Anxious to not spend my remaining years in Salt Lake City, I searched for a place that was a safer spot to be with impending societal collapse. When I first came to Baker I was happy to still be near mountains and desert. I was impressed with the Victorian homes and the downtown buildings. Most important of all was the joy of personal interaction. People looked me in the eye and were caring and charitable.

The move would have been much less expensive two years before both because of real estate prices and moving expenses. I could have bought a roomier house.

I would like to see Baker thrive again. I think a young person should be able to afford to live and work here. I would like to see commercial property with a successful business or residential use. There are downtown properties which should be switched from commercial to residential use.

Baker City has a real jewel in a downtown and nearby residential areas that were built before the automobile age. Many young people today want to be able to live without a car. The cost of a vehicle is becoming prohibitive for many people.

Most of all we need some local industry providing products and services to people who live far away. There are lots of things we could make here and sell to others.

The Elkhorn Mountains still hold significant mineral resources. Can we find a way to mine some of these in sustainable ways that don’t poison our environment and destroy other uses?

It is impossible to predict the future, but the recent past indicates Baker City was becoming a resort city for the wealthy. Many homes sold recently are second homes whose owners will rarely be here. Many others are made into high end rentals. These occupancies contribute very little to the health of the community. They also have bid up prices so much as to prevent younger people from being able to afford to live here.

A close friend, an architect, lived in Aspen, Colorado, in the 1970s and early 80s. He mostly lived in a motel. Today virtually all the workers there commute from areas that are marginally more affordable and very distant. The same thing happened to Park City, Utah, during my 48 years in Salt Lake. Workers commute from the Wasatch Front or from Heber.

The loss of wealth in big tech will slow the resort trend here but more is needed. One proposal is to impose a property tax adjustment to any owner who has not purchased the home as a primary residence. I am thinking of something like a 50% to 80% premium. Some owners would decide to sell, but those who stay will enable the city to provide necessary maintenance and safety to those who live here. Our budget shortfall is serious.

Consider a space like the old car dealership at Main and Baker. Just remodeling the existing building could provide several affordable 800-square-foot apartments. If the households owned less than one vehicle per adult, there would be plenty of street parking. This compares to much of the present housing stock wherein each adult may own two or three vehicles.

Planning for the future is very difficult as economic collapse continues. Will there be enough tourists who can afford to occupy even all the motel rooms in town? Will summer visitors be able to sustain all the downtown shops? What will reverse the trend that our present population is aging?

The weather is severe enough here that excessive growth is not much of a risk.

Humans are a social species that thrives on interaction, not isolation. All the space offered by suburban living must be evaluated against the cost and difficulties of interaction with others. Is moving 4,000 pounds of matter with you for all interactions either sustainable or healthy?

Fear of crime destroys much of our interaction and cultural health. Fortunately crime in Baker City is much less of an issue than most other places. Yet this should never be taken for granted.

The widespread corruption in our governments and the rapid destruction of the US dollar will likely end our domination of the world and bring great turmoil to national governance. So we will not be able to use federal money. Instead of decision making being top down it will be bottom up. We must concentrate on improving our community with what resources we have.

Peak oil has already arrived in many places around the world. There is still oil in old formations but accessing it is getting very expensive. Life will have to change and this cannot be done by fiat nor can it happen over a short period. Humanity will have to adjust in many ways to a new reality of shortage.

Plans are well underway to destroy cash and require all payments to go through a federal reserve electronic system. How will we trade with each other without losing our freedom? Maybe we should locally adopt gold and silver bullion. Perhaps all merchants will need scales that can weigh metal coins to a 1 mg precision. Will something with a trusted value like Bitcoin, but not corruptible by government, be needed?

It is foolish to plan as if the past will continue. We must recognize the limits of resources and plan for a sustainable future. Today our population is stressed, unhealthy, and fearful of the future. We all can work for a future with widespread happiness and participation by all. We must move towards respecting and enjoying our differences and discard the idea that materialism will bring anything but despair.

Stephen Carr

Baker City