"Localism" and Columbia River Crossing debate.

In the area where I used to live, there exists a debate over a proposal to replace the Interstate Bridge that goes over the Columbia River, as it's reaching its end-of-life.

This bridge currently is the main surface transportation route and contains the following significant points -

• Interstate 5 - which connects three nations - Canada, the United States , and Mexico
• The states of Oregeon and Washington (and by extention, California)
• Clark County and Multnomah County
• Portand, OR and Vancouver, WA

Lot of traffic goes through this bridge, both commercial, military, and otherwise.

Unfortunately, a lot of the debate is being clouded by various groups with interests that don't take any consideration into resolving the issue from all perspectives.

1. Bicylists - Bikers advocating for a reduced bridge (or no bridge) are out to lunch in their thinking because they don't take into account the impact of the bridge to the regions around them.

2. Liberalish morons - People who write at the Portland Mercury are also clueless in that not building a bridge doesn't reduce carbon emissions. That would only move the problem somewhere else, not solve it.

And even if that were to actually work, it would still not solve the larger problem. Anyone who's ever crossed that bridge would be able to tell you why. Within a few miles is PDX. Airplanes take off and land all day. They use a higher concentrated gasoline, and because they are closer to the atmosphere, can release their emissions into the air much easier. Note that the writier is (conveniently) of Portland Mercury article is now a member of the Sam Adams team. Criticizing Vancouver, WA as 'urban sprawl' is hypocritical when one looks at North Portland. What does one see when entering the state of Oregon through the Interstate Bridge? Target, Hooters, McDonalds, Denny's. Frankly NoPo is urban sprawl, compared to the Vancouver, WA side of the Columbia River. And what about all the concrete snakes being built everywhere in Delta Park (i.e. all the entrance/exits being added to Interstate-5).

This overall inability to see beyond one's path and not be aware of the impacts around them is what I call localism. People who advocate without any regards for the impacts (or even bothering to think about it) are the essence of localism.

(This may differ with the Wikipedia definition of localism - which states: "It is primarily a rural movement." This would seem to imply that only rural folks are primarily about localism)



I don't claim to have all the answers to solving the problem. But doing nothing, or replacing the bridge with nothing are not answers.