The letter from Charlie Spielman hit the nail on the head when he said there was going to be a major reduction in agricultural production in order to allow our water use in the Valley to be sustainable. I wish I could feel as convinced by his call for economic development. With the political season in full swing you will hear politicians from both side of the aisle calling for economic development. They don’t feel the need to explain how economic development can be sustainable on a finite planet without changing the laws of nature.

Even Charlie doesn’t explain how we are to change the results of economic growth which over the last 40 years has trickled up rather than trickled down. Are we really enjoying, “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” when the government rewards the rich and allows the poor and middle class to have seen little or no gain for so long? With government tax cuts for the rich and corporations and court findings which hobble the ability of unions to be a balance to corporate power, the bulk of the population has little reason to believe that their children will have a better future than do they.

To me the future looks bleak when the scientific community tells us that human life on this planet requires substantial change to our doing business as usual. Do we really expect the rich to change a government that showers them with such bounty? Do we really expect them to see the need for change when they are doing so well?

I would rather see us all working to better our quality of life through such actions as our farmers market, the local foods coalition and now the Narrow Gauge Book Cooperative. I see that route as far more beneficial than a new big box retailer or out of Valley corporation that pays so little their employees have to make use of government benefits such as food stamps.

The Denver metro area gives us a great example of the downside of overpopulation with such things as the day long traffic congestion and housing costs which take as much as half of an individuals earnings. Here in the Valley we will hopefully work towards sustainability and grow our quality of life instead of our population.

Don Thompson

Alamosa