New Beginnings: Springtime brings reflections on change and renewal.

AuthorGochnour, Natalie
PositionEconomic Insight - Column

Spring is here! Sunshine, heat and color blanket the state. With each passing day, we marvel as perennials pop out of the ground, trees show their buds and the mountain white melts away. Runners, hikers, cyclers and gardeners are doing their thing. It's a beautiful and active time of year.

When seasons change I intuitively become more reflective. It's as if a page is turning and I'm thinking about what to write. It's a chance to erase the old or write something new. I like to ask the question: What should I change, rekindle or keep exactly the same?

I think this change-of-season exercise is not only good for an individual, it's good for a community. I've complied an incomplete, but thought-provoking list for reader's consideration. You may not agree with all my ideas, but I hope they will get you thinking.

Change

Here are a few things I would change in our community:

* Billboards at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Our mountain gateways are too important to obstruct with outdoor advertising. Let's find better places to advertise our wares.

* Massive homes. Big homes mean lots of resources--water, energy and building materials. Our planet will be healthier and people happier if we consume less. We are not, my friends, the sum of our possessions.

* AR-15s in convenience stores. I see no reason why society should allow semi-automatic weapons to be carried into a Maverick Store. If you must have guns, save them for the shooting range or hunting trips, or have them locked up in your safe.

* More women in leadership roles.

Women not only represent half of humanity, we specialize in the virtues this world needs: stewardship, collaboration, civility and goodness. If you have the chance to be in or elevate a woman into a leadership role, do it. I promise, the world will be better.

* Less fear about density. Urban Utah is running out of land, particularly in Salt Lake County. It's time to make room for our children and grandchildren who want to live here. We can increase housing density and still maintain quality. In many case, life quality will improve.

* More non-stop international flights. Salt Lake City International Airport already has non-stop flights to Amsterdam, Calgary, Cancun, Guadalajara, London, Los Cabos, Mexico City, Paris, Puerto Vallarta, Toronto and Vancouver. I'd love to see more non-stops; Tel Aviv and Tokyo are on the top of my list.

* Death penalty. It's never made sense to me to kill someone to show them that killing is...

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