I liked the good old days when people, like auto mechanics and seamstresses, got paid to move material objects into better places. Now, many people seem to make a living spewing words. Behold:
The General Assembly recently gave final approval to the Mountain Resources Act [that] creates a Mountain Resources commission tasked with coordinating local mountain planning efforts.
Explanations for the creation of the commission include a need to coordinate land use planning efforts like steep slope ordinances and conservation easements. Senator Joe Sam Queen asserted:
I very much intend [for] this commission to set an agenda and go after federal funds and state funds for WNC’s most needed priorities. Coming together is the first priority. We as a region have a lot of common challenges that are not appreciated in Raleigh and Washington, and we need to articulate them.
Land-of-Sky Regional Council Executive Director Joe McKinney argued:
We will have control over our own destiny. There has to be some coordinated planning in WNC. If not, we’ll be told by the state government in Raleigh what to do.
