What gifts and lessons will we leave our children and grandchildren?
I often hear it said, “I’m doing it for my children and grandchildren” or “I want my children and grandchildren to be able to live here.” These are used when referencing any number of issues, but here in Washington County, they are used often when referring to the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. “We have to have it for our kids and grandkids,” is heard over and over, particularly by leaders.
But what are people really leaving their children and grandchildren? That is the question that came to mind as I watched folks scurrying around, buying this and that to help satisfy perceived needs and provide for those loved kids and grandkids.
Are we really going to set the right example and help their futures? The overuse of water in Washington County, as compared to other southwest areas, is obvious no matter how the comparison is done or how much leaders argue that comparisons can’t or shouldn’t be made and that we just need to get more.
But “big” water use is not the only “big” in our area specifically: Big cars, big yards, big meals, big houses, and big growth are seen everywhere.
Let’s take one “big” item for example.
Nationwide, households have been getting smaller since those of the 1910 era — 4.54 individuals per house to 2.58 now per house — while homes are now 74 percent larger. The average home size jumped to 2,598 square feet in 2013. Thirty years ago, that home was 1,725 square feet while housing more people. I recently heard an elderly couple explaining to friends that their 3,000 square foot home was just right for the two of them. Now, I have to admit that my home is a little less than 2,500 square feet, but I will also admit that I was unaware there was a problem when I bought this home nearly 20 years ago and acknowledge now that the home is much larger than what I need. With knowledge comes awareness.
Not only have home sizes gone up but, as should be expected, so have prices. Prices are so high that many kids are being priced out of the market. So much for doing what’s best for the kids and grandkids, right?
According to Zillow, “The median home value in Washington County is $304,800. Washington County home values have gone up 15.2% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 2.9% within the next year. The median list price per square foot in Washington County is $177, which is the same as the St. George Metro average of $177. The median price of homes currently listed in Washington County is $349,900. The median rent price in Washington County is $1,450, which is the same as the St. George Metro median of $1,450.” Zillow’s assumptions were made before the recent market challenges but may still hold true.
So although many say they want a great future for their kids and grandkids, purchases of these big homes, which are driving up the construction of more big homes while reducing the number of smaller and more-affordable homes, are creating problems.
People with money are buying huge homes and driving the market. They may not be creating problems for their own kids and grandkids, since perhaps those kids and grandkids will inherit much of the wealth that allows these big purchases, but they’re certainly creating problems for other people’s kids and grandkids who can barely afford to live here where housing affordability is becoming a real issue.
So I guess when leaders and others talk about doing things for their kids and grandkids, they couldn’t care less about those of others who are less well heeled.
House sizes drive costs even more when new homes possess many expensive amenities that could easily be argued are not really necessary — granite, expensive flooring, and fixtures, for example. But size drives more than just costs. Materials to build those big homes must come from somewhere, and many materials come from areas that are being exploited. They have to be produced and shipped. Those activities add carbon to our atmosphere — carbon that’s creating global warming and climate change. Add big vehicles to the mix and it’s becoming a recipe for disaster.
In fact, we’re already seeing those disasters elsewhere and here. Our temperatures are rising while snow for our water supplies lessens and monsoon rains rush down roads and into the river heading down to others, leading pipeline proponents to argue that we need to indebt ourselves and children to the multi-billion dollar Lake Powell Pipeline project — so we’ll have more water that we can just waste.
And these large homes require more energy to heat and cool. How many of these new, big homes come equipped with solar panels? If the sizes of the yards match the sizes of the homes and are replete with equally large lawns, that too will require resources, taking us back again to the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline and our area’s overuse of water.
All of this ties into our “big” egos. People who have done well and made lots of money generally want others to know that. So perhaps this is not really done for the good of the kids and grandkids as much as for ourselves.
It’s certainly not being done for the good of those kids and grandkids who can’t afford to live here in the future.
As we move into 2019, I hope that all will consider what legacy and future they’re really leaving for those who follow.
The viewpoints expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Independent.
How to submit an article, guest opinion piece, or letter to the editor to The Independent
Do you have something to say? Want your voice to be heard by thousands of readers? Send The Independent your letter to the editor or guest opinion piece. All submissions will be considered for publication by our editorial staff. If your letter or editorial is accepted, it will run on suindependent.com, and we’ll promote it through all of our social media channels. We may even decide to include it in our monthly print edition. Just follow our simple submission guidelines and make your voice heard:
—Submissions should be between 300 and 1,500 words.
—Submissions must be sent to editor@infowest.com as a .doc, .docx, .txt, or .rtf file.
—The subject line of the email containing your submission should read “Letter to the editor.”
—Attach your name to both the email and the document file (we don’t run anonymous letters).
—If you have a photo or image you’d like us to use and it’s in .jpg format, at least 1200 X 754 pixels large, and your intellectual property (you own the copyright), feel free to attach it as well, though we reserve the right to choose a different image.
—If you are on Twitter and would like a shout-out when your piece or letter is published, include that in your correspondence and we’ll give you a mention at the time of publication.
Articles related to “What gifts and lessons will we leave our children and grandchildren?”
PacifiCorp and Rocky Mountain Power miss renewable energy opportunities
Why the Lake Powell pipeline is good and will make us all rich
