The glue that holds the country together is the civil respect that the citizens observe for each other, not so much for what each individual owns but for the good of the whole society. The Constitution is simply a guide for those who operate outside societal good and a tool to rein them in when they falter. The Constitution’s Preamble lays out what we hold precious in the Constitution: “We the people of the United States, … promote the general welfare.” There is a “me me” commission, not a WE; destroying society’s assets is not a right. It is a wrong.
Thinking like Chilcott’s, and apparently that of the entire Ravalli County Commission, purposely ignores this societal good, and selfishly proffers “property rights” as the higher good rather than that of the society in which they live. This is pandering at its worst from supposed leaders. What is happening here is that the hype generated by certain politicians nationally to develop another wedge issue of “property rights,” like other wedge issues such as guns, with highly charged emotion, deflects attention from the real issues that affect society’s good.
So Chilcott now allows development on land that the science states clearly as problematic. He owns land on the river. The river is a huge economic and aesthetic asset that in societal terms is for the good of all citizens in the county and, in no small way, for the country. In fact, tourism has been found to be the greatest economic driver in the state, as was recently noted in the news. This matters not to this commission. Despite every indication that their decision to lower floodplain standards will depreciate the valley’s societal good, they voted to be anti-social.
Ranchers and farmers, and the whole of Ravalli County citizens, are conserving their lands and doing the right thing for the common good and the commissioners told them to forget societal good for selfish gain. The citizens know better.
Terry Marasco
Corvallis