There is no end to the nonsense about farms in the Lehigh Valley. Subscribers know that I oppose Farmland Preservation. While there is plenty of farmland in the valley, all Farmland Preservation does is buy development rights from land owners who never intended to sell the land in the first place. Ironically the rational farm program, Clean and Green, was misrepresented and bashed in a Morning Call article which has been featured on their webpage now for over three months. If Farmland Preservation wasn't enough waste of our taxes, the County has been subsidizing a program to teach farming. Next, we'll be paying for actors to make believe they're farmers at county display farms. Get over it... farming is hard work for real farmers on real farms. Clean and Green provides a tax break for such real farming.
But continuing the nonsense, now Community Action Committee of Lehigh Valley, which assists low income people in various ways, wants to take over the county training farm. Next we'll be giving their graduates their own farms. That organization already sets people up in business. They don't just give fishing poles, they give fish markets. The Seed Farm offers opportunities for those in the inner city to discover their green thumbs. “I like the idea of bringing in a more diverse population,” County Executive Phil Armstrong said, as if minorities were excluded from the previous program.
Ironically the director of Community Action just asked me to appear on his new radio show. I'm not trying to be the guest from hell, but this blog would serve little purpose if I pull punches, even with an upcoming host.
Preservation works when there is not as much corruption. Preservation works when the citizens want to actually preserve something.
ReplyDeleteIt worked for Boulder Colorado.
https://aboutboulder.com/blog/why-does-boulder-have-a-greenbelt/
Why Does Boulder Have A “Greenbelt”?
You may hear Boulderites referring to a “greenbelt,” but what is that and why does Boulder have one?
There was huge population growth in Boulder between 1950 and 1970. This growth was due to the presence of the University of Colorado, the intellectual diversity surrounding the university, and a strong local economy. At an annual growth rate of about 6%, the population of the city was set to double every 11 years or so. Being all about sustainability and preserving local culture, the citizens of Boulder took action against the human tsunami threatening to wash out the city.
In 1967 Boulderites voted the first locally-funded greenbelt in the US into existence. A tiny increase in local sales tax would generate funds for massive land acquisitions in the future. By 1998, Boulder had $116 million bucks in one hand, and 33,000 acres of mountain parks and raw land in the other.