The Triangle

So I've been wondering why our neighbors to the east and south have been generally freaking out over water, while Orange County has none of our familiar mandatory conservation rules in place. (I got so used to it in 2002 that I started to enjoy showering with a bucket that I then used to water my garden.)

I feel like I should know this, but is our lack of drought due solely to OWASA's now-permanent conservation measures or are there other factors keeping our western end of the Triangle moister this year?

Either way, kudos to OWASA for continuing Orange County's position of environmental superiority in the Triangle.

Roses to Orange Water and Sewer Authority, for the long-range planning and year-round conservation measures that have kept our taps flowing while Raleigh and many other nearby areas face a water-supply crisis.

Guest Post by Jeff Vanke

Orange County relies on RDU Airport, although only Durham and Wake County citizens have a say in its operations. The Airport Authority, including more than one construction magnate, is planning to knock down Terminal C and rebuild it. The cost is $350 million, to be paid in increased parking fees. Demolition is slated to begin around December. The situation is urgent.

Justifications range from the need for expansion, to a desire to enhance passenger flow. Further commentary and a solicitation for help is available at my one-issue blog: saverdu.org

Please consider swamping newspapers with letters, and encouraging your friends in Durham and Wake Counties to hound their elected officials, who appoint the Airport Authority members.

Jeff Vanke is a native of Durham County. He lives in Carrboro with his wife and son, where he is a full-time father and a half-time Associate Professor online at Kaplan College.

Yesterday, the John Locke Foundation sponsored a conference whose aim was apparently to trash rail plans for the Triangle. You can read about it in the Herald.

Some interesting excerpts:
The American dream is being challenged by "misguided planning policies" and doctrines "that call for greater government control over development, housing, transportation and consumer choice."

"mass-transit is a dollar-gulping failure"

"the cost of each passenger mile in an average car was 20 cents, compared to 60 cents for each mass-transit passenger mile. In most U.S. locations, each new rider could be provided with a leased car for his or her entire lifetime for the cost of building a mass-transit system,"

It sounds like this conference could just as well have been planned by the highway industry. The comments above reflect a glaring failure to understand federal and state transportation subsidies, the incredible success of transit in many major cities in the US and around the world, and American history.