Letter to the editor: Money well spent?
By Betty Hathaway
Price
Editor:
It is with great interest that I read the Sun Advocate every week, but sometimes also with alarm and dismay.
One article reads, "Food aid hard to access." Another reads, "Lack of transportation." Still others discuss the needs of the homeless and destitute individuals, the economy and hardships people are suffering at this time. The rising costs of medical care and people without health insurance has been addressed by other articles.
The low and behold, up pops an article that Carbon County and Price City will share costs of about $200,000 each for a walking trail from Helper to Wellington. UDOT has already presented about $66,400 for the construction. Another $14,259 has been spent on preliminary engineering.
Excuse me, but couldn't that money be better spend elsewhere? With our highways in such need of repair, who is going to benefit from a walkway from Helper to Wellington?
Many of us can barely walk around the stores to buy our meager groceries. How many lives are going to be saved from fatal accidents by building this walkway? Will this walkway have wheelchair access? Then look out for an accident. Some of us are not very coordinated.
And where is this funding coming from?
I must ask; where do our elected officials come up with such brilliant ideas? No wonder our world is in such turmoil. What ever happened to good common sense? Is this where hard earned tax dollars are going? Is this one of the reason we need more tax increases? How are people supposed to survive?
Who will benefit from this walkway? I'm thinking only the contractor will reap the profit. Was a survey taken on this project? Were local people interviewed on given a chance to voice their opinions? Was an open meeting held?
The cost of everything is raising every day. Our incomes are not. It is said "Only the strong survive" and it is becoming more evident everyday.
Put the elected officials in our shoes and I'll bet they would sing a different tune.
I'm sure if there is that much money available, much better ways to spend it could be found for it.
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