Olson pointed out all the things that are gone. It would be painful to reprise his list here, but big things like the Ford plant and the breweries and small things like Frank Murphy's and Hubert W. White. Why, if you wanted to play the game of listing gone things, Olson missed many of them.
The larger point is that nothing of substance has replaced the things lost. And yes, many things lost were fated to be lost, and their absence cannot be blamed on an inattentive government. But we are foolish to think that more of what the government builds or compels can be considered development.
There will be nobody left to pay for it. We will not be, to use the favorite buzzword, sustainable.
And, my letter to the author:
Dear Mr. Soucheray--
Bravo for an on-the-money column about the "trains to nowhere" that are being built in St. Paul and in way too many other cities throughout America. As Margaret Thatcher pointed out about eventually running out of "other people's money" - it seems that we are nearing closer and closer to that tipping
point.
point.
It pains me to no end that my "progressive" friends still don't understand this. They look at the government - particularly under Democratic rule - as a benign, "we know what's good for you and we are here to provide it and regulate it" system. Yet, as you clearly understand, our government cannot move with market forces as private business does.
The notion of multi-trillion dollar platinum coins that will wash away our sins of spending is a delightful fantasy. But - that is all it is; a fantasy.
I hope like hell that somehow, we can get out of this ludicrous plan of having the government provide all these good things with Other People's Money. If we don't - as you know, the great gift of a nation that we had for some time really will be lost.
Thank you again for such an insightful and well written column.
Sincerely,
Peggy Kaplan
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