JaxBratt t1_jd85sb0 wrote on March 22, 2023 at 3:06 PM

Are you fucking crazy? Attract MORE?!?!!? Have you been under a rock? Seems a bit upside down considering the current state of things. Maybe we should worry a bit more about those already here. Fuck more.

headgasketidiot t1_jdd99nh wrote on March 23, 2023 at 3:52 PM

Your comment implies that too many people are moving here, and that is just not happening. Vermont's population has grown 5% since 2000. From the census, the population is now 645,570. In 2000, it was 609,618.

(645,570 - 609,618) / 645,570 = 5.6%

Our population growth in the last year, according to the census, is less than 100 people.

Compare that to the 15% growth in that same time period of the US as a whole, and it'll be pretty obvious that the problem isn't that we're attracting too many people. To be clear, I'm not arguing that we should attract more people, but the problems we have now are not because tons of people are moving here, and until we stop blaming "out of staters" for everything, we'll never solve them.

JaxBratt t1_jddnh2c wrote on March 23, 2023 at 5:21 PM

Not blaming out of staters for anything. Just challenging the idea that more growth is needed or even better. Everything has a cost benefit. I don’t buy the bullshit and arguably dated old and myopic arguments for endless growth. Vermont should truly be progressive and embrace and lead in de-growth, a system not dependent upon consumption and more. Just take one look at where endless growth and consumption is leading us…

I’ve seen all too often where falsely incentivizing growth leads us as well and it’s not pretty and those who benefit typically aren’t left holding the bill in the aftermath.

headgasketidiot t1_jddozoo wrote on March 23, 2023 at 5:31 PM

I wholeheartedly agree! It's really nice to see someone advocating for de-growth! If you look at the other comments, a lot of people talk about how all the people moving here have made everything expensive or whatever, so I misread your comment to be against attracting people to move here for similar reasons. Apologies :)

JaxBratt t1_jddri48 wrote on March 23, 2023 at 5:46 PM

I’m an out of stater myself. Yes, it turns out that I was lucky and moved here prior to this housing crisis that is nationwide and more due to wealth inequality than anything else. I’m grateful everyday for that but hate that a mix of desperation from some and impatience and self centered blinders from others has them beating a drum that will overwhelmingly benefit the uber-capitalist fat cats and not deliver the utopia they dream. Shit sucks right now for far too many, period, hard stop. My heart breaks for the housing insecure and my comments are not intended to minimize their struggles but developers are not our saviors. This crisis is an opportunity for a paradigm shift rather than a band-aid, but I’m not holding my breath. My focus is my kid, and the generations beyond but I fear that we’re screaming into the wind. I’m not going to advocate kicking the can down the road any longer. We don’t need so much of what so many are convinced we need to live a meaningful and good life. We need a healthy ecosystem. Somewhere someone has to say stop, enough.

Edit: To clarify before anyone misreads and tries to tell me what I said or mean, I’m NOT grateful for the housing crisis or wealth inequality. I’m grateful that I was just lucky (and was quite patient) that I moved here at a time when houses sat on the market for many months to years and people weren’t stepping on each other and trying to outcompete locals for housing. I’m grateful that I was seen through a positive lens back then. Unfortunately that’s just not now.