Originally Posted by
erikd
There are a number of quality posts on this thread that point out the flaws in the ideology promoted by LBP. LBP, and the people who share his mindset, are deeply committed to the post-war vision of an auto-centic, disposable lifestyle, which is extremely wasteful and unsustainable.
There is no point in debating this subject with LBP or any person who subscribes to the unsustainable ideology of sprawl. They will not accept any evidence or logic that proves the unsustainable nature of their mindset, and they will fight anything or anybody who says otherwise.
We are now entering a period where the debates about sustainability and sprawl will not not matter, because the reality of the situation will be self evident, and these un-sustainable ways of life will literally become un-sustainable.
The reality of $4 or $5 or $6 dollar a gallon for gas will happen in the very near future. This will force us to change how we live our lives. The reality of bankrupt local and state governments will force us deal with the unsustainable nature of sprawl. Our local and state governments have not been solvent for a few years now, and they have been getting by with one-time fixes, accounting tricks, and federal bail-outs. The period of gimmicks, tricks, and bailouts is almost over, and the period of reckoning will begin soon, like it or not.
It doesn't matter what LBP thinks about sprawl or sustainability, because it won't be a debate in the near future. The simple facts are that we have a declining population, a declining tax base, and declining revenue that simply will not allow us the ability to invest in, or support, additional infrastructure.
I am done with debating moot points with moronic ideologues like LBP. Metro Detroit and Michigan has steadily lost population, income, tax revenue, and jobs for years. These are the facts. This is our reality. Any person who advocates spending more money and resources for the expansion of our built environment, in the face of declining population and income, is a complete idiot. Even a child can grasp the concept that less people with less money can not afford to expand and build more stuff.