by State Rep. Dave Schultheis

After spending thousands of man-hours during the 2001 legislative session and thousands more during the special session, there is still no resolution on the best way top handle growth "problems" in Colorado. Some citizens say that is badothers are relieved, because they feel the very concept of growth control being debated is a departure from 225 years of historic American freedom. Still others, are not sure how to really define the problem.

While Democrats are determined to use growth as a means to add as much as possible to government's power to control our patterns of living, unfortunately, many Republicans have also accepted growth control as a given while still trying to maintain some defense of personal property rights. The citizens were very clear during the last election that they did not want centralized planning of growth, instead, they wanted adequate roads to alleviate the congestion that we all experience. Their 70/30% vote against centralized planning should have sent a clear message to the legislature that our frustration is not about growth control, but rather adequate highways and state infrastructure. Is it any wonder that voters shake their heads when they see a legislature that is dealing with an issue they said a loud "no" to?

Both parties ought to step back and look at the big picture. As with President Bush's recent comments that California's energy crisis is the result of years of neglect in building refineries and over-controlling production, so Colorado's growth problems stem from years of highway infrastructure neglect in the years prior to Governor Owens' leadership. Both problems result from years of neglect on the part of prior legislatures and governors; neither can be solved overnight.

The Growth Control mantra that continues to shout at us is being allowed to drown out the voices of reason. Such control would give Colorado's legislature and other governmental bodies a power they should not rightfully possess: the right to determine what economic activity can take place where. The concept of central planning always sounds good, because it places the responsibility on others to fix our problems and provides a scapegoat when the plans run amuck. And when was the last time that more power in the hands of government bureaucracy didn't open the door to truckloads of unintended consequences?

Economic growth is a force rooted in human nature and too powerful for any government to stop. It is the natural result from increasing human population, increasing workforce, corresponding increases in the need for jobs, and constantly progressing technology. If our cities do not grow outward, they will grow upward. Upward growth (what I like to call "vertical sprawl") could result in a worse situation. Vertical sprawl would mean more cars on the same roads, and more pollution over a smaller area; outward growth would put the increased cars on more roads, meaning less traffic and less concentrated pollution.

Although a major and growing concern to many citizens is their inability to purchase affordable housing, centralized planning will inevitably exacerbate the problem, as we limit the amount of land upon which homes and apartments can be built. The law of supply and demand will drive up housing costs, which will require the raising of taxes to provide additional subsidies for housing for the less-fortunate. It is a cost spiral we need to avoid.

One other note: like 95% of the legislators, I own my own home. Controls on control will increase the value of my home. Yet only 68% of all Coloradoans own their homes, and only 45% of minorities own theirs. The Democratic Senate, which claims so often to represent minorities and the poor, is dead set on widening this housing affordability gap by pushing for centralized growth planning, and many Republicans have not opposed this trend strongly enough.

Economic central planning is not an answer for anything; the USSR found that out. It only creates "solutions" that are much worse than the problem it is trying to solve. Let us all do what we can to oppose central planning, keep housing affordable for the poor and minorities, protect our private property rights from the heavy hand of government, and focus on the real problem of providing more and better roads, and ensuring adequate water and clean air. There is more than enough for us to concentrate on with these issues.