Bozeman has a growth problem; time to slow down - Eileen Hosking

Reproduced here for fair use and discussion purposes. My comments in bold.
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Thank you, Jennifer Paul (letter, Aug. 13), (That letter reproduced below.) for your cogent and even-tempered letter concerning the failure of Bozeman’s Chamber of Commerce to consider this community’s best interests, while resurrecting grand and inappropriate plans from other times and places.

I have been trying to compose a letter for months, directed to the City Commission, on the same topic — but I inevitably get lost in my anger. (A common Leftist malady, usually as a result of someone dissenting from their beliefs.) 

While our politicians, merchants and developers seem to be singing from the same songbook, our elected representatives do not seem to be in touch in the least with the rest of the population of this lovely, small city. (It's interesting that this extremely Left city commission is characterized as being too friendly to business, especially considering their implementing impact fees, sign codes, and requiring landscaped parking lots. And it seems a lot of Leftists have forgotten the $500,000 extorted from Wal-Mart for its supposed negative impact on mom-and-pop businesses. There are many other things the commission has done that are hostile to development and business, so the complaint that the City is in bed with business rings hollow.)

Clearly with the unemployment rate as low as it is, Bozeman does not have an employment problem. We have a growth problem, one that is being driven by city government and the chamber. (Like all good little leftists, the author is perfectly at ease to toss around these "problems" for government to solve. We don't have THIS problem, we have THAT problem, and we must have government "fix" yet another problem it has by and large caused by its prior economic interventions.) 

Growth — at least at the rate we are seeing — is not inevitable. In fact, public money is being spent to promote it. Yes, even our leftist government recognizes that prosperity is desirable.)

Associated with the myth of inevitable growth is the myth of tax relief through an expanding tax base. How many times already have current property owners been asked to pay for new schools, for instance? And soon for growing law enforcement and court needs. (It truly is ironic that the mismanagement of tax resources by the City commissioners is being laid at the feet of their victims. Does Ms. Hosking realize that taxes are levied by government, not factories? Indeed, factories pay taxes, but Ms. Hosking wants to prevent development and stop business from opening in Bozeman, and then is surprised that property taxes go up. 

I wonder, is she being racist? Because there's an influx of outsiders (read: people of color), who are ruining her little paradise and creating a need for additional law enforcement. And, we all know who it is who commits all these crimes, don't we, Ms. Hosking?

Ms. Hosking sounds like a debutante facing her first exposure to "them," and is horrified at the prospect of rubbing elbows. So she wants to retreat into her sanctuary, shut the door behind her, and keep out those who aspire to move into her neighborhood.)

There are beautiful, small communities that work successfully to maintain their health. (That is, they're squashed under the thumb of dictatorial central planners.)

Why don’t we try that tack? (Because we are already doing it, Ms. Hosking.) Make it difficult to erect buildings downtown that block the mountain views and sunshine, or to lay more asphalt, or build more box stores, chain restaurants or cramped, sprawling developments that could be anywhere in the country? (In other words, keep doing exactly what we are doing. Let's keep pushing development outside the doughnut zone and thus be denied the benefits of their success while simultaneously contributing to sprawl. Let's keep people in low-paying dead end jobs, and force them to live in surrounding, cheaper communities because they can't afford to live here in Ms. Hosking's virtual gated community. Let's kill the golden goose so that Ms. Hosking can gaze at the mountains while others collect their unemployment. 

Because indeed, growth is not inevitable. It can be eliminated by people like Ms. Hosking, whose attitude seems to be that she's here already, so no one else should have access to the lifestyle she enjoys.)

As Ms. Paul said, let’s take care of our community. Let’s not sell it down the road.

Eileen Hosking

Bozeman

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Jennifer Paul's letter:
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The Bozeman Chamber of Commerce announced plans that would bring large manufacturing plants and corporate businesses to Bozeman, Mont. Their aim? "To make Bozeman the commercial hub of Montana." While this idea may seem to be great for Bozeman's job and revenue growth, it is in reality, a fundamentally flawed plan. The two major oversights? First, Bozeman lacks the infrastructure to sustain a huge population boom. If such plans are given the go ahead, Bozeman's current residents will be forced to haul the financial responsibility in the form of higher taxes. The chamber also announced that the Environmental Protection Agency recently gave Bozeman an “F” grade due to its lack of infrastructure to properly dispose of raw sewage, polluted water runoff and toxic gasses emitted from the local landfill. This has resulted in a hefty fine placed on the city and unfortunately will result in higher taxes next year for both home and business owners alike.

Secondly, the other reason this "grandiose vision" of Bozeman is flawed is that it has not taken into account that people have and will continue to move to Bozeman because it is a beautiful place to live, raise a family and to get away from "big city attitude," crime, pollution and traffic. Furthermore, Bozeman thrives on tourism. It has marketed itself on the world stage as being a "pristine mountain paradise." What will people think about our picturesque high mountain town once every square inch of this valley is subdivided and given over to higher taxes and industry? The goal is to get the out-of-state visitors to keep coming to our town and spending money! It is not turn them away. Keep business small, keep it local. Lets take care of our community, both people and land alike.
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