"It is not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? It is not enough for you to drink of the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?" Ezekiel 34:18

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Public Lands, Public Goods

Nicolas Kristof has a great article in the NY Times this morning about the state of our public lands. He describes how he and his daughter hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and how the trails and bridges were collapsing in on themselves. The most poignant part of the article is when Kristof says we built up out public lands when we were a poor country, and now as a rich country they are decaying from neglect. And the reason for this? "That’s not because of resources. It’s because they were visionaries, and we are blind."

I am afraid this is a wider symptom of "if you want to enjoy the great outdoors, then buy it" syndrome. My worry is that soon there will be no more public goods in this country. Public schools, National Parks, clean water....they will all be former shadows of themselves, which you can argue that they already are.