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| September 8, 2006 Editor’s Desk by Aaron Selbig, insurgent49 I am taking the week off from 'Editor's Desk'. Keeping up on the latest juicy rumors regarding the Veco scandal has left me exhausted. If you'd like to know the latest news/gossip on the scandal, tune into 'The Aaron Selbig Show' on KUDO 1080am in Anchorage from 4:00pm to 6:00pm weekdays. You can also now webstream the show on KUDO's site, www.kudo1080.com. Please enjoy this classic 'Editor's Desk' from the past on the 'Phoenix-ization' of Anchorage.  It’s been a progressive week here at Insurgent Headquarters.Eleven years ago, I decided that I needed to move to Alaska, sight unseen. I dropped out of college, found a home for my cat, sold nearly everything I owned and drove off into the sunset in a battered 1985 Nissan pickup truck. Looking back on it now, it was a drastic and sudden decision, made entirely on a whim. I had never been to Alaska before and, outside of stories from a couple of friends who were from here, I didn’t really even know much about the great 49th. Part of the reason I chose to come was that, like many transplanted Alaskans, I was drawn to the natural wonder and absolute wilderness of the place. That’s a standard-issue ‘Why Alaska?’ answer, but it’s true. The other reason I came, and perhaps the biggest reason I left in such a hurry, was that I had become disappointed, saddened and angry at what had become of my hometown. When I was a kid, living on what were then the outskirts of town, Phoenix, Arizona seemed like paradise. There’s even a suburb of Phoenix called Paradise Valley (Stevie Nicks and Charles Barkley live there). I grew up at the edge of a vast orange grove, where my buddies and I would play Army until someone’s mom started yelling for us. On the other side of that grove, and all around our neighborhood, were miles and miles of uninterrupted desert. The desert is the only thing I still miss about Arizona (besides my Dad). In the springtime, there is nothing like a hike through the rugged Superstition Mountains when the cactus are in bloom. These days, however, the Superstitions are beset on all sides by mankind. Poorly planned, cheaply built subdivisions have spread from Phoenix like a cancer in all directions. Towns that were once considered remote outposts, with whimsical names like Carefree and Buckeye, have been gobbled up by the city. Century-old saguaros have been uprooted by the thousands to make room for strip malls and parking lots. Squaw Peak, another favorite hiking spot, now has a freeway through it. It made me sad to see the natural beauty of the place I loved sacrificed for ‘progress’. But that wasn’t the worst part, the last straw that made me drive four thousand miles away. All of the rapid and unplanned growth in the Valley of the Sun brought with it a social cost, as well. It became the type of city where people are distrustful of one another. People in Phoenix no longer make eye contact with each other, much less exchange greetings in passing. Nobody stops for stranded motorists in the city anymore. Fearful of gangs and crime, most folks are packing heat. Like its older brother, Los Angeles, Phoenix suffers from a horrific lack of urban planning. There is no public transportation there, unless you count the congested freeways; and the rulers of the city are real estate developers, who will always focus on quick profits over the long-term health of the community. We’ve all heard the term ‘Los Anchorage’. Whether it refers to traffic, urban sprawl or crime, I’m not certain. But it always makes me laugh. Traffic complaints here are amusing to me, as well. An average commute from the East Valley into downtown Phoenix can take well over an hour. And, of course, traffic in Phoenix is nothing compared to LA or the Bay Area. But, I suppose we all know what we see every day. I love Anchorage. It’s my adoptive hometown and I plan on staying here for years to come. It’s not exactly the absolute wilderness I had in mind on that long drive up the Alcan, but compared to Phoenix, it’s close enough. Something’s been bothering me lately, though. While there’s still no freeways here (unless you count the Seward Hwy.) and folks still say ‘Hi’ to each other on the streets, I’m starting to see some of the same troubling signs I saw in the desert years ago. Short-sighted leadership is taking Anchorage down a dangerous path. When the city Assembly decides to remove the phrase “visually appealing” from a transportation plan, and eschews the entire plan as a threat to the almighty automobile, that should be a red flag to all of us. When it’s the real estate developers who are influencing, and getting elected to, that same Assembly ... that should be another warning. Instead of growing up, Anchorage appears to be growing out. Rather than focusing on building our city up with improvements to the existing infrastructure, we’re going to build Don Young’s Way in an effort to turn more wilderness into urban sprawl. In the process, we’ll be destroying Government Hill, one of our oldest and most attractive neighborhoods. Anchorage is at an important crossroads right now. One path will lead is into a promising future as a naturally beautiful, economically strong city that people want to live in. The other will lead us to Phoenix. Aaron Selbig is an activist and media junkie who resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage. He is the winner of a 2006 Alaska Press Club award for Best Editorial Writing, host of KUDO 1080 AM's 'The Aaron Selbig Show' and a co-founder of Insurgent49. Aaron may be contacted at editor@insurgent49.com |
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All rights reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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