Robert Emmons deserves thanks for his well-written comments on the current housing crisis (“The Housing Symptom,” Feb. 21). The elephant in the room is population growth, but it seems to be political suicide to mention it in the debate on accommodating growth.
By simply noting the obvious, population control advocates are instantly marginalized and labeled as unrealistic and impractical. The truth is that unchecked population growth is unsustainable and directly related to most of our global and local ills.
I agree that such growth is a choice, not an inevitable fact of life. We as a community, a nation and global citizens must make the changes needed to curb population growth or we will all suffer dire consequences.
The main thing that scientist and author Paul Ehrlich got wrong in his 1968 book Population Bomb is the timing of our demise. The eventuality of his predictions is becoming obvious to anyone paying attention.
In the meantime, we carry on as usual, and are encouraged to support policies that will degrade the quality of life in our neighborhoods. I feel a bit like a frog whose watery world is slowly getting warmer.
Where will it end? Will we do anything to stop the madness?
Tom Happy
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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