I remember an old poltical science teacher discussing where differences in opinion originate. "Where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit."
In Oregon this fall, I think we will see that played out in both ballot measures.
For out of state readers, 49 would roll back, if not actually repeal, elements of the previously voter-approved land use measure. That prior measure gave land owners the development rights to their land at the time they purchased it. If you owned land prior to 1973, heck -- there were no rules.
We now see played out on TV the debate. While the debate on the original measure was on fairness in a general sense, today the issue seems to be -- where you sit. That is, if you sit on a piece of land with development rights, you don't want 49 to pass. If you don't own such land, I am guessing you would rather not see more growth and congestion.
The support for rolling back development rules evaporated, I think, when a landowner used his voter approved rights to build a huge, whorish billboard near Sandy -- gateway to Mt Hood.
Now it was no longer a debate over whether a sweet little old lady, Dorothy English, could build a house on her land -- it was now seen as the curse that Gov. Tom McCall referred to as 'condo-mania.'
Freedom is not something that is passed down genetically from generation to generation. It must be learned and earned each time.
The monster billboard in Sandy was this generations teachable moment that if you scratch a farmer, you find a developer.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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