Twin Stars 16” by 20”/ acrylic on canvas, $ 299 Explosions are commonplace in the heavens as it now seems to be on earth.
The Explosion
Is traffic horrendous in your neighborhood? Over the three few years thousands of vehicles invaded Portland. No longer do out-of-towners listen to the words of Tom McCall who said, “Come visit us again and again. This is a state of excitement. But for heaven’s sake, don’t come here to live.” Lured to our state because of its livability, water, and mild climate people from all over the country, yes, even the world are resettling here. The freeways are bumper to bumper at all times of the day. Impatient drivers weave in and out of lanes, ignoring the speed limit and forgetting that Portland is a city known for its civility.
Newcomers do not understand how to respond to a four way stop sign and they don’t wait for pedestrians in a cross walk. As a result of their negligence fatalities are up.
These invaders come with money from the sale of their expensive California houses and raise the price of local real estate. They purchase investment property and increase the cost of doing business in Portland or they come with nothing and join the ranks of the street population. According to Portland’s region growth plans what we are experiencing is only the beginning.
“Metro (using their Metroscope model) forecasts total households in the three-county region in 2035 will be between 1.3 and 1.5 million, an increase of between 56 and 74 percent. The model projects total households in the City of Portland will be between 345,000 and 376,000, an increase of 44 to 57 percent from the 2005 baseline of 240,000 households.”
My guess (and you can confirm this by responding to this blog), is that there are similar difficulties throughout the country and internationally. I just received the latest newsletter from the Population Institute. Chair and CEO, William N. Ryerson claims that the migrant crisis is record-setting with in excess of 60 million people leaving their homes last year seeking safety or refuge. News reports focus on the one-third driven by war but the other 40,000 are fleeing their homes because of drought, flooding, hunger, or severe poverty.
Wonder what the world’s projection is for the year 2050, just 35 years from now?
Demographers project the population increase to equal the current populations of China and India combined, a total of more than 2.5 billion people. Much of the growth will occur in developing nations where pressures from widespread famine will only get worse. These countries are the ones that become hotbeds for terrorist activities and crime.
With statistics like these I question why population control is such a taboo subject? I believe it is time to talk more openly about everything from family planning to care of the poor, elderly and migrating masses. Should people be kept alive if their quality of life had diminished? Can we and should we limit the size of our cities? Is growth inevitable and we just have to get used to it or is there a mechanism for planning sustainable, livable communities? I hate to think that we will be like the Chinese and build gated communities for 500,000 or one million people. But it could come to that if we don’t plan now.
references:
http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/former-governor-tom-mccall-message-visitors/ – Tom McCall’s message to visitors.
https://www.populationinstitute.org/demovulnerability/ – Population Institute report
http://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/index.cfm?a=288097&c=52256– Portland Population Projections.
Your thoughts? please respond below.
Art is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
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For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON. What is it like to live on the streets? How do we help young people escape a life of hopelessness?