Letter to the editor: Old people know things
Many have lived almost 100 years and seen many changes
I know that there is a certain age group between about 35 and 50 who have grown up in a world of consumption for consumption’s sake and may I suggest even greed. They have fretted over their status, the value of their possessions, how to acquire more possessions, and securing their children’s future status. They have passed that lifestyle along to their children in most cases.
We have for the most part not been good stewards of the Earth since about 1950 when the world population began to explode, bringing with it more consumers of goods, more people wanting more and better possessions. Unfortunately, all of this consumption is killing the very Earth that supports our and our grandchildren’s existence. I am not going to argue the environmentalist cause here except to say that it is proven by scientists and observable to old people in their 80’s and 90’s; just ask them about changes in the Earth since they were children. Especially the ever growing population and its demands. The continuous paving over of productive farm land to provide for this growing population.
Big multinational companies have no concern about the environment or about the fate of people a hundred years from now when the basic necessities of life will be in peril. They only have concern for their and their stockholders’ profits. They are not, as often mentioned, “people.” What puzzles me is their lack in ingenuity with perhaps a few exceptions like Tesla, etc. They are addicted to growth because it produces greater profits.
Governments from local to federal are hooked on the same line as the big corporations: profit to keep their cities, states, and country ever growing. Profit to pay for all of the services that mid-lifers think they can’t live without. Profit to pay for ever increasing numbers of government employees and to provide more services. Profit to underwrite the power of various government officials from bottom to top.
Here in little old St. George, one has to ask why we need eight or ten (or more) golf courses. They produce nothing useful. They are simply playgrounds for wealthy people with time on their hands and who are seeking the “status” of golf! They suck up water that in the near future will be in short supply. People who work all day and come home at night to take care of their family’s needs don’t have time to “hit the links.” Couldn’t we just have a couple? But the city and county make money off these water-wasting fields both in permits and in their own operations.
The city and county almost madly issue building permits by the hundreds or even thousands. They get big fees for the permits, and the everlasting property taxes continue to fill the city and county coffers. What does the average schmuck living on South Main Street get? Nothing. He or she gets to pay for the upkeep of the streets, gas lines, water lines, electric lines, and transportation services to the new areas. He will be asked to pay for a new pipeline from Lake Powell or Lake Michigan when the water is running low. He gets to pay for the widening of Bluff Street and other streets to accommodate all of the extra people. These building permits should be much more carefully scrutinized than they are.
Areas where the city and county regulators could make valuable contributions would be to require all new homes built to be self-sufficient electrically by mandating the use of solar panels or solar shingles. Why don’t they? Yeah, it adds a few thousand dollars over the 30-year life of the loan, but look at the value. Do you suppose that the city doesn’t require environmentally sound systems because they operate the utility?
What about mandating carports in all major shopping areas? Shopping centers, major grocery stores, hardware stores, and the like. Carports with solar panel covered roofs would offset the cost of the carports and provide additional electricity to the businesses. Additionally, carports would cool the hundreds of square miles of blacktop parking lots that release a substantial amount of heat back into the atmosphere. And who of us would not prefer to park under a carport where our vehicles wouldn’t be baking in the sun while we shop, and even if it is raining, wouldn’t you prefer to walk under cover? There is almost no downside to it except for the initial cost.
Look around St. George. How many houses to you see with solar panels? Doesn’t that seem odd in a place where the sun shines almost every day of the year? There should be some incentive to get people to retrofit solar on their homes for producing electricity, heating water, etc. Take a trip to Arizona or California and you will see a substantial increase in the use of solar. Is our electricity too cheap, or is it just that it is a city-operated utility?
The decisions of our city and county officials will have a very long-lasting effect on all us and our children and their children. We have to carefully make decisions that will benefit those who live here now and in the future. It is called foresight. Growth isn’t always a good thing. Quality of life is important. Living where the environment is pleasant is important. I would like to see some serious steps toward getting real experts to evaluate our little valley before it becomes little Detroit. That’s what I think anyway!
Ed Stewart
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I liked many of the ideas Ed has while rejecting some of his government controlling measures out of hand. I liked the comment about Lake Michigan being our next source of water. One thing that old people know, though, is that smoking is a very stupid habit.