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  e have it great here in San Diego County,
truly one of the finest places to live in the world. We enjoy
a quality of life that most would envy. Why, then, are we so
intent on messing it up in the name of a misguided sense of prosperity?
 I realize
that people have a great deal invested in the issues before us.
Some I agree with, others I don't. What bothers me is the imbalance
of the whole process. Now, I'm not talking about the Browns and
the Greens. What I'm talking about is man against nature. All
of us, against all of it. Resembling the story of David and Goliath,
only this time David is the bad guy, and instead of one stone
he throws thousands daily.
Many folks
believe that money makes the world go round, which is only true
if we accept it as such. Once upon a time, Americans had a reverence
for land. There was a pride associated with stewardship that
did not involve selling out to the highest bidder. There was
an understanding that put well-being before profits. Where is
the America of my grandparents? When did restraint go out of
fashion?
Growth has
become a self-perpetuating ideology that is far from sustainable.
While creating an ever increasing burden on future generations,
it requires more where there is none to give. We can not go on
at our current pace and expect even a fraction of our current
good fortune twenty years from now. Open space is being eradicated
faster then you can say California gnatcatcher. Once a desert,
San Diego county is now just a sprawling suburb, oblivious to
anything other than immediate gratification.
Water scarcity
is a good example. As a governing board, the San Diego Association
of Governments is working to accommodate a million more people
in the region, completely ignoring the fact that water resources
in San Diego County are stretched to their limits. As if trapped
in a nasty game of Catch-22, water infrastructure is being built
to meet the needs of existing residents, while cities continue
to approve residential developments that place a further burden
on water supplies.
Limiting growth
is in no way anti-progress. Nor is it anti-business. By managing
growth in a sustainable way, we do more than protect our current
quality of life; we actually provide opportunity for future generations.
An overpopulated region of thirsty people is nothing to look
forward to. Neither is a constantly contaminated beach or a complete
loss of biodiversity.
Blinded by
comfort, convenience, and a healthy dose of uncontrolled greed,
we are making choices on par with a kid in a candy store. All
too willing to indulge, we fail to consider the consequences
of our actions. Now at the pinnacle of our success, enslaved
by expectations, we sit fat and unhappy, making ourselves sick
with desire. The only question remaining is when will we learn
when to push away from the proverbial table, and begin living
within our means. 
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