There may still be some tangles with this idea, but I believe it has some merit and should be examined further.
From the Rapid City Journal:
Sturgis Williams Middle School seventh-grade students have been working ahead of the Meade County Commission when it comes to one of the biggest issues it has faced in years.
On Wednesday, students in Kerry Skinner’s seventh-grade class took a project concerning the Bear Butte buffer zone controversy to a competition in Pierre and earned a superior rating from a panel of eight judges.
The project, entitled “Zoning: Natural Rights vs. Property Rights,” was a part of Project Citizen, sponsored by the Chiesman Foundation for Democracy.
Native Americans are upset at how the area around Bear Butte near Sturgis is becoming a field of swill and debauchery, as saloons, etc.' encroach upon the monument many Native Americans hold sacred.
While I don't ascribe to their religious beliefs, I sympathize and would like to see a solution that could work within the setting of our free market system. At one point, I had an idea that was vaguely along the lines of what these students propose.
After conducting the surveys and studying the issue, students decided the best way to deal with the issue is to increase tourism and expand understanding of Indian culture. They believe that granting a concessionaire’s license to Indians interested in creating a buffer zone around the sacred site could generate enough revenue to buy the land surrounding Bear Butte, creating -- in essence -- an informal buffer zone.
I hope the powers that be and those involved in the controversy will take a close look at this idea to see if it can work, or if parts of it can be adopted for a solution that everyone can live with.
0 comments:
Post a Comment