GROWTH: Better than the alternative
A recent letter writer, July 24, lamented the population growth, traffic congestion, etc. I totally agree, up to a point.
Years ago, Kootenai Hospital was a small hospital standing alone. Look at Ironwood now.
There were eight sawmills between Potlatch and Post Falls, all gone now thanks to misguided forest service policies. However, for a variety of reasons, Kootenai County has grown. Growth is a good thing, jobs, etc.
My wife and I lived in New Mexico in the early 1960s. We went back some 30 years later and the town had not changed. With a small college and farms and ranches, it provided few opportunities for young people, so they left.
Yes, we may be becoming more like Southern California, but do we really want to be like Sprague or Ritzville, nice places to live but with few jobs? We can’t have it both ways. Stagnation vs. growth.
BOB RIDOUT
Coeur d’Alene