Sunday, July 20, 2008

Chewy Trentelman Column on the "Costs" of Progress

Progress, or something: Watching the passing scene fade

By Curmudgeon

Charles Trentelman has a chewy "Wasatch Rambler" column this Sunday morning, discussing the difference between change and progress and balancing what might be gained by development [broadly considered] and what might be lost. Here's a taste:

I know: If we don't grow, we die. Quit fighting progress. Don't slam the door after you come in. People in Ogden Valley used to talk like that. They dreamed of growth making them rich. In a way, it did. They're all living in million-dollar homes and eating oatmeal because of their newly inflated property taxes. Now they're trying desperately to slam the door on that Powder Mountain city proposal....

Change happens, but the question has to be asked: Is losing the things we love worth what we get? Are city planners protecting what really matters? Is it even possible to slam that door?
Thoughtful piece of Sunday morning reading. Worth more than a glance.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Apologies to Mr. Trentelman for the typos above. I could not cut and paste the segment from the SE, so retyped it. Badly. It should be "now" not "ow," "asked" not "ask," "protecting" not "portecting." My bad all the way.

RudiZink said...

Typo problem solved, due to the modern miracle of instant online editing.

RudiZink said...

Comment bumped to front page. Gentle Curm is on a roll.

Anonymous said...

As far as disappearing things, since Trentleman doesn't tow the "pave = progress" line, how long will HE be around?

Corrupt lawyers write laws to make more lawsuits. Corrupt military interests promote wars because they make money off it. Corrupt energy producers promote ethanol because it uses more energy than it makes. And corrupt contractors get the government to promote growth because it makes them money, even thought it makes most things worse for everyone else.

It's really not that complicated.

It's nice somebody sees another side to it. Thanks Charles.

Anonymous said...

I think we can lay the corn ethanol subsidies at the feet of the very powerful farm lobby rather than at the feet of the energy industry per se.

I will never forget Republicans some years ago campaigning for the "freedom to farm" act, and getting one through a Republican Congress that would have ended federal farm subsidies over five years. It was of course repealed before it went into full effect, and the Bush administration returned to massive farm subsidies yet again... with, I hasten to add, the full and enthusiastic support of Democratic farm state representatives and senators as well. Somehow, all the right-wing Republican blather about "the magic of the market" gets forgotten when it comes to delivering federal water to western farmers at a cost of ten cents on the dollar, or delivering billions in federal subsidies to corn-producers for ethanol... or for that matter, bailing out incompetent CEOs who've run their companies into the ground [think Bear Stearns, or IndyMac]. Naturally, the CEO's involved took down million dollar pay checks while they managed their companies into receivership, and took separation and pension packages when they left [willingly or kicked out by the Board] that the rest of us could never dream of.

At the point now that it takes real restraint not to break out laughing whenever I hear a Utah Republican talk, with a straight face, about "the magic of the market."

Anonymous said...

I compare this "whoring" out of our land to this simple analogy.

I may know that my wife is a great lay. But I'm not going to start advertising this nationally and try to bring people in to "check it out" just to make a buck!

Protect what you love!!!

- please pardon grammer and spelling errors - I was educated in Utah.

Anonymous said...

quality of life has more value than development.
try to buy a farm in the highlands of germany. you cant because more people would like that life style. thus supply and demand dictate the prices. we shouldnt be compromising our lifestyle to accommodate more people. if they want to live here let them buy an existing place and fix it up or tear it down and rebuild to what they want. new development in several ways when it comes to housing in particular is like a disposable society. abandon the old and build new.
we should maintain our current zoning as that is what protects our lifestyle. we should stick to our general plan.

OgdenLover said...

When I see families hiking on our trails it reminds me of my childhood but not in the way you'd expect. My father would take me out to the nearest inlet and I'd collect oyster shells. I didn't realize at the time that they were the garbage tossed out of seafood restaurants. That's what passed for nature where I grew up.

Appreciate what we have here and treasure it.

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