Re “Destruction on the Deschutes”: What the heck is wrong with you people?
Okay, I have a fabulous tip for all of you would-be landowners. If you don’t like messy greenery, big trees, water, or little wildland creatures, you should immediately buy land in ARIZONA.
Never heard of it, you say? Well, it’s a fabulous place where the sun always shines, there isn’t all that yucky water running all over the place, and there are few little creatures that can’t just be moved to someplace else. And large trees? Forget about it!
You will no longer have to bother with getting rid of all those little obstacles, and land is even cheaper there so you can buy and develop more of it. Imagine the profits you’ll make! Sounds great huh? But wait, there’s more …
Are you tired of having your construction teams stopped because of cold and snow? Well, Arizona doesn’t get very cold and it only snows once in a blue moon – no more work delays! What are you waiting for? You should go there immediately!
Now, as for those of you who stay and continue to destroy forest and wetland habitat, please know that the community is paying attention and some ambitious lawyer will find a way for us to have new laws put in place to stop you, or at the very least find a way for us to launch civil lawsuits against you that you will ultimately LOSE, costing you not only time, but lots of money. Since money is everything to you, after all, that would be a bad thing.
So, my dear landowner(s) (and developers), as one who is truly knowledgeable as to the mindset of the clueless and misguided, having known many land developers for years, please take my advice and HIT THE ROAD!
Your friend,
Barbara in Ben
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2008.
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As a former (10 year) resident of Flagstaff, Arizona, I have to say this woman is WAY off base. It rains, snows, sleets and has winter temps below freezing. The cost of housing is nearly as high as it is in Bend. Although a lot of AZ is desert, the top third is covered by one of the largest ponderosa pine forests in the US, inhabited by, yep, wildland creatures. And as for cheap land – that went out with the housing boom. Unless you decide move to just north of the border, then you can probably still get cheap land.
I understand that Barbara is angry, but please don’t use an obviously misguided stereotype of a region you must never have visited. Just stating your opinion is a much stronger argument.
Obviously, I was generalizing. I was thinking of Southern Arizona… and I lived there for more than 40 years so I DO know what I’m talking about.
And anger? How else do you get people off their butts and away from the TV if you don’t get them stirred up?
One wonders why, if you spent 40 years in Arizona, you are recommending it as exile? You sound like one of those folks (Ginny come lately) that as soon as they arrive here they want the door to slap them in the ass as it closes behind them.
From where I sit, Oregon born in 1941, we were doing pretty good until a whole bunch of you out of state folks showed up and spoiled the place. I lived in Bend when the population was 2600. You could hunt deer East of Pilot Butte. All this growth and construction isn’t being done in the name of native Oregonians…It’s for all the know it all butt heads like you that have been contaminating the place with the morals, ethics and lifestyles of all the crappy ruined places you left behind…
Maybe you are the one needs to go back to Arizona.
Please don’t spout your ignorance of other regions while trying to sound like part of the cause when it’s people like you who are the problem. You obviously moved here from a larger area and are just as much of a population statistic as the other people infesting bend. The difference with you is that you feel entitled to chastise others for doing exactly as you did. What makes you immune to the bombardment of non-local haters?
I shot a bear thirty odd years ago on what is now the ninth tee at Broken Top. I kinda’ miss my old home town (Born on the Hill, ’54). Why don’t all ‘ya Ginny Come Latelys go on back where you came from? Please.
The way I see it, the developers would not be distroying the land if it were not for out of state folks willing to pay the price for a big fancey McMansion with a view. Can’t blaim a guy for making a living. Soon only the rich will have all the best to themselves. The freedom we had in the past will be a mirror image in our minds, next generation will never know of the freedom we once had. Green to them will be a big house with solar panels, not where the deer and elk ect. once roamed. Kinda odd how history is a repete of the past.
I kinda like the newbees, even the crazies like Barbara to settle in Bend. Bend was lost by 1980. At least when they settle there they stay away from here. I can still hunt deer, turkeys, dove, and quail from my backdoor. I can target practice without fear of neighbor retaliation. Fox, coyote, eagles, and hawks are still common occurences.
Bend is lost but still many fine places exist in this state, free from those ignorant of Tom McCall, The Red Dunning show and Heck Harper.
Did you even see the letter I was referring too? That’s what I was commenting on and if you had read it you’d be mad about that no what I said. Based on the comments above it sounds like y’all are defending the guys who destroyed the vegetation and habitat along the Deschutes. I guess you kind of missed the fact that I was writing with “tongue in cheek”, have you no sense of humor? Maybe I’m just a poor writer.
BTW, no big Mcmansion was built for me, I live in a small 30 year old home, and I telecommute so I don’t even contribute to the traffic … except maybe when I go to Fred Meyer, or the Deschutes Brewery.
Nice chatting with you gentlemen.
Barbara, don’t take it personally. The natives to this area are so busy hating anyone that wasn’t born here that they are blind to progress. All they know how to do is complain. I’m sure back when their precious town had only 2600 people they were complaining about how lousy the local economy was.
I love Bend exactly how it is. Luckily most of the ignorant local rednecks don’t come out of their holes too often. In my opinion the people that came from out of town are what makes the culture of this town so great. I can’t help but agree that the small portion of people driving their BMW’s and living in Broken Top aren’t my favorite, but we should all keep in mind that they are a small percentage of the residents and every town has them. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for people being intelligent/lucky enough to be wealthy, but at least make an effort to blend in and not look like an ass.
Anyone that isn’t an angry, resentful local could clearly see that your letter was light hearted.