| When I first moved here, the motto, “A town in a park,” really caught my eye, I thought it was kind of clever (still do), a perfect description for the Eden that is Pagosa Springs.
Unfortunately, that motto appears to have been supplanted by the “That’s not the way we do things around here,” as the town and county continue cranking out ideas with all the vitality of a Christmas cookie in July. Cutting fees and taxes — how 1982.
And how effective. Just ask any California resident how cutting fees and taxes has worked out for their state. That pro-business attitude has pretty much, well, put them out of business.
Just down the road from us, Durango has initiated a “Green Business Incubator” that encourages “sustainability-minded businesses and environmental research and development groups,” meaning, they’re hoping to attract new businesses and industry to their area. That, and rake in some recovery act dollars.
For our part, the BoCC sent Durango a letter of support. I presume the letter was not part of the county’s economic development plan. I can state with certainty that the letter didn’t capture a dime of recovery act money.
The only local governing entity that has collected any recovery act money is PAWSD and if you read this article about Colorado’s water future, you’ll be grateful that at least PAWSD is sharp enough (and hungry enough) to go after stimulus package money.
Green jobs creation? Nah. Stimulus package money? No thanks. Truly innovative thinking and creative solutions to our economic situation?
That’s not the way we do things around here.
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