What I've Been Up To

I got a comment from Jenni saying she missed my writing, so of course, being highly flattered, I thought I'd drop a line on what I've been up to, what I've been thinking, etc.

I'm a daily subscriber to LaVarr Webb's Utah Policy Daily, and I'm not so into the new feature: Utah's Top Issues. I just hope that other readers subscribe to it for the same reason I do...the right column and the Blogwatch (which has been a yawn lately). I usually ignore everything else in the left column. I don't need the spin...I just need the news. I don't need Utah Policy Daily to tell me which topics are most important in Utah...I can figure that out for myself.

Speaking of blogging lately...though I haven't had much time to blog or to browse blogs, I haven't noticed much outrage, much passion, or much of anything worth noting. It seems that lots of people are obsessing over numbers, tax plans, and the like when they should be crying out against the Washington County Lands Bill and the Southern Nevada Water Authority pumping plan.

As for the Washington County Lands Bill (which is still pretty hot judging from the press it's been receiving NATIONWIDE including in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times), I haven't had enough time to express my feelings on this, but I'll just say that the resistance to it from both enviro's and the Bush Administration (polar opposites) is telling...there's something just not right about encouraging more thoughtless growth in our southern-most city. What that city needs is to step back and take a look at the bigger picture: will there be enough water to support growth? Will selling off wilderness really be selling off the very thing that is drawing people there in the first place? I think so. I lived there for a year or so, and the growth is what finally drove me away. That and the traffic. Most other people stay, though, because of the beautiful landscape and mild weather...take away the landscape and all you've got left is three weeks of 100 plus weather. Not exactly enticing.

And to the Southern Nevada Water Authority pumping plan (which isn't emerging, UPD...it's been there for a while and you're just starting to notice) I have similar thoughts. It is ridiculous to think that Las Vegas will stop at anything to get water. They have suggested that they'll keep an eye on things and if the water levels drop too much, putting farmers, ranchers and endangered species at risk for losing their livelihoods, that they'll stop pumping or reduce pumping. But after putting millions of dollars into a pipeline, I think that it will take a much bigger problem than dying fish to stop them. I say build that desalinization plant...or maybe drain the Bellagio's lake!