We Could Learn a lot from Oregon Trail

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We realize we've gotten quite a lot of hits on our blog about the proposed bike path between Beaverton and Gladwin. Many people are trying to learn about the issue. Some people realize why we have a concern, and they share that concern. Others realize the concern, but feel we're helpless. And still others rail against opposition to the trail.

That small minority of people not only feel that the trail is the best thing that could ever happen to them in Gladwin County (which we find selfish; but then again, we don't believe that the rights of the individual should ever be up for measure against the rights of "the greater good."), and don't care what the cost may be to build or maintain such a monstrosity. It just would be nice to walk and bike a trail.

In fact, one member of this small minority took the opportunity to reach out to a state and federal non-governmental organization - the Rails to Trails Conservancy - in an attempt to find out "real facts" about the proposed trail that may connect Beaverton and Gladwin.

This person made sure to circulate the following message from the Rails to Trails Conservancy, commenting that a call had even been made from the Washington office, although no one was home to take the call at the time.

From the Rails to Trails Conservancy:

• "...don't worry, the state of Michigan would work to ensure that any proposed path is done correctly. Feel free to keep me posted on the matter. I would be happy to provide any materials about the benefits of trails."

No one can argue the benefits of having trails. They sure are nice on the state land, and in our national parks and forests. Shoot, trails are even nice on our private property - when they are our own, and off limits to the public.

But we overwhelmingly disagree with the premise that people should give up a portion of their own, private property for a trail or an easement - and if you think that's not what could happen in this case, you're fooling yourself.

The email from the Rails to Trails Conservancy is great, but here's the thing - there are not enough rails to trail a path from Beaverton to Gladwin, folks.

michiganrailroads.com

Face it: Private property MUST be acquired to create a connecting route, which is what the ultimate goal is. It's not just the ultimate goal here locally - it is the ultimate goal to have connecting routes of bike and walking trails all across this country.

Gosh, sounds inviting, but think of the individual - think of the folks who may be affected. If it was you, you would not want it to be so. In fact, our small minority tattler has a predisposition for fighting for their own personal property rights with one inhaled breath, and calling for a trampling of others' rights in the subsequent exhale....

We find that to be not only inconsistent and unsettling, but egregiously selfish. And again, we are not saying that we are anti-bikes, or anti-paths, or anti-healthy... We are saying, we are pro-property rights, pro-individual rights, and pro-fiscal responsibility.

In fact, with us - that fiscal responsibility is part of our moral compass. We have people here in this county that are losing their jobs, their homes, that are on fixed incomes; our municipalities are scrapping with the state for money, and the state is scrapping with the Feds for money.... And we want to build a bike path that will require costly maintenance into perpetuity?!

We should all be offended. We should be offended by this disgusting waste of taxpayer money, and by the flippant money toss at a target as frivolous as a PATH when cities, schools, and even our own county are taking extreme pains to be responsible, making extraordinarily tough choices that result in impact to both services, and the lives of folks who are on the chopping block.

Maybe in brighter days a path will be an exciting endeavor, but not right now.

Another point to be made is that this particular project to which we refer is NOT a Rails to Trails project. It comes from Federal Wellness and Prevention funds, which are made available through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare); handed down to the Center for Disease Control; and disbursed to local health authorities (in our case, Central Michigan District Health Department, which received $1.6 million) for distribution to "partner agencies."

(P.S. $1.6 million would just about fund our county for an entire year. Just sayin'.)

Already, some townships and cities have received $17,000 to conduct studies on the proposed trail project. Future costs include surveying, land use studies, and property assessments.

Our Rails to Trails friend above also said that "the state of Michigan would work to ensure that any proposed path is done correctly...." Funny that. Notice the use of the word "correctly." Not "appropriately" or "right" - "correctly". You do the semantic math.

Let's face it: Money talks. If it didn't, we wouldn't be so torn about sending $1.6 million back to Mt. Pleasant in the bloody satchel it arrived in. But as we've been advised - when you turn down one grant, you might not get the next.....

Does anyone know what much of the "Wellness and Prevention" grant money that has been received has been spent on? Billboards, radio and TV ads. Please. Please show us all the people that our tax dollars helped make healthier.

For an example, we pulled some of the agency's more recent work for your viewing pleasure. Since they are paid for by us, we thought you'd like to evaluate their effectiveness...their "bang for the buck," if you will. Enjoy:

Click here to be that lucky *25th* viewer!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAgg8KiZesQ

Your click makes the total views *31*! Sweet!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT-kCkLaAf4

Then of course, there there's our personal favorite - an oldie but a goodie from the Michigan Department of Community Health: 

Happy Pap Day!

Click here if you can't miss this treat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IamRaSXXzfc

If you're like many of us, you played Oregon Trail on a Commodore 64 or an old Apple. Graphics have gotten better, but the game is still pretty much the same - and we can learn some pretty good lessons from Oregon Trail.

(Seriously. If you get time, you need to check out this blog post by Jacob St. Martin of Big Fish Games. It should be required reading:)

http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/what-can-the-oregon-trail-teach-us-about-personal-finance/

So what can Oregon Trail teach us? 

Let's start here:

Think about it this way: $1.6 million spent on a Bike Trail this year has the potential to snowball into millions more spent on it upkeep....FOREVER. 

In fact, is it not completely ridiculous that we are allotting an insane amount of money on keeping people "healthy" by buying ads and indebting ourselves to maintaining a trail into perpetuity? Doesn't that seem wasteful? Sort of like this:

Think of it another way: The federal government is spending $1.6 million developing a health plan for wellness and prevention which might initially cost us very little in matching funds (say....20 bullets), but will result in an overkill...much, much more than you needed....and it might very well be wasted, because there are not enough "party members" to help carry the load. And if the government continues to "hunt" this area, with its predatory gifting of federal dollars, the area will indeed become scarcer and scarcer, as fewer people can afford to pay for those "overkill gifts."

From what we see, it's an insidious system...giving points to agencies like health departments in the form of health rankings, which qualify them for more money to use just as they are using this money. 

Think of the times they have come at us with crisis situations: "Flu kills." "Your children are fat." "Swine flu has doubled...."

(I am not saying dysentery wasn't a thing in 1848, I just like the graphic....)

But if you're putting a disproportionate amount of resources into fighting one thing - like an outbreak of dysentery - don't be surprised if a lack of attention to other matters results in a catastrophe!

As some public officials continue to point out, "Your children are fat." So do we accept a one-time gift, and in doing so promise to allot future resources, and maybe even land, to the prospect of a bike path that likely will NOT result in one child losing a single ounce, or do we tell the Feds to go away so we can focus on not tipping the wagon and losing our kegs, food and two valuable party members....(who may or may not be compared to....say....deputies....)?

Because here's how Oregon Trail ends: (remember this?)

Points? Really? But Nicole had dysentery... We left almost 2000 pounds of good protein to the wolves, coyotes and vultures.... We lost Arthur and Mike, for the love of Pete!!!! And I get.... points?! What the heck does that get me?

Well, probably might get you another grant for another path....or some more billboards....or another celebratory Pap Day Cake.... or a study... or a street sign... or someone to tell you how to feed your kids....

You know what we say? Tell them to stick that money. This trail notion's gone far enough:

Cut the trip short.... Independence looks mighty nice.

cc