things not working I have not encountered that as of yet.
They also make a 16 port, which sounds like you could use. With consistent power coming from the wall, the transformer is always delivering 5v and and 4 amps without sharing like a computer's "community sharing" on a USB port. I have my mouse and keyboard dongle in there, a scanner, a GPS, 2 tablets and 2 cell phones plugged in there.
16 port powered USB hub