2007.12.29
Discuss Saturday's local commentary and letters
Growth isn't necessarily good -- or inevitable
Michael Abraham
Michael Abraham is a businessman who lives in Blacksburg.
My late Grandpa Henry was a crusty, upstanding New Yorker with little patience for my impertinence. To warn me against an impending faux pas, he'd curtly insist, "It just isn't done." One does not question conventional wisdom, he would admonish. Perhaps no wisdom in contemporary American economics is more unquestioned than the inherent rightness of growth. In the collective mind of economic developers, politicians, businesspeople and everyday citizens alike, growth is not only inevitable, but natural and desirable. The intrinsic worthiness of growth as a social construct is inviolable and sacrosanct; few argue against it. Yet as we enter this new century, natural constraints are forcing us, often kicking and screaming, to re-evaluate.
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Saturday's letters can be read here.
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Good article by Michael Abraham. On a similar note, one issue is overlooked by the many people who worry about energy sources, famine, etc... The fact that we continually look for ways to live longer (curing disease, etc.) and reproduction is more powerful than compound interest.
I'm sure there is a pool going on somewhere on what major global event will occur first (war, environmental, etc.).
Comment by Ed S. — December 29, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
Growth = more money for government programs like education.
We can either grow, stagnate or shrink. There aren't any other options. When we moved to Blacksburg, it was a quaint little town. When we wanted to go shopping, we drove 25-100 miles to do so. Now our dollars are staying in Montgomery County.
Comment by Henry — December 30, 2007 @ 8:48 am
I wouldn't say "stagnate" as much as "equalize" or another word that just escaped me.
At some point education doesn't improve any more by pumping money into it. As additional programs are taken on by the gov't (especially non-necessary programs), they compete with funding for other necessities like maintenance. (for some reason legislators forget that previously completed projects need to be maintained...).
I guess it depends on your own desires, which is a good question. Do you desire growth for the sake of growth? Or do you desire a particular side-effect/benefit that comes with growth? If local shopping is your fancy, would you be satisfied to "stagnate" at that?
Comment by Ed S. — December 30, 2007 @ 4:16 pm