I remember a line from a song, years ago, that said "You can't leave a working man no where to go.."
It seems the state of Montana or more correctly the federal government is working on the newest 'leisure suites' for the fabulously wealthy.
The deal was struck behind closed doors between Mark E. Rey, the former timber lobbyist who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, and Plum Creek Timber Co., a former logging company turned real estate investment trust that is building homes. Plum Creek owns more than 8 million acres nationwide, including 1.2 million acres in the mountains of western Montana, where local officials were stunned and outraged at the deal
The WaPo today is reporting on this "closed door" deal with the Plum Creek group to open up logging roads to sell property for new McMansions. Paving roads and pushing back wilderness and wildlife for the rich and famous. Plum Creek Timber Co., which has recently discovered that selling land for monsterous houses at exorbitant prices is more profitable than logging....if they have to log responsibly, that is.
Montana is and has been the home of the hard working, hard living American Redneck. Loggers, miners, ranchers and farmers for generations have eeked out a living in the rugged beauty of Montana. Now, Plum Creek with the assistance of the federal government is about to help change that society from an "extraction" economy to a "service" economy and if that doesn't mean hard(er) times, I'm not sure what does. Service to who? The fabulously wealthy who will need to be pampered, guided and amused during their infrequent visits to their "homes". Since they so rarely visit these monstrosities, that won't pay the rent.
The real life problems with these "homes" comes in the form of public services. Local fire districts,ambulance, and police departments, already strapped, will have to be on call for distant, gated communities. Water rights and tax assessments will also be an issue. What happens to a community when the tax rates for their own homes go up because of the "value" of the homes of the very rich? Montana is also an "income tax" state and many of those services are paid out of that fund. Problem being, McMansion owners don't HAVE Montana income.
The fact that this 'deal' is going down, without any local input and being done by a "former logging lobbyist" who is now "oversees the US Forest Service" is just another example of the rape of our nation by the Bush administration and their appointees.
The whole article can be read at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
I , for one, hate to see Montana go down this way.