Letter: Mid-States Corridor, when is enough, enough?

In a recent article I read by Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns titled What Is Enough? I couldn’t help thinking about that very question as it relates to the Mid-States Corridor and what proponents continue to try to pitch to convince this is needed and will be the great savior for our community.

When the advocates pushing for this highway continue to spew the potential benefits, a quote in the same article resonated with me. It states, “an economy built around the assumption that “more” is always the answer will eventually collide with something it cannot measure enough. And when “enough” is not allowed, rest becomes a vice.”

At the conference, Mr. Marohn was attending as a speaker, another leader, talking philosophically about planning, asked, “What is enough? How do we know when we have enough, and when we’ve reached enough, when do we need more?” 

So, my question to INDOT, the Lochmueller study group, and the RDA is simple. With the push for the Mid-States Corridor, when is enough, enough? Will destroying acres of farmland be enough, or will you want more for future needs? Will displacing families who have lived here all their lives be enough, or will you decide more roads need to be built, or existing roads need to be widened to better accommodate the trucks run by the stakeholders’ businesses? 

Another interesting statement Mr. Marohn makes in his article is, “I’ve described the North American development pattern as a Ponzi Scheme. The thing about all Ponzi schemes is that they eventually end. They end painfully.” The Mid-States Corridor plan is a Ponzi scheme. A scheme that is in the process of ending. Why do I say this? To quote adrienne maree brown (she prefers lower case letters). “Things are not getting worse; they are being uncovered”. That is precisely what has now happened and the pillars holding up the Mid-States Corridor structure have collapsed.

Mark Nowotarski
Jasper