The Politics of Fear: Revisiting Porter’s Missed Opportunities in 100 South (109th Ave.).

For those of you that still have not read Rich James’ August 7 Article, take the time and read it here: Porter County Politics of Fear article. Basically, James criticizes Porter County Government’s obstinate refusal to adapt and its persistent resistance to growth.

As I have outlined in previous articles, this absolute prohibition is not founded in reason or logic. It does not weigh the merits of individual proposals, but rather, seeks, in a blanket way, to resist the inevitable trend toward economic growth and progress. A few examples include the adoption of the Unified Development Ordinance, adamant opposition to the RDA, a derailing of any commuter or rail system proposal, and even blocking the rezoning for a proposed (and way overdue) upgrade of Porter Memorial Hospital.

This blind opposition relies on an irrational, trifurcated fear: 1) the overwhelming taxpayer fear of paying more taxes, 2) an overall fear of progress or change, and 3) the fear of “those people” moving into our precious and pure Porter County. While I agree that radical change is often dangerous and unstable, the need for gradual adaptation to the surrounding economies of neighboring counties and municipalities is without question. Foremost of these is the above opportunity Porter County has once again rejected.

Let me debunk these fears with regard to this particular project. First, as leaders of the County (or any unit of government for that matter) matching Federal dollars is the best of all possible situations to be in. Here, not only did we employ our representatives to bargain for these funds, we may have sacrificed other opportunities in the future in order to get this done. (For an explanation of “political capital” please feel free to contact me for a full discussion.) The fear of more taxes, especially when it is the duty of county government to maintain county roads is implausible, especially given the matching funds.

Second, I think the message we have learned in Porter County from this recession so far is that we have a need to diversify. Relying principally or solely on the steelworker labor pool is shortsighted in the least. Not only should we, as Porter County residents, not fear progress, we should embrace any opportunity to employ our citizens in an economically diverse and sustainable way. Economic growth is the only solution to this dilemma, and along this corridor is a great place to get started.

Third, these Commissioners and Council members fear socio-economic, and yes, racial diversity. There, I said it. They are preying upon the fear that crime, economic blight, and undesirable businesses will inevitably result from racial migration from Lake County. For those that don’t believe me, check out the text of the Council meetings themselves. (If you can’t reach this conclusion on your own, again, I would be glad to demonstrate this for you…) Again, this fear is irrational, unfounded in data, and un-American. Do we really fear the prosperous development contagiously spreading from Crown Point, of all places? What an awful place to work and live… Has anyone taken a good look at that area lately?

Well, one thing is for sure. You can make your job much easier as a local politician if you oppose absolutely EVERYTHING. That way, you don’t have to go through the tireless exercise of evaluating the merits of individual proposals. Instead, just take Nancy Reagan way out of context: “Just say NO.”