Baby Boomers and No-Growth

The letter from Jeffrey D. Parker of Lake Forest (March 25) screams out for a response. This self-appointed spokesman for “the baby boomers (who) have paid their dues” would have us all believe that “anti-growth initiatives” are some kind of oppressive conspiracy engineered by “the older generation to keep us from moving up into better housing.” He claims that “We (the baby boomers) have the votes to stop the anti-growth movement” and foil the nefarious conspiracy “to keep my generation from moving into the most desirable areas.”

What a bunch of sniveling, self-pitying nonsense. As a member of the “baby boomer” generation, born in 1954, I long ago joined the growing chorus of those who are finally realizing that our quality of life means more than any quantity of material goods.

I grew up in southeast Los Angeles County and now, approaching the ripe old age of 34, can remember when there were many dairies and orchards interspersed with the sprawling development which eventually engulfed nearly all of the remaining open spaces. Even in such a semi-pastoral setting, it was a rare day in my childhood and adolescence when my lungs did not ache from the smog, and when the freeways and streets were not so full of cars that traffic ground to a standstill. Today’s situation, in comparison, is worse by an order of magnitude!

There is some finite limit on the number of people who reasonably may inhabit any given geographic area, and if this limit is exceeded the “most desirable areas” quickly become quite undesirable. The past and continuing despoliation of California’s “desirable areas” is the prime motivation behind growth-control actions by citizens and some enlightened local governments; there is no conspiracy by “the older generation.” Mr. Parker, get that humongous chip off your shoulder, look around you and learn something real, and quit trying to attribute such outrageous motivations to our elders.

GREGORY MOHR

Santa Barbara