I have been reading these editorials for several years now, consistently there are a wide range of complaints about anti-corporate stores, anti-developer based growth, anti-gambling, anti-foreign markets (to name a few) that all seem to be based on the negative impacts on the current status of this area. Whether that is the environment, the moral fiber of the community, or the rural make-up of the community the concern has generally focused on how these outside influences will invade the local area. Through all of these years I have never heard of anyone really acknowledge the root causes of these entities, that being population. People make corporations; corporations do not make people. People need land; the land does not make people. People want various morals; morals do not make people. I think it is blind and naive to constantly attempt to "keep" things the way they were without realizing that the problem will not go away while there are increasing populations to deal with. A growth based market created Hood River Valley, and so that same entity will overtake this area and use all its resources. Because the population is increasing the people need new places to live and new ways to support their resource needs, basic growth economics. So please, if we are going to support growth economics then can we stop with the hypocritical grandstanding causes and accept the inevitable ramification of all market based economies. Yes, more money means more traffic lights.
