In the process of approving a 653-home development in Henderson County, County Commissioner Chuck McGrady said: “I support this because we get a number of things that but for this developer’s willingness to agree we might not get.”
What does the “we” mean in Commissioner McGrady’s statement? I translate it [to mean] McGrady and the other three commissioners. I’m sure they will get a number of things out of it, but the existing population of Henderson County will get screwed. As a matter of fact, by the government’s own admission, the county is running out of water. Does it make sense to overpopulate the area? Commissioner Mark Williams abstained from voting, whatever that means. I suspect he lacks the courage of his convictions.
Take note that politicians always refer to developers in the singular sense. This is word play to make people think developers fall under the protection of individual property rights. The truth is that a corporation is a conglomerate with the sole purpose of exploitation. The investors, whose only interest is profit, put a licensed developer out front who pretends he has the community’s best interest at heart. The developer’s job is to use that power, that money to influence politicians, media and community leaders. Each developer contends that their development will be the most beneficial thing that ever happens, just as they did in Florida.
Logic is the science of reasoning, or the operations of understanding that are subservient to the estimation of evidence. A Supreme Court justice was quoted as saying, “There is no common sense in law.” Can you imagine a “functional government”?
— Bob Collins
Mountain Home
1 thought on “The politics of development”
Currently North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper is investigating the ‘Village of Penland’, a Mitchell County gated community which has apparently scammed several banks (one of which is United Community Bank)out of at least 100 million dollars. Other land investment flim flams and the ecological disasters caused by these affronts to the citizens and the environment of Western North Carolina are continuing in all the counties here in the western end of the state. I urge Mr. Cooper to broaden his investigations of the criminals (developers) and their numerous crimes. Not only is the national housing mortgage lending market heading south but the local one smells like a red herring also!