Why former Gov. Dick Lamm opposes Olympics, Amazon in Colorado

Article author: 
Erin Powell
Article publisher: 
9 News
Article date: 
11 March 2018
Article category: 
Colorado News
Medium
Article Body: 

... Lamm believes Amazon would be worse for Colorado than the Olympics.

"We have among the lowest unemployment rates in the world. They're looking at 30- to 50,000 (jobs). That means most of those people are going to have to come in from out of state. Do you know what it costs us to settle somebody coming in from out of state? It's 20- to 30,000 in roads, and schools, and infrastructure. And then they want us to give them a subsidy - the largest corporation in America - or one of them. I think the audacity of Amazon, asking for these various communities to bigger themselves with money that we desperately need for school, and infrastructure, and roads to help settle those people."

3. Wouldn't these jobs be good for young people already in Colorado today?

"I believe in organic growth... Do you want slow growth, or do you want cancerous growth? I think that's the question. Do you want to have the regular, organic- Colorado's growing nicely."

4. Why are local leaders trying to hard to get these organizations?

"Because they're following the ancient way - you know, you seem something like this and you jerk your knees, and you say, 'Wow, that's good.' I don't think they thought it through. I don't think they thought Amazon through, and I don't think they thought the Olympics through."...

[See the original article for video interview]

 


CAIRCO Notes

Can you think of any problem in any area of human endeavor on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any demonstrable way aided, assisted, or advanced by further increases in population, locally, nationally, or globally?"
We cannot save the environment by having "smart growth." Smart growth and dumb growth both destroy the environment. The only difference is that smart growth destroys the environment less rapidly than dumb growth, and smart growth destroys the environment with good taste. Its a little like buying a ticket on the Titanic. If you are smart, you go first class, and if you are dumb, or broke, you go steerage. But the end result is the same."