Disappointing letter in today's Standard-Examiner from a misguided soul from West Haven, by the name of Russ Brown. This "deep thinker," who's probably never even visited Ogden Valley in his whole pathetic life, nevertheless offers his unfettered views about un-reigned growth in Ogden Valley. Descending as he claims to be from the "founding fathers," he attempts to "pull rank" with his dubious yet unspecified aristocratic genealogy, and assaults recent Ogden Valley "newcomer" arrivees (some from godless California, by god) who've invested their own cash, and spiffed up their properties under the rules of the existing General Plan, hoping to make our pristine and bucolic Ogden Valley their comfortable final home. How dare they oppose untrammelled growth, says Mr. Brown. Adding insult to injury, he offers up standard canned "neoCON truisms," such as these:
Companies like Powder Mountain will bring us great opportunities -- jobs that will keep our children close to home, tax revenues that improve our schools, and our quality of life.Living as he does in West Haven, he has no skin in the game, so it's thus possible for him to spout off, and make broad unthinking statements about a subject he plainly knows absolutely nothing about. And far be it from him to respect the views of Weber County residents in communities other than his own, when they act to protect their own community interests.
The poor schmuck obviously has no knowledge of the dangerous Powder Mountain access road; and no understanding of the dangers of multiplying the density in the fragile Ogden Valley mountain desert environment by a factor of at least ten. Likewise, he exhibits no obvious comprehension at all about the scores of other issues that make the massive proposed Powder Mountain Development a disastrous fit for Ogden Valley. Simply put, this poor fellow simply spouts the usual neoCON pap, probably hoping, at the least, that his own West Haven property values will go up, in the wide wake of this mindless proposed megadevelopment. Perhaps he'd feel differently, if a similar development invasion were happening in his own back yard. Who knows however. It is possible that a guy like this could be a hopeless and impractical corporo-fascist ideologue, we suppose.
Nevertheless, it's probably fair to speculate that this poor fellow's views are not so different from many ambivalent citizens of Weber County who actually have no clue what's going on in Ogden Valley right now.
Those of us in Weber County who are attuned to the nuances of this issue obviously have much remaining to do even now. We need to sing our song to the high heavens, and edumacate everyone in Weber County about this issue. So far, the message doesn't seem to have yet sunk in, judging from today's Russ Brown missive.
Any ideas about we can all do, other than writing letters to the County Commission, blogging incessantly and hiring skywriters? People like Russ Brown aren't necessarily evil, we think... just ill-educated. And we suspect they remain numerous.
And if any of our gentle readers know this "Russ Brown" person, give him a thump in the skull, c/o Rudi.
Don't let the cat get your tongues.
5 comments:
There will alwasy be those who have opinions contrary to your own - but to let it get to you in such a way that you trash talk the individual (as you have here) will only serve to belittle your own dignity. Try to cool the jets and you will get more thrust!
Thanks for the tip, Jets. We have years of experience in confronting these ill-informed "growth at any cost" ideologues however; and experience teaches that the direct approach always works best.
Rudi, I'll back ya. The Ogden Valley has been over developed for quite a few years. Just look at the water quality of Pineview res. and the almost total loss of indigenous plant and animal species.
What this guy calls progress is really destruction in the big scheme of things. It's sad that we can't get theologians to redefine their interpretation of Genesis and the word "dominion" from meaning "ours to use up", to "our duty to protect". What a different world we might see.
Rudi, I've got your back, too! Rather than cool your jets, let's fire up the engines!
Yes, fire up your engines and get out of dodge. Development will happen!
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