Which I'm sure will cheer those who reside in their fear-based community that any development in Oregon will start the death-knell of "Oregon As We Know It".
Yet again, let me re-state: Oregon is the tenth largest state in the United States. And less than two percent of this giant landmass is considered developed land. Most of our counties are larger than the smaller states in the United States. Harney county is larger than the ten smallest states. Clatsop county is about the size of Rhode Island. And yet we continue to be dominated by the economic imperialism of Multnomah county. Their population of 660-thousand people dwarfs our population of 35-thousand. (Rhode Island has more than a million people.) And because they live hamster warren lives, they cannot see that tiny Multnomah county--just 435 square miles--simply isn't a model that we want to emulate.
People would move here if they could. They would build factories and plants here, if they could. On news that funding has been approved to deepen the Columbia River channel, the attraction to access to international markets would make Clatsop county extremely competitive for investors. The company that owns the railroad to Astoria has already made it known, clearly, that as soon as there is demand for rail, improvements to the line into Astoria would be made. Everything would seem to be in place for an explosion of growth in Clatsop county.
Except for one thing: land use law.
So the fact that the Feds are seeking greater authority over Oregon's resources may be a moot point. Portland, the Port of Portland and Metro are jealously guarding their rights to be the only market in the state that can have an industrial base. They do not want any industrial development outside Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties. And to make sure it never happens, they continue to bang the drums over things like the environment, global warming, the destruction of "public" places, and then they question whether or not any proposed business investment is "sustainable." Yes. they are all sustainable. Just as sustainable as is GM or buggy whip manufacture. (How did sustainability become a by-word of economic development theory?)
While Oregon's "Big Look" was supposed to respond to demands from rural counties to increase local control over local development issues, the truth is, nothing has happened. Even though the Oregon Department of Forestry was supposed to come up with a plan to increase timber harvesting to benefit local counties, nothing has happened. Even though Oregon now has the second highest unemployment rate in the country, nothing has happened.
So when US Senators Oberstar (D-MN) and Feingold (D-WI) look to make greater intractibility in resource utilization, should we be concerned? Further locking up Oregon resources seems to be the major raisson d'etre of our Leftist senators, Merkley and Wyden. Look at the forest lands locked up just this year. No surprise that both Merkley and Wyden are co-sponsors of this bill.
The problem with S. 787(pdf) is that it goes further than any previous bill on control of a state's natural resources. States like resource rich Oregon will have to face additional layers of regulation when attempting to conduct our lives. Fishing will be affected. Housing will be affected. Timber will be affected. Farming and ranching could be reduced to rubble. Why? To appease Mother Gaia. And teh Loons who drive all this in the Metro area.
S. 787 is going to be another nail in the coffin. But unlike the self-inflicted harm we suffer under SB 100 and our State Land Use Board, we will need to create a new alter to worship. Is it Constitutional? These days there doesn't seem to be any limits to federal power. Those powers enumerated in the Constitution seem trivial.
Friday, May 15, 2009
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These days there doesn't seem to be any limits to federal power. Those powers enumerated in the Constitution seem trivial. Epiphany ...
Obama's supporters have claimed he's the "next Lincoln". Well, the same thing was probably said during Lincoln's reign of tyranny.
I wonder how far Lincoln would have gone in trashing the Constitution, had he not been assassinated.
Oh come on - Astoria has all kinds of industry! Goonies was made there, and just the other day a big cruise ship docked there for a few hours. And these industries are fully approved by Metro.
Interesting story on the cruise lines, Max.
Seems one of the wunderkind of the Oregon House was willing to kill these port of call visits. Reason? Pollution.
This unnamed solon with a "killer vita" was concerned that these cruise ships weren't being inspected, even tough their last port of call was in an American city, like Seattle or San Diego.
When you live in a tiny--population -wise--county, an extra thousand people running around town buying stuff is pretty significant.
But, you know the Left. There was a fee that wasn't being collected. And the current thought among Democrats is, if you're not willing to pay the higher cost of doing business in Oregon, leave.
How high will unemployment climb? "To the moon, Alice, to the moon!"
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Somewhere on the web is a map of "federal lands". Last time I looked, it's 75% or more of the entire Western US.
Today's "Federal lands" are just about the same as the old English "King's forests": No Trespassing! "Hey! These are public lands - you can't come in here!"
And our bright and beautiful Nancy Pelosi is using the "federal land" stick to make darn sure there's none of those nasty old solar power plants built there.
Texas is showing some moxie by publicly thinking about seceding. Somehow, I doubt Oregon will even consider resisting the awesome power of the Feds.
Sometimes I think that our CA Governor Arnold is taking notes, seeing just how well things are going there, so we can follow suit.
As long as Astoria has the large legacy dock, and as long as ships don't stay there for more than four hours or so, Salem won't trouble about it.
Now, Astoria could run into issues if they tried to refurbish the dock, or - god forbid - attempt to make it a point of embarkation/debarkation for cruise lines. Those would involve real, long-term jobs.
And they haven't been approved.
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