World of Progressives.

There is a saying out there, "If you ain't Progressive, you're just spinning your wheels." Liberal Democratic Thought. I've been called a Reactionist by some people for my nostalgic look at Western Montana of the '80s. My look back was aimed, mostly, at the cost of living. I made a statement about the price of land. In 1987, an acre of prime ground in the Bitterroot Valley cost about $1000.00, that same piece of land now costs $35,000.00. Adjusted for inflation, $1000 in 1987 is now about $1667 in 2005 (the inflation calculator only goes up to 2005). So why is there a 2100% increase in that piece of land? Demand? Real Estate fraud? I contend that it may be both. Land in the Bitterroot is a highly attractive investment. Unfortunately, wages in the area cannot compensate for the increased cost of land. This is the reason that so many of the "new" land owners are from out of state and are quite wealthy, they can afford it. Now, this is where I believe that fraud comes into play. A cycle of high-priced buying started with a single transaction that rapidly increased the value of land in the Bitterroot. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to narrow that purchase down. Some would say that it was Charles Schwab's acquirement of the eastern portion of the Bitterroot Stock Farm. This land has become a high-priced Country Club for the elite in today's society. The starting price for a home on that land is $1,000,000. There are some homes on that land that far exceed that price. Here is a story that tells about the Stock Farm. The vicious cycle of high-priced homes and property offer a well thought-out and planned effect. The effect is driving out the lower class residents that can't afford to live there anymore. They sell their homes at these inflated prices and, essentially, taking the money and running. I joined the Navy in 1992 and never did buy a home or property before I left. Now, I would like to return to my home town. I simply cannot see the feasibility in returning to Hamilton. I would never find a job that can support me, as a new home owner. Most of the younger people, graduating from Hamilton High, or any high school for that matter, cannot subsist on local wages and afford a new home for their new life in the Bitterroot. They end up moving away, while the wealthy continue to move in. This is the cycle that realtors love.

Progressives call this, progress. I don't see how this can be concidered progress. The youth of the Bitterroot are moving away. The future of the Bitterroot is moving away. Industry has no incentive to boom in the Bitterroot. Developers run rampant with high-end developments in the Bitterroot. In the end, the only people left to be "run out" of the Bitterroot, will be the millionaires, because the cycle will increase and the billionaires will be taking over....in the Bitterroot.