So, according to Trent Staggs, the mayor of Riverton, there are 50,000 homeless family units in Utah: not 50,000 individuals, but 50,000 homeless families. Nonsense. Of course he sees the solution to the problem, which may or may not exist, as build, build and build some more.
Staggs is also president of Prosperity Utah, which “aims to increase and manage that [population] growth” (https://prosperityutah.org/our-team/). Aims to increase population growth! Why not invest in better education so we don’t need to draw more and more qualified workers from out-of-state and build and build more housing?
Prosperity Utah also operates under the delusion that government can shrink as population increases, “foster growth and reduce government.” However, government must at a minimum keep up with population growth, and – as experience and research worldwide have found – the need for most government services actually grows at a greater rate than population because greater population does not diminish, but rather exacerbates problems: crime, traffic, water and air quality, to name a few. Diminishing the role of government only obfuscates accountability.
James D. Smith, South Salt Lake
