Growth is Good. That is what we are told by our greatest economists. If you are not growing, then obviously you are shrinking and who wants that? Bigger is better. ...Unless you are a cell phone or an iPod... Or pretty much anything made of silicone and copper. This mentality, coupled by the vast acreage of land in the Americas, has lead us to build, copiously, out.
Even Gunnison has bought into this. A few months ago, I knew of hardly anyone who liked the idea of "Gunnison Rising", now it seems that many people are for it, especially our entrepreneurs. But I don't completely understand why. All kinds of arguments are put forth by the proponents (and the opponents), most of which are beside the real point I think. I know this is true for me. My real point is that I don't want to the fields shrink, but I also don't want to see Gunnison grow. I don't want to see our Main Street die. I'll give all sorts of other arguments, but I give them only in hopes that they will be important to others. I assume my opponents are fairly similar. The primary reason I have gotten, so far (besides a belief that is is the 'lesser of two evils') is that this growth will solve our economic woes. Even though it is understood that the building on the annexation will not be complete for 30 years at least.
However, I do not believe this is true. Denver is huge, but it has economic woes. Large than ours, I think. They "control their growth", but it doesn't solve any labyrinthine parking-lot issues or beautify their city. What I think will happen if Gunnison Rising passes will actually be the slow disintegration of our Main Street as more conglomerate chains have the opportunity to move in. No local business can compete with a business more powerful than the government.
Such as Super Wal-Mart. Gunnison Rising heralds their approach, and they eat small business for appetizers. Somehow, they appeal to people, though. If Gunnison's population begins to grow, they will try to build again and they will not be as easy to stop. Especially if some of our not-so-average-in-a-good-way citizens move out because they don't like the development and are not here to stop them.
But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we wont lose to many people and those who move it will be just as anti-corporate greed. I'm not so fatalistic to believe that everything will get worse. No matter what. Which is why I don't completely understand those who say that the alternative is a bunch of County houses springing up. For two reasons: the Brattons have stopped unplanned development so far and there isn't room for that many people. Gunnison rising has plans for a commercial district because there wouldn't be any jobs for new residents. So why would they come?
That doesn't mean we're doing all that bad now, though. For the residents here. Not relative to anyone else, anyway. Bad economy has affected big and small. Actually, small economies seem to weather it better. Such as North Dakota or Alamosa. They never had as far off the ballooning artificial economy we live in. We have that idea that growth is good, it will solve all our economic woes. But all it really is is growth. A bigger economy not so much different from ours now, just bigger and therefore less wieldy. What we need, instead, are plans to improve the economy as it stands. So that, no matter the size, it will function for all the people who live here.
There are multiple benefits, as I see it, to taking this stance instead, not the least of which are affects felt sooner than 30 years from now.
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