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Published Februray 25th, 2015
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Letters to the Editor
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Editor:
I voted for a Trotter, but I think I got a "can't-er." (Sorry, Dave; 'couldn't rein-in the horseplay.) Of course, Dave isn't the problem. He is simply one of tens of thousands of elected and selected officials across the country who (a) can't see the connection between the problems they deal with and America's perpetual population growth or (b) can't admit they see it, because they (c) can't see what they can do about it.
When we moved to Lamorinda in 1966, the population of the U.S., California, and Contra Costa County were approximately 197 million, 19 million, and 0.5 million, respectively. Today, the corresponding numbers are approximately 320 million, 34 million, and 1.1 million. In other words, Contra Costa County's population has grown approximately 55 percent in that period and Lamorinda's population is over 60 thousand and growing. Any wonder why Lamorinda commute times might be getting longer, parking spaces might be getting costlier, buildings might be getting bigger, open space might be getting smaller, water supplies might be getting tighter, and so on and on and on?
Perhaps it's time for all the "can't-ers" across the country - and in Lamorinda - to become "can-do-ers." They might begin by (1) thinking about the effects of perpetual population growth upon their respective areas of responsibility, (2) talking about the effects of perpetual population growth with others across the country with similar responsibilities, and (3) stating openly in appropriate documents that perpetually growing populations throughout the U.S. create perpetually growing problems for cities, counties, and states, as well as for the U.S. as a whole.
I think you can-do, Dave!
Edward C. Hartman
Moraga
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA