Not In My Backyard

Time and time again projects are derailed because residents of a city or town refuse to allow innovative projects to go forward. A majority of these projects are not just beneficial to the economy they are also beneficial to the quality of life of our community. Whether it is selfishness or a lack of understanding, there is a feeling in communities that while there might be a benefit to most of these innovative projects, public sentiment still has that “not in my backyard” mentality.

An announcement was made last week that a commuter rail will go down to New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts to be linked to the state capital of Boston. Before the official press release was even announced to the press, residents in surrounding towns were up in arms about the possibility of having the commuter rail run through their community. Southeastern Massachusetts has been hit hardest by the economic recession in Massachusetts, yet the one thing that could revitalize the area, will never see the light of day. I see more litigation in this case than with big tobacco. The not in my backyarders will never allow the commuter rail and will fight it out in court before they would concede to the greater good of our community.

A few years ago, Bradlees Department stores were in many small communities in the Northeast. Bradlees, year after year, lost millions and millions of dollars until it finally went bankrupt. All of the stores closed and at least thirty percent of former Bradlees stores are still empty to this day. Wal-Mart, at the time of Bradless demise, tried to purchase these buildings and build stores in these communities. The public outcry was so great Wal-Mart abandoned the project. When you have to drive twenty miles to buy a garden hose, next time remember how easy it could have been to pull into that Wal-Mart and buy that hose a mile down the road. The local job market would have been helped with the Wal-Mart brand as well.

Despite a relentless increase in fuel consumption, the oil industry hasn't built a new refinery in California in 35 years and probably never will again. Nor is it likely to invest in significant expansions of existing facilities, even though prices in California are 30 cents a gallon above the U.S. average. Even as demand grows, industry executives say expanding or building refineries is almost impossible in California, thanks to red tape, strict environmental laws and rampant opposition. That makes a new refinery a major risk -- a $2 billion, 10-year undertaking, depending on how long it takes to get the permits, said Bob Slaughter, president of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association. California is constantly in the news as residents of the state are up in arms because of the cost of gasoline on average is 23 cents more than the rest of the nation. The biggest problem here is that California residents do not want refineries in their back yard, henceforth the higher gas prices.*

Do not get me wrong here, there have been several disasters such as Three Mile Island, companies that have put toxic waste in our rivers and streams, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill that have soured the public on some of these projects. Can anyone tell me however why adding a Wal-Mart to a town would be so terrible?

We do not look out for the greater good anymore, as we only look out for ourselves. No one wants a small town or a historic part of a city to be run over by commercialism. Stopping progress and impeding the betterment of others is going to derail the American Economy for our children if we do not start thinking things through. America was built on innovation and our ability to see into the future.

When Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Steve Jobs pushed Americans into buying their very own personal computer, our economy skyrocketed. A new industry was born. America was light years ahead of other countries and beat back a severe challenge by the Japanese, who threatened our economy with their new found innovation. We succeeded and we have prospered because America found out that real innovation is built in a garage and not in a board room.

New technology is what America is all about. Take for example Wind Turbine technology. The price of electricity is skyrocketing and with the amount of electricity needed on the rise we need to find a way to produce more while protecting the environment. Wind Turbine Farms as they are called, have been shot down time and time again because no one wants them in their community. Think it out people. Thousand dollar electric bills are not out of the question if we do not find a new way to produce electricity.

My final point to make is that it is a small but loud majority that beats back real progress because of our "not in my backyard" mentality. These are the same people looking over their 401k statements blaming everyone and everything on everyone else but the person in the mirror. Innovation and progress is a good thing. Maybe you have to wait at a stop light an extra thirty seconds for that commuter rail to go by, maybe just maybe that extra thirty seconds will secure the future of our nation.

* Quotes from the Los Angeles times

E-mail me at drcrischasse@verizon.net
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