The Nov. 26 "Priced Out of a Home" editorial is a great example of fuzzy thinking. Why should Orange County be ashamed to have the highest priced homes in the Triangle? By definition, one of the six counties has to. Chapel Hill and Orange County have the added advantage of smart local leaders who have put the brakes on growth. The last thing these leaders need to do is destroy more open space to build cheap homes for the poor. Gasp! -- read on.
People seem to forget that the goal of progress and development is to eliminate poverty, not institutionalize it. We do not need a commitment to "economic diversity" because we do not need poor people.
If we needed poor people, we would not be always trying to make them better off. Instead, we need a stronger commitment to paying local workers enough to live in Chapel Hill. If we are not rich enough to afford to pay our janitors, landscapers, trash collectors and even public school teachers a living wage, perhaps our quality of life isn't as high as we think.
Civic and University leaders should leave Orange County open space alone, stop the growth of employment to match the existing limits to housing and then strive to ensure all of the workers we employ can actually afford to live here.
Ron Sutherland
Chapel Hill
