Is this a joke?

I saw a political cartoon drawn by Will McPhall from a recent copy of New Yorker Magazine.  It was pretty much a perfect assessment of where our nation's mindset has gone.  There is a drawing of a man on an airplane.  He is standing up and talking to the passengers on the flight.  He is pointing out that the smug pilots on the plane have lost touch with the common person like those of them who are passengers.  He asks them to raise their hands if they believe he should be the one who should be flying the plane.  The joke is that many people are raising their hands.  Of course nobody bothers to ask him the single most important question, "Do you know how to fly a plane?" 

This cartoon is a quick and fairly accurate description of modern populism.  Yes, in our country, if you win an election, you do not necessarily need to be an expert in politics or law. But the question becomes, "Should we put people in office who are popular yet unqualified?"  If you think the airplane analogy is a tad hyperbolic, remember that when we give political powers to a person, the misuse of those powers can be as dangerous as turning over an airliner to that person who has never been a pilot.

Now,  before you think this is an article on our recent national election, let me assure you that it isn't. The analogy might fit for some and be viewed by others as a shortsighted insult to the incoming president.  Of course, that is your prerogative.  No, this is an article about what happens when a county like Elbert tries to grow and prosper and yet is unwilling to admit that the very thing for which it is wishing will bring changes that are guaranteed to destroy the "Good Old Boy" network that we have all been living with for decades. There is no way that the current government can see this change coming because the players are always certain that they are talented enough, smart enough, and worldly enough to show these developers, businessmen, and citizens just how it is going to be in the "new Elbert County."  They will be amazed at how quickly they will all be out of a job. It will make their head spin when they discover  how quickly these new people who are asking them to lunch every time they turn around will start every sentence with, "Remind me again how I know you."

High density developments will be filled with people who will not initially work in the county. These houses will be owned by well-healed city dwellers. Living in houses that are in the $500K+ range will come with the expectation of  asphalt roads, strip malls, gas stations, fast food and a grocery store around the corner. You know what Parker or southeast Aurora looks like?  That is what they will want and that is what they will demand. They will not even be mildly amused at the notion of a rural lifestyle. Having a septic tank pumped is a concept that they will not embrace nor will it have even crossed their minds up to this point.  They will win this battle.  They always do.

Population increases will bring diversity.  There will be more balance in the political landscape. There will be a greater demand for low income workers and those folks will need to live here because they will not be able to afford to commute.  As a result there will be more demand for public services, firemen, policemen, etc.  These will not be free.  There will be a need for more schools and more teachers.  There will need to be a traffic grid and waste water mitigation facilities and all the trappings that come with rapid growth. And do you know what that will bring with it?  Do you know what will finally displace the good old boys?  If you said "expertise" or "highly skilled workers" then you just won a cigar.

My father moved my family to Aurora when it was very sparsely populated in 1950.  He built a house when there were still small farms dotting the area  and we lived only ten blocks away from the the edge of Denver.  He was a heavy highway and concrete contractor who wanted growth in the worst way.  There was no asphalt and damned few sidewalks.  He wanted to build this new city and it made him a wealthy man.  He watched as it went from a small rural area to a gigantic town with a population that rivaled both Colorado Springs and Denver.  He spent many years chronicling to members of our family how the good old boys in charge of expanding the city were always so amazed when the people with the money to actually make the changes saw fit to show them the door.  The then outgoing sad old boy was always dismayed to learn that some clean shaven college boy was moving into his old office.

This change is inevitable.  More people means more change.  You could not stop the growth that is coming to Elbert County if you tried.  What most people refuse to see is that the only way anyone can make the growing pains at least tolerable is to become involved with the changes.  That requires a paradigm shift in the way we look at local governance.  At one point in time, it may have been okay to have well-liked community members and business owners directing the county at every level.  That might even include multiple family members and their close friends placed in county positions. That said, when the complexities of modernization arrive in Kiowa, we will need qualified experts, not just familiar faces.   Those people need to be carefully screened as to their qualifications and their willingness to listen to an informed public.

Things are looking up in many respects.  The BOCC has three new members whose combined years of education far exceeds the boards that preceded them.  They have experience in leadership and business.  But while that is a good thing, it must noted that we are woefully behind the times in many areas of our government. Gone are the days when we can afford to hire buddies and family members unless they possess the training and expertise to fulfill a carefully crafted job description.  These three new commissioners have a great opportunity to turn the ship around and get us on a track to bring Elbert County up to speed with surrounding counties that have already undergone this change.

Let me be a bit more specific:  I have mentioned in several posts that up to 98% of the population in Elbert County is on well and septic.  That is an unsustainable solution over the long haul, but making decisions today that punishes people for living in the only manner in the past is not only unrealistic, but patently unfair.  We need expert help to transition our county from the days of well and septic to the days of public water and sewage.  It must be done in a manner that does not ruin the financial well-being of families who may have lived out here for a very long time.

No future planning can proceed without a firm recognition that water is paramount in any discussion of growth.  We are essentially a high desert.  There is almost no surface or running water in this entire county.  We have an abundance of water beneath our feet in the form of five bedrock aquifers, all of which have been designated as not-nontributary.  Simply put, the aquifers are not recharging at a rate that keeps up with what we are extracting from them. Once it is gone, we will be wholly dependent on a fraternity of water providers who can charge exorbitant sums of money for which 98% us pay almost nothing today.  Our commissioners need to stand up for those who are dependent on groundwater and examine every water proposal that comes before them with healthy skepticism.

The "wink, nod and a handshake"  dealings of the past need to go away.  The practice of holding meetings on development anywhere other than in a meeting room in the Kiowa Courthouse that has been properly noticed needs to cease immediately.  Minutes from any public meeting need to be posted openly and in a timely fashion.  That is fair and promotes trust. We are going to need to have trust as we enter this next chapter of Elbert County history.

So back we are to the cartoon.  If the person who is speaking about the smug pilots and looking to be given command of the plane is Chesley Sullenberger (Sully), then there is no joke because he is a famous pilot.  But if the only plane this man has ever flown is folded out of paper, well that is darkly funny.  The only way to keep people from getting hurt is to make sure that if you are going to ask someone to take charge of your future then you must find what qualifications they possess before you invite them into the cockpit.