Long-term voter interference

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

I believe it was back in the Obama Administration that they started talking about denser housing in the cities. I have done a tiny amount of research on this and discovered that it appears to have started with the concept of the “15-Minute City.”

This socialist and draconian idea was apparently conceived by Professor Carlos Moreno of the Sorbonne in Paris along about 2016. Simply, under his plan, city living/work/school/play/shopping/worship(?) are to be scrunched together in such a way that walking no more than 15 minutes from your abode will serve all your needs. Some cities in Europe – Paris and Barcelona – and Vancouver and both Portlands on this continent are close to achieving this.

Perhaps they could take this a step further and follow the design of St. Petersburg, Russia, which was built in a swamp. It has a multiple-star-shaped street layout. Using the folding bridges between the islands (opened every night at dark) and cannons mounted in the centers of the stars, having the ability to shoot straight down the rays emanating from the centers, the population could be kept in control with the minimum number of soldiers. Isn’t that where we are headed if Kamala wins?

Besides eliminating the need for automobiles and buses, thus, saving the planet, it is thought 15-minute cities will be conducive to creating a sense of community. Of course, “saving the planet” is the hook that will seduce people to walk into this trap.

From the nature of contemporary construction in Atlanta and its suburbs, I can tell you the housing being built where I live is rapidly morphing toward this disease. I am reminded of Europe – buildings of four to five stories are being built, filling an entire block out to the sidewalks. In the middle (hidden from view) is a parking garage. This is what they are building in the suburbs here and the “new” look of central Atlanta is reminiscent of Manhattan. Not a blade of grass in site anywhere – but we are saving the planet.

Diversity is a funny word. We have learned(?) in recent years that diversity is good for us.  

Unfortunately, there is not a standardized definition or specification for what diversity means. I bring this up to inspect the phrase “sense of community” (see above) for a moment.

In this brave new urban world, diversity may mean, for instance, that you live on 54th Street and you become friends with someone who lives in an entirely different place, say 57th Street. Wow! Diversity in action!

Several columns ago, I suggested that the qualification to vote should include the requirement that one pay taxes. Enlightened by the research represented here, I beg to add to this qualification. My addition is thus and in alignment with saving the planet: The weight of your vote, having passed the taxpaying qualification, should be determined by the amount of land over which you are steward. That makes my friend in Kansas who farms 7,000 acres have a weightier vote than the occupant of a 1,600-square-foot apartment. About 184,000 times weightier, if my math is correct. I believe such a system would promote even more diversity and reduce the undue voter interference of the city dwellers – already overweight and bound to get worse.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.