Reply #61: This is pretty simple really... [View All]

[TLM]

Know that Colby is of the mind that any development is pro-development. It is true, Dean did increase development in Vermont, and lifted their economy out of the crapper. However he also balanced development with good policy. Such as limiting where these chain stores like wal mart and home depot could build... making them build in existing developed areas, rather than adding to sprawl by building out away from local businesses as wal mart does so often.

"Remember, when Dean took office there were no Wal-Marts in Vermont; there was no Home Depots;"

Yeah and there was also a sizable debt and serious economic trouble. You can't grow the economy and halt development at the same time. But people like Colby want no development... this is a person who feels Gore was anti-environment.


" Burlington's downtown was dominated by local stores not the national chains that now rule the roost;"

See how Colby is very careful to try and spin the fact Dean made these chains build downtown, to prevent sprawl... yet in the next line Colby then tries to imply Dean is causing sprawl... rather than preventing it.

"there were 36% more small farmers in existence; there were no 100,000-hen mega-farms;"

The percentage of small farms in the US has been on a solid decline for six decades. That's due to the transition from an agricultural to an industrial and tech based economic system.

And while I know some animal rights folks hate chicken farms... the family living on a budget that can get a chicken for dinner for 3 bucks does. So do the folks who have health care and the kids who weren't molested because taxes from those new business paid for programs that cut the rate of child sexual abuse %70.

" and sprawl wasn't a word on the tip of everyone's tongue."

As in saying, "Wow look how Dean has encouraged business development and economic growth while limiting sprawl."

You'll note that Colby says sprawl "wasn't a word on the tip of everyone's tongue." Not Dean created more sprawl than X or increased sprawl by X percent.


As for that bit about Dean working to get rid of those folks who were chasing businesses out of Vermont and working to block any development at all, he did do that as far as I know. And the fact is that's why Colby has such a biased take on Dean.