Dysfunctional Prisons

To whom it may concern,

The United States has the largest prison population and the highest rate of violent crime of any country in the world. While the causes of these alarming statistics are many and varied the real tragedy of this broken system are its high rates of recidivism. 68 percent of people released from prison are re-arrested within three years. This fact points to the ineffectiveness of our penitentiary system to rehabilitate criminals. Instead, prison is merely a punishment where we let criminals become more criminal, instead of pro-actively engaging, healing, and then preparing these people for their return to society. The most shocking aspect of this problem is the growing use of private prisons. If a private business owns a prison, then to maximize profit, it must retain and even grow their inmate population as they are paid per prisoner. There is no incentive in this equation to rehabilitate and reintegrate these prisoners. In fact, it profits from America’s high rates of recidivism. And a growing prison business equates to growing economic and political influence over criminal law, and more importantly punishment. With decreasing budgets and increasing prison populations, how will this administration handle crime and punishment, and the restructuring of our prison system to promote rehabilitation over incarceration?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

World Population Growth

To whom it may concern,

The primary driver of change in this country is population growth (natural and immigration). As the United States continues to grow demographically, every aspect of our lives will continue to evolve and change. These changes are both positive and negative. But like the world, the United States does have a specific carrying capacity, and in many areas, like Los Angeles and Phoenix, it has already exceeded that threshold. Importing over 60 percent of a region's water needs is not sustainable. A growing population requires more resources and space. It creates more waste and pollution. A growing population also diminishes the value of a single vote, diluting our democracy. However, a larger population also fosters greater diversity, specialization and interaction. This all expands tolerance, understanding and knowledge. A growing population also forces change through adaptation. As the population grows, so must the services, programs, and governance that serve that population. This begins to add layer upon layer of complexity and the expanding bureaucracy breeds mediocrity and inefficiencies. Population growth in the third world use to be foreign policy, but now it is rarely a topic of discussion. With clear connections to the economy, climate change and consumption, will population growth again become a major policy issue for the United States and the world?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Climate Change's Missed Opportunity

To whom it may concern,

With the change in policy over climate change, there has been little evidence toward its meaningful implementation from your administration. While the economic downturn is of critical importance, something as imminent as a shift in global weather patterns will certainly disrupt international commerce. In the same way that the singular source of all planning issues can be derived from population growth, the sustainable stewardship of the planet is critical to our established economic patterns. If productive farmland turns into deserts, cities run out of water, or areas with productive farmland shifts, there will be serious social and political ramifications. Living within our ecological constraints is an increasing concern for the America's sprawling metropolitan areas. Opportunities to improve air quality combat climate change are nearly endless. A whole new economy is waiting to be developed by maximizing efficiencies and conservation. Why is dealing with climate change not a pillar of your economic recovery plan?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

A New Governmnet

To whom it may concern,

This administration is reshaping the role of government, and hopefully this will result in a renewed focus on enabling and encouraging local engagement. By empowering individual citizens and grassroots community organizations to change their own neighborhoods, local, state, and federal governments can all begin to effectively work towards a single, common good. As the administration has said, every government program should be judged not by its intent, but by its results. Over time, the government programs have begun to overlap and create redundancies. One program after another has layered so much bureaucracy on every level of government that there needs to be a concerted effort to simplify virtually every aspect of the system. This requires broad consensus, leadership, and effective management. Progress and change should not have to result in an increasingly complex machine. As your administration begins to force a dialogue and rethink almost every aspect of life (economics, transportation, foreign policy, energy, financial structures, etc...), how will the government as an agent of this change be retooled in order to implement your message?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

A Second City Beautiful Movement

To whom it may concern,

As you look out across America's urban landscape, some of the most functional as well as beautiful areas are those designed and built during the City Beautiful Movement. Many of these projects were flood control and sewer upgrades and expansions through the Works Program Administration. In this previous government driven economic recovery, a focus on urban design and beautification are enjoyed to this day. The outline of infrastructure projects in your administration seems to concentrate primarily on upgrading the energy grid and rebuilding highways. Will urban infrastructure (sewers, under grounding utilities, streetscapes, parks, and stormwater management) be addressed in any of these new recovery projects? With an increasing urban population, these local initiatives become vital not just to economic development, but the quality of life for the majority of the population. The federal government must begin to shift its programs and funding to local grassroots city beautification projects that combine community service, beautification, and economic recovery. Will this administration ensure quality as well as efficiency and transparency in the implementation of the Reinvestment Act?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Save Not Spend

To whom it may concern,

The focus of the economic recovery efforts have been on restoring credit and spending levels. This strategy seeks to revive the same economic policies that just imploded. What I have failed to see from this administration is a real vision for our economic future, other than investing in energy, education, and health care. I think all of these things are certainly a part of a new economy, but they are about developing new economic sectors, not how we do business. The government needs to foster a new economic behavior. Government programs and policies should be encouraging individuals to do the same thing that the Treasury Secretary just proposed; A plan to increase capital requirements for large financial instructions. We should be focusing incentives on savings and checking accounts, while limiting lines of credit. Why not value consumer savings over consumer spending? It is this over-leveraging of credit and debt without capital requirements that will only lead to more trouble in the future. How will this administration encourage the economic responsibility of individuals?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Conservation Legislation

To whom it may concern,

Today the US Congress passed a sweeping bill that expanded conservation efforts across the nation. While it went relatively unnoticed, it is being heralded as one of the largest conservation efforts in recent history. Over 2 million acres of land has now been set aside as permanently protected open space, and an additional 26 million acres currently administered by the Bureau of Land Management would also be set aside. While some detractors warned that this move would deny future access to oil and gas deposits, proponents declare that it will protect the dwindling open space that provides connectivity between significant ecological zones. The often academic debate between conservation and preservation continues in America. While this is heralded as a conservation bill, leaving the land as nature intended is more accureatly referred to as preservation, whereas conservation seeks to find a balance between nature and human needs. What is most unfortunate about this bill is that it is a carry-over package of legislation from the Bush administration, and environmentalists feel compelled to act quickly before another Presidency puts industry above the environment. This fear has and will continue to lead to vast, unfocused preservation efforts without targeting the most critical and threatened areas first. How will this administration ensure that future preservation and conservation initiatives will focus on critically endangered habitat and restoration projects?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

America's Utopian City

To whom it may concern,

With each epoch comes a different vision of the city. Since the beginning of modern city planning in the United States, these concepts have all been imported from abroad. From early English settlements to the influences of England’s Garden City and Switzerland’s Radiant City. Even Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broad Acre City remained little more than an idea as the separation of land uses and transportation modes emerged as the Urban Renewal and Interstate Highway programs of the 1950s and 60s. While we begin to shape sustainable city practices, the origins of sustainability can be traced back to growth management in Scandinavia. America is unique enough to have formulated its own ideal city, and in many ways it has evolved as a vernacular hybrid of many different and often conflicting concepts. France’s President Sarkosy recently issued a call for ideas for city planning in Paris. While this signals a return to grandiose city planning, it once again comes from abroad. All the issues surrounding housing, environmental justice, sustainability, climate change, water quality and conservation, the loss of our manufacturing base, green color jobs, and even the overall economy occur locally in cities. Why has this nexus between the health of our cities and the nation been consistently neglected at the federal level? What is desperately needed in this country is an American borne utopian vision of the city. Will this administration put out a call for projects to discover and support new city planning models and practices for the ideal American metropolis?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Illicit Drug Legalization

To whom it may concern,

While the War on Drugs took center stage in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, it has since faded in the American psyche to a point where the once taboo subject of legalization is now on the table in the California legislature for marijuana. The logic behind the legalization of all drugs is virtually the same reasoning behind the end of prohibition. Banning any substance creates a black market. And it is this black market, not the substance necessarily, which breeds the levels of violence that we are now seeing in Mexico. Those who buy and sell drugs cannot bring their grievances to the government, so they settle their disputes with violence or intimidation. Since the illegal trade of narcotics is so lucrative, it breeds corruption and creates powerful drug cartels. So when police officers and judges become entangled in this black market, they become subject to the very system of bribes, intimidation, and violence that they are charged to eliminate. If legalized, all drugs would need to be controlled, regulated, and taxed. What currently costs nearly $50 billion to enforce would turn into a surplus of approximately $40 billion in revenue, not including the reduction in enforcement. And in these bleakest of times, this additional revenue is in dire need. But beyond the taxation of these narcotics, legalization would begin to decouple the United States from the international web of illegal drug trafficking. As the largest consumer of recreational drugs in the world, if legalized, the United States could set up a legal trade with countries like Colombia and Afghanistan, usurping not just violent drug cartels, but international terrorists. Legalization would also open up an entirely new market for private business to develop. This could translate into millions of American jobs in the farm, transportation, pharmaceutical, and retail sectors. And with a controlled supply of narcotics, we could focus funding on education, prevention and rehabilitation. Prohibition ended during the Great Depression. Will this administration take the bold stance to begin the decriminalization and even legalization of some if not all illegal drugs during this Great Recession?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Smart Infrastructure

To whom it may concern,

The most recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers claims that the country is in need of nearly $2.2 trillion to modernize and repair our infrastructure. This estimate focuses primarily on the rehabilitation and/or replacement of existing infrastructure. And yet what we see in the stimulus package and the proposed federal budget are many new and expansion projects. While some of these expansions are to remedy existing deficiencies, many of these projects, especially roadway projects, are counter-productive. My fear is that under this watershed of infrastructure and transportation spending, too many special projects that will serve to undermine our national move towards energy efficiency and independence. All of this money should be allocated to the upgrading and refurbishment of existing infrastructure only. Special redevelopment zones across the country should be created, similar to Enterprise Zones, where additional infrastructure projects will be eligible. These special zones should be located in existing urban areas that are suitable for continued intensification and development. In this way, the stimulus bill can encourage infill development and urban revitalization. This would follow the trend toward urbanization and even a nascent movement away from suburban, green field development. How will this administration ensure that the money allocated to infrastructure projects will not exacerbate our dependence on non-renewable energy sources?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

The Invisible Recovery

To whom it may concern,

In order to relieve banks and other investment firms of the toxic assets on their balance sheets, the government plans to develop various means to buy them up. The federal government is effectively removing these failed investments from the private sector by adding it to the national debt. When the market stabilizes, it is assumed that these assets will once again become valuable, and the government can then dissolve its assets. But until then, the government will have to act as collector and creditor for these funds. And since these toxic assets can be traced back to individuals who are now walking away from their homes, the money will only continue to dry up. I do not understand how this strategy will benefit this country in that it risks the insolvency of the national treasury. While many other aspects of the administration's recovery plan will produce concrete public infrastructure and rehabilitation projects, these new financial programs appear to only add a new, sub-market that functions as a parallel to the private market. How will these billions be recouped, and how will it be repaid to the American taxpayer? It is not like capital injections where we receive shares that can then be resold. How can we resell an investment that created this crisis and that everyone is running away from?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Iranian Engangemnt

To whom it may concern,

The President recently released a tape to the Iranian nation. While this tape tried to essentially wipe the slate clean with Iran and jump-start a new round of diplomacy, it means little without any real follow through and implementation. On the same day of this video, the Israeli President released an audio tape to Iran with a more stern, but equally engaging message. While this side note from the Israelis acted as a counterpoint to the administration's message, it did serve to show the world that regarding Iran, we are not necessarily on the same page as the Israelis. The Israelis have not ruled out using force to shut down Iran's nuclear ambitions, and I fear that this may be an acceptable outcome to this potential stand-off. It appears right from the onset, any dialogue with Iran will be subject to distortions, counter-intelligence, and even subterfuge. Moving forward, how does this administration plan to negotiate with Iran? And what is the end-goal of this diplomacy? Are we trying to ensure that they do not have nuclear weapons, support their development as a constructive role in stabilizing the Middle East, or contain their rapidly growing influence as a home-grown counter to America?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Business Green

To whom it may concern,

One of this administration's pillars of the economic recovery is energy independence. The stimulus package and the proposed budget seek to develop a new green economy based on efficiency and renewable energy production. There is funding for research and development, tax incentives for private development, and significant public investment. While I praise the government for finally leading buy example on these issues, many private firms are only starting to think "green" in order to streamline profitability. In Japan, this long-term concept was adopted nearly a decade ago when the Toyota Corporation, now the number one automaker in the world, began eliminating every form of "muda" (waste) in their company from the top executives all the way down to the factory floors. While being an environmentally conscious corporation has customer appeal, how will the government ensure that this is a lasting trend in America? And how will this shift in federal policy incentivize the retooling of private industry in this new energy efficient future?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Stop Loss

To whom it may concern,

Ordering our soldiers to go to war is said to be one of the toughest decisions a President has to make. It must be even tougher to order them back against their will. The Stop-Loss policy is quite possibly one of the most deceptive conditions of the US Army contract. The Stop-Loss clause is exactly why parents tell their children to never sign anything until you read it first, and one’s peers urge them to read the fine print. The end of this most recent Stop-Loss is a clear indication of the change in policy brought to the armed forces by President Obama. Decelerating one of the longest wars in American history proves to have many benefits, including returning home those troops who fully and honorably served their country. In the future, the best defense against prolonged deployments is to avoid unnecessary deployments, such as the invasion of Iraq. We must remember that we went to war to find those who perpetrated 9-11, and those people were not in Iraq, but remain to this day in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now we must return to Afghanistan in full force to finish what was and still is the primary front in the war against terrorism. How will this administration ensure that this will be the true end of Stop-Loss?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Brownfield Redevelopment

To whom it may concern,

In the last few years, the Environmental Protection Agency has moved away from its traditional stance of clean-up first and redevelop second when it comes to brownfield sites. A movement to remediate and develop in an environmentally sustainable way has slowly emerged. This strategy has been a boon for brownfield sites across the country. Many of these sites are located in prime retail, housing, commercial, and industrial development locations (i.e. former gas stations and old industrial waterfronts). While the Superfund program is a necessity considering America's industrial and extractive history, much more attention should be given to these smaller scale remediation projects. While remediation costs were once prohibitive, these smaller scale projects benefit from their proximity to urban redevelopment areas, existing infrastructure, and the relatively limited scale of clean-up necessary. The billions of dollars that go to a few SuperFund sites and take years, sometimes decades to remediate could instead be dispersed to thousands of smaller projects within existing cities and towns. This focus on revitalizing existing neighborhoods through brownfield redevelopment is a form of in-fill development that is mandatory in the development of dense, walkable, mixed-use and mixed-income neighborhoods. Additionally, many of these sites are underutilized or abandoned industrial sites that could be redeveloped into uses that support the new "green" economy. These redeveloped industrial sites have the potential to reclaim the nation's dwindling manufacturing base that has been consistently shedding jobs for decades. How will brownfield redevelopment play a role in the growth of the nation's "green" economic sector, affordable housing, and inner-city revitalization in your administration?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Low Income Housing Tax Credit Reform

To whom it may concern,

The dominant share of federal housing money currently goes into the Section 8 voucher program. While this assistance helps many families and individuals afford housing, it does little to eliminate the long-term issues surrounding the affordable housing crisis. It is a temporary measure that benefits the landowner over the overall health of the economy and the nation. Instead, the federal government should seek to transition out of this dependence on Section 8 vouchers to the creation of new, permanent affordable housing. This affordable housing should be concentrated in areas of need, particularly of those places with high levels of demand, such as Boston, New York City, Los Angeles and San Fransisco. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit should be expanded to assist in the development of affordable, mixed-income housing projects in cities across the country. The problem with the existing voucher program is that like the urban renewal program of the 1960s, it creates concentrated neighborhoods and/or buildings of the poor. Instead, the program should be rewritten with additional standards and conditions to promote the types of development that are necessary for our future prosperity. Again, this means the funding of mixed-use, mixed-income, dense, affordable, and environmentally sustainable infill development. While the Hope VI program seeks to reintegrate housing projects into the fabric of surrounding mixed-income neighborhoods, it usually has a net loss of housing units. The focus on constructing new affordable housing in mixed-income developments will assist developers by leveraging public funding, focus development into areas that will limit environmental impacts, reduce costs associated with the provision of services and infrastructure, and promote the social interaction that has been waning in this country sine the migration into the suburbs. In New York City, Shaun Donovan worked to preserve, rehabilitate, and build new affordable housing projects. Under your administration, how will the Department of Housing and Urban Development reform its affordable housing programs, in particular the Low Income Housing Tax Credit? Will there be new programs introduced to encourage public-private partnerships, mixed-income projects, and in-fill development?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Tamil Tigers

To whom it may concern,

The Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka have been fighting a brutal civil war for their ethnic minority against the government of Sri Lanka for over 30 years. While marred in controversy, the Tamil Tigers created some of the more common terrorist tactics to date, including suicide belts and using women for suicide attacks, there end game of an independent Tamil state is relatively a valid one. And as the conventional war comes to a close, the threat of a guerilla war could engulf the entire island in violence. As in most conflicts, the nearly 150,000 ethnic Tamils remaining in Sri Lanka are caught in the middle of the fighting. While an autonomous Tamil region in Sir Lanka seems reasonable, both sides are well past this resolution or any peace agreements for that matter. The lack of any real international intervention on either side of the conflict seems eerily complacent. Why has neither America, the UN nor anyone else not taken action in what appears to be the final days of this insurgency?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Afghanistan's Opium

To whom it may concern,

It is widely known that the primary funding source for the Taliban and associated Al Qaeda networks is the opium trade. Afghanistan counts for nearly 90 percent of all poppy production on the planet, making it the cash crop for local farmers. The revenue of the opium extracted from these poppies and later processed into heroin far exceeds that of any other cash crop that is currently being offered as an alternative. Replacing the poppy fields of Afghanistan is unreasonable. Destroying these poppy fields decimates the livelihoods of the Afghan people. The best solution is for the international community to buy all of this poppy directly from these farmers. It has been estimated that this could be done for about $6 billion annually. That is a pittance compared to what the Afghanistan war currently costs Coalition forces. And it would eliminate the funding stream for the extremist rebels that we continue to fight 7 years after the initial invasion. Not to mention that it would effectively end heroin production across the globe. This opium could instead be processed into legal morphine and other pain killers for legitimate medicinal purposes. So, why do we insist on either destroying or converting these fields? Instead of having the Afghan people dependent on terrorists for their livelihoods, they could be dependent on the world market. This would elevate Afghanistan out of obscurity and begin a process of economic and social renewal. Is this being considered under the new Afghanistan strategy?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

The Madagascar Coup

To whom it may concern,

It still amazes me that coup d’états in Africa go by seemingly unnoticed in the Western media. And when we do, it is usually too late to intervene or reconcile. Sure we condemn the perpetrators, demand a democratic process, and sometimes resort to cutting off our aid to the new government, but when the dust settles, it is business as usual. Apparently the people of Madagascar have been protesting in the streets since January, but it requires military action, or a resolution, in order to hear about it. I can understand the distractions on the home front are tremendous, and now more than ever we need to focus on our own issues. However, is this the appropriate time to become an isolationist America? Surely our multi-national corporations see potential in mineral rich Madagascar. This latest development in Africa only reaffirms the view that America’s meddling in foreign countries is limited to our self-interests. Does America support a democracy that squashed its preceding democracy with force and then set up their terms?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Space Junk

To whom it may concern,

Since mankind has reached outer space, our stewardship of Earth’s orbit has closely resembled that of our stewardship of the Earth itself. Basically, we throw everything away with little understanding of the consequences, and now this practice is starting to come back at us, literally. Today, three astronauts in the International Space Station boarded a Russian space capsule as a precaution while a tiny piece of trash nearly collided with the station. There are thousands of pieces of trash floating in Earth’s orbit. While international space agencies try to bring as much of this refuse as they can back down to Earth, most of the garbage is simply jettisoned. The Space Station, space trash, and satellites all compete for orbit space. There is an entire division of NASA that tracks space debris. The worst case scenario is if one piece of trash collides with a satellite, or if one satellite collides with another, which happened earlier this year, and a chain reaction creates a cloud of debris around our planet. It is an unfortunate reminder of our wasteful society. How can your administration help clean up space before something catastrophic happens? Will it take the loss of a military satellite or a nearly $100 billion international project? I am imagining Superman netting together the world’s nuclear weapons and throwing them into the sun. Couldn’t we devise a plan to catch all this debris, tie it to all the dead satellites, and then throw them back into Earth’s orbit and watch it incinerate?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Free Tibet

To whom it may concern,

It is a very precarious situation in Tibet. 50 years ago the People’s Liberation Army moved into Tibet, a strategic military position over Asia, and literally burned the culture to the ground. Thousands of years of written history were destroyed when they leveled every Buddhist monastery in their path. During subsequent uprisings, the sheer size and force of China overpowered the ill-equipped Tibetan resistance. Now, we see the economic force of China capitalizing on Tibetan culture, diluting it, and creating a minority of the Tibetan people. If this course continues, it is only a matter of time before Tibet is only a geographic name in China. Although it has been a long time since China invaded Tibet, the act was committed against international law, and it was unprovoked. Why this has not generated more international furor, attention, and action, I do not understand. Is there a non-violent means to liberating Tibet? I believe that the Tibetan people and their spiritual leaders should follow in the footsteps of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and demand their rights, freedom, and independence through civil disobedience and non-violent action. Like both of these movements, the leader, the Dali Lama, must be out front and center. The Chinese have threatened to arrest him if he ever returns to China. I say let him return and have the Chinese arrest him, and then see what the world community does. If such a populist movement does arise, will the United States turn its back on China and support the Free Tibet movement? Will this administration assist in any way it can to politically and economically leverage China towards this end?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

A New Economcy

To whom it may concern,

As the world braces itself for near zero growth in 2009, governments across the world are struggling to prevent people from falling into poverty, provide social services, and even prevent civil unrest. Zero growth equates to a halt in economic expansion. This continued expansion is what has been purported to provide prosperity for a growing number of people and families. Wealth, however, is a matter of distribution. As the world population continues to grow, the economy must grow with it to supply these new citizens with jobs, goods, and services. There is more than enough food produced each year to feed world’s population, but the poor cannot pay, and, therefore, it is not distributed to them. There is certainly more than enough capital to invest in basic human services, but there is no return on investment in upgrading a shanty town’s infrastructure. In essence, there is virtually no economic will for equality. And continued growth correlates to negative indicators as well, such as pollution, land consumption, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. The resolution of this crisis is beyond bringing it back to the former levels of production and the old ways of doing business. The public’s behavior has changed, and we need to adjust our systems accordingly. On a global level, we should redefine our economic policies and practices. We should focus now on sustainability instead of growth, and on equity instead of supply and demand. We do not need socialism, or capitalism or communism, or any other “ism” as we currently understand them. We need something new. While the principles of capitalism have gone unchanged for over 200 years, the market has dramatically changed even in the last decade. It seems that globalization and the clashing of many mixed-economies has created a new dynamic that requires a new global theory of economics. Where is our generation’s John Maynard Keynes? Why is a zero growth model not considered sustainable? At this point and time, will this administration work with the world to facilitate a change in global financial policy to the point where the goal of growth is replaced with the goal of sustainability?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Chinese Aggression

To whom it may concern,

Over the past decade, China has made relatively few overtures to the United States. They refuse to adjust the Yuan to its true value, more or less sponsor the piracy of American goods, continued to threaten an ally by asserting its claim over Taiwan, marginalized its Tibetan minority, and now conducts military maneuvers against American ships in international water. As if holding several Americans captive for nearly two weeks after a mid-air collision with a Chinese plane wasn't enough, now they are provoking our navy. They have been emboldened by economic success and significant technological advancements. They align themselves not with our circle of close allies, but without direct opposition. These actions are characteristic of an imperialistic world power who answers to no one. The clause at the end of the previous sentence, "even the United States", holds little meaning now. Our neighbor to the east has grown arrogant with national pride and economic power. China still has the largest standing army on the planet. What will this administration do, in the short and long term, to check Chinese aggression politically, economically, and militarily?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Efficient Freeways

To whom it may concern,

In most American cities, the most accessible mode of transportation is the automobile, and its most pervasive effect has been the proliferation of the freeway network. Whether local, regional, or inter-state, these highways and freeways provide door to door service for anyone who can afford a car. Over the past 50 years, these freeways have developed new routes of travel, created new nodes of development, and augmented the overall character of development. Moving into our new paradigm, these existing right of ways should be better utilized. The automobile, while the most widely used of all transportation modes, is highly inefficient, as well as insensitive to the social needs of its users. Automobiles and automobile oriented development discourage social interaction by separating us from each other and breaking land uses into single functions. The equivalent amount of people moved on four lanes of freeway could easily be accommodated on one lane of rail line. If we could reduce our freeways from 8 to 2 lanes, imagine all the left over acreage that could be utilized for open space, bicycle and pedestrian routes, or even additional development. These trains would provide the necessary infrastructure for new, vertical neighborhoods to be developed at transit stops, which would be located at existing feeder roads and freeway interchanges. Freeways could be capped, where feasible, to create development parcels and open spaces. This newly found urban density could generate enough space for decades of future development, preventing the destruction of prime agriculture land, open space, and significant ecological areas at our periphery. Is the federal government willing to think outside of its current regulation status quo to transform our freeways system into efficient freeways?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Recreation Destination Trains

To whom it may concern,

Would you be willing to authorize joint powers authorities between local, regional, state, and federal governments with private industry to develop high speed rail lines to ski resorts across the country? Most traffic to these areas is regional, and with the appropriate infrastructure in place, this would both reduce congestion and improve development along these corridors. High speed rail along these existing freeways would reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and create an efficient transportation option for both customers and employees. It would also encourage the development of walkable, sustainable communities around these transit stops and focus the growth surrounding this industry in areas with existing infrastructure. These new ski rail lines would support dense development and promote growth in the town centers of these resorts.

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Ski Resorts

To whom it may concern,

While snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain in northern California, I began to question the environmental practices of the ski resort industry. I had found out that Mammoth used to have night skiing, but terminated the practice when it was determined that the bright lights disrupted nocturnal owls. While this is a small victory that affected operations, this anecdote merely distracts us from the structural and logistical issues facing the nation’s ski resorts. Environmental degradation appears to be a necessary evil to provide recreation opportunities to the public and to generate the funds necessary to ensure continued operations and restoration projects on these federally owned lands. Since most of these resorts were developed out of pristine wilderness, virtually every intervention is an impact on the environment. They require roads for access, power for the lifts and facilities, and water and sewer for the subsequent development. Forests are clear cut to make paths for skiers, development occurs on hillsides and atop significant ridgelines, and undisturbed forests are converted into vast recreational areas. Resort towns that spring up at the base of the slopes are not sustainable and completely reliant on the outside world for goods and services. Additionally, many ski resorts have snow machines, consuming massive amounts of water. Virtually every mountain resort is only accessible by the automobile. A few resorts, like Winter Park in Colorado, do have trains, but for the most part long distance and regional transit systems in this country are inefficient, aging, or non-existent. Since nearly all ski resorts are located within National Forests, what types of conditions could you apply to these businesses to encourage alternative transportation and a more sustainable development pattern?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Gay Marriage

To whom it may concern,

Gay marriage is one of those issues that seems to lie under the surface of public consciousness, waiting for its day either in court, the next State ballot measure, or during elections. I can understand how some people find being gay and homosexual activity abhorrent. As a heterosexual, I truly do not understand it either. But that does not give me the right to prevent someone from their pursuit of happiness. This country was founded on the concept of individual liberty, and to limit someone’s freedom, especially when it involves a couples love and commitment, seems very un-American. While some States allow gay marriage, and others have outright banned the practice, the federal government must take action. As the issue expands across the country, it does take on national implications. If anything, traveling to one state from another to be married must relate to the federal government’s authority to regulate inter-state commerce. Additionally, it appears imminent that the federal government should object to any State writing discrimination into their Constitution. It is illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation, and marriage very much fits into the Constitution’s pursuit of happiness clause. Marriage is traditionally the union of a man and a woman for the purpose of reproduction. This very narrow definition should remain, but other definitions should be created. Only marriage, common law marriage, and civil unions with their corresponding rights and privileges exist in the United State. Perhaps we should look to Europe, where several countries have up to 15 legally defined levels of commitment. With all that said, I remain bewildered why anyone who is not gay even really cares about this issue. Does this administration favor federal legislation to support equal rights for gays, will you leave it to the States to decide one by one, and/or would you support the expansion of the number and types of commitment?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Lead Bullets

To whom it may concern,

There are many objectives that could and should be completed under the banner of the "green" movement. A litany of projects could be implemented in order for this nation to become more sustainable. While some projects are of a higher priority than others, there remains a vast array of projects that could be considered low hanging fruit. These projects could easily be changed with legislation, amendments, and even executive orders. One of these low hanging fruits, for example, is the lead content of ammunition. With the hundreds of thousands of rounds that go off in America every year, a significant amount of lead waste is left to pollute the water and land. These munitions could easily be replaced by more benign copper bullets. With the many “green” projects ongoing in your administration, have you thought about forming a blue ribbon commission to comprehensively review the myriad small-scale projects within both the federal government and the nation as a whole?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Justice in Darfur

To whom it may concern,

As the UN Tribunal on Darfur unfolds, the primary issue of concern is not the court’s ability to prove whether government sponsored attacks on its own population occurred, or to even prosecute and convict those that are found guilty. The primary concern is the issuance of justice. If Sudan or any other government that may one day provide these people with sanctuary will not release those convicted, then the tribunal’s core objectives are faulty. In this situation and others, the United Nations' best principal is perhaps the harbinger of its own demise; national autonomy. Sure several countries can collectively apply diplomatic or economic pressure to another, but the UN cannot force one nation to do anything it does not want to. Maybe Bashir and the others who are responsible for these crimes against humanity will one day be extradited to the Hague, but until these individuals are held accountable, a UN tribunal remains relatively ineffective. With this is mind, how will this administration seek to bring justice to the people of Sudan and in particular Darfur? Since your administration would be providing its input late in the game, so to speak, will you then focus more on reconciliation and providing humanitarian support?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Tax Havens, Loopholes and Delinquencies

To whom it may concern,

A proposed bill in the US Senate seeks to shut down international tax havens that have deprived the US treasury from nearly $100 billion a year. This new law and several other loopholes in existing tax law are currently being targeted in order to shore up dwindling funds in hard economic times. Other tax provisions are being changed or allowed to expire to bring in yet more revenue. With all of this accounting going on in Washington D.C., it makes you wonder why most of this was not done sooner. Surely someone will claim economic hardship during this process or its enforcement. While most of this is practical, some of it is based on the new direction of this administration (i.e. rethinking oil, gas, and timber leases on federal lands). However, we should be simultaneously streamlining future revenues and pursuing delinquent accounts. Many State governments are essentially shaming companies that do not pay their taxes by creating websites with their contact information. Others are threatening to revoke business licences if companies do not pay their bills with interest. Can and will the federal government take up similar measures to ensure that back taxes will be paid?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

The Independent Thought Party

To whom it may concern,

Following up on my previous posting, I would like to propose a third political party; the Independent Thought Party. The sole purpose and intent of this new third party is to provide the resources and platform for individuals to bring their message to the people. This new party will give a voice to anyone whose message is of relevance to the public and whose vigor is proportionatly propels that message forward. It will support local, state, and national candidates whose ideas transcend traditional party lines. In this way, it will be a party of leaders, without centralized control, and armed only with the popular support that its leaders engender. This flexibility of the party and the diversity of its candidates will create a nation of debate, diplomacy, and dynamism. Do you think a political party like this has a place in America?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP