Managing growth should be state priority
I urge my neighbors in Greensboro and the Triad to consider the ramifications if we do not prepare for the "population tsunami" that is coming to North Carolina in the next 25 years. Think about the growing pressure on our schools, transportation systems, sewage systems, and housing -- and most of all, on our water and natural areas.
When I contemplate what makes our state so beautiful and livable, I am immediately drawn to our rivers, streams, forests, farms, scenic vistas, parks, and historic places that are so unique and precious. These places need special protection during this time of unprecedented growth.
It is unthinkable what will become of our state if we do not invest in these places that matter so much to all of us.
I am urging my legislators to allow us all to vote on a bond that pays for this crucial investment, and I hope you will join me. We must encourage them to stay in Raleigh until they have agreed to invest in protecting our water and land, and to get ready for what’s coming.
www.landfortomorrow.org
Carolyn Allen
Greensboro
Comments (2)
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A friend of mine wrote well on this subject:
In 1984, author George Orwell invented the concept of "doublespeak", the use of words to mean their opposite. Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances (APFOs) are a current example. The Town of Huntersville and Lincoln County are considering such ordinances, which limit development to the ability of government services to support it.
Consider the words: "public facilities" means government. Therefore, an APFO is actually about the adequacy of government. Obviously, if the government isn't adequate, it is necessarily INadequate. So the proposal of an APFO is actually a declaration of the inadequacy of government. Then the question becomes: If the problem is that government is inadequate, why are we punishing private property owners?
What I notice is that growth doesn't seem to be a challenge to private businesses. In fact, they welcome the additional customers, because more customers means
more profits. If the population is increasing, Harris-Teeter builds more stores, McDonalds builds more restaurants, etc, and they WELCOME the opportunities that such growth gives them.
Only government considers citizens, that is, the CUSTOMERS of government, to be a burden. Only government punishes new residents as a drain on its resources. Only government turns to force to keep
customers AWAY.
Isn't the solution obvious? If government can't handle growth but the private market can, isn't it just logical to return more government functions to private enterprise? Private businesses are capable of distributing water or treating sewerage. So let them.
Churches and other charities are capable of providing schools, so let people go to them without paying double for government schools.
The inadequacy of government brought down the Soviet Union. I hope that our local government controllers finally get the lesson.
Posted on July 5, 2007 6:19 PM
"allow us all to vote on a bond that pays for"
That's where you got it wrong. A bond doesn't pay for anything, people do. Figure out a way to allow just the folks who will actually pay off a particular bond pay for it, and then we'll have a vote.
Posted on July 6, 2007 9:46 AM