COLUMN: Stop holding back progress
I know it is an election year in Utah and people are wont to speak their minds about the real issues. That’s why I want to take this opportunity to translate politico-speak into more clear, concise terms.
Look you have to get on the bus or get out of the way. I know you mean well, but just because you want to drive around in Geo Metros and old Toyota trucks while scuttling about making a median income and living in your old homes down on the island doesn’t mean we have to wait around for you. We have nice houses with nice cars and a nice view and we don’t want to have to weave around town and stop at every intersection to get home.
This is about what’s good for everybody. Have you never heard about trickle-down economy? We need to make money so we can provide jobs for the middle and lower classes. We are constantly on our cell phones whether walking, driving or playing golf trying to make deals that will keep you in the pizza, beer and those Austin Powers movies you love so much.
Everyone wants to protect local businesses, but who is looking out for the big picture? If we didn’t support large businesses we wouldn’t have a stock market as reliable and trustworthy as we have today. Sure there have been a few mishaps, but in the larger scheme of things, this is all because people distrust big businesses. If everyone would just stop hording their credit cards and buy a major appliance, we would be back on track to a fully employed economy faster than you can spell Reganomics. Look, Wal-Mart has a bakery, a pet store and a barber shop; just think of it as a lot of small businesses inside a big business with parking.
Yes, bike paths sound idyllic in that Norman Rockwell sort of way, but bikes and cars just don’t mix. Why don’t we cordon off a nice park area on the west side of town where you can all go with your bikes, Frisbees, dogs and drums. A fast society is a better society. The quicker we can get from our jobs to the stores and to our homes and back again, the sooner we will be out of this economic rut.
And stop fighting the ski resorts. Sure we may get the odd hiker or mountain biker who buys a $2 bag of granola or package of tofu dogs, but the real tax dollars start rolling in on ski lodges and lift tickets. Throw in a few knee surgeries and you have a booming economy. And really which would you rather have? A ski resort or a nuclear storage facility? Boycotts will get you nowhere. We have the votes. We have the power.
Dennis Hinkamp’s column appears every Friday. Comments can be sent to him at dennish@ext.usu.edu