04/30/08

To the Editor,

Excellent commentary piece in this month’s issue. Libertarian’s need to be reminded of the following:

First, in The Communist Manifesto (1848) Karl Marx and Frederich Engels called for the “abolition of the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the population over the countryside.” i.e. – sprawl is a communist plot!

Second, in The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith maintained the system of natural liberty leaves the state three legitimate duties: the defense of the country, the administration of justice, and the maintenance of certain public works. As we know, for the past 60 years the public works built for transportation has placed extreme emphasis on the automobile. This in turn has had major implications for private investment and the built form of the private realm.

Finally, in his 1973 work For a New Liberty – A Libertarian Manfesto, Murray Rothbard, considered by many as the father of the Libertarian Party, offers a good synopsis of the problem:

"It is now widely recognized that federal and state governments, spurred by the lobbying of automobile companies, oil companies, tire companies, and construction contractors and unions, have indulged in a vast overexpansion of highways. The highways grant gross subsidies to the users and have played the major role in killing railroads as a viable enterprise. Thus, trucks can operate on a right-of-way constructed and maintained by the taxpayer, while railroads had to build and maintain their own trackage. Furthermore, the subsidized highway and road programs led to an overexpansion of automobile-using suburbs, the coerced bulldozing of countless homes and businesses, and an artificial burdening of the central cities. The cost to the taxpayer and to the economy has been enormous."

As you rightly point out, “Libertarians are supposed to admire small government. But it’s the federal government that mostly built and maintains Houston’s enormously costly freeway system with 66 percent more lanes than the national average.” Libertarians are probably as confused as the average Republicrat or Demoplican when it comes to planning and policy issues. However, Randal O’Toole and others like him need to be called out on their blatant hypocrisy and turned to help us fight the good fight.

Vince Graham, President
I’On Group

04/23/08

It is unfortunate that your newsletter has let itself become a spokesman for the VSI. Despite the pieces at the back of the article [Vinyl makers push for New Urbanism market, March 2008], the first part of the article reads like a press release from the White House on weapons of mass destruction.

Perhaps it is telling that vinyl siding and some of the negative aspects of New Urbanism match up: Fake plastic siding on fake traditional houses in fake plastic communities. What a market!

All the aesthetic issues aside, vinyl becomes brittle with age and cracks like an egg after it has been exposed to UV over a long period of time despite how much UV inhibitors have been added to the toxic chemical mix. You should expose the myth of longevity and durability and no maintenance. Yes it looks good at first (if you discount the waviness, distortion and pseudo wood grain texture), no you really can't paint it but you have to throw it in the landfill way before wood siding gives up the ghost and politely rots into the sunset. Wood has its issues too along with coatings, sealants, stains and preservatives not to mention harvesting, but they pale in comparison to vinyl. Vinyl is a really useful material and it is great to see the industry investigating cleaner manufacturing processes and ways top recycle the material but this type of marketing speaks for itself.

The Vinyl Institute has tried to make inroads in LEED and the USGBC as well as the AIA, the USGBC has at least been able to repel theirs and other lobbying efforts so be careful what it does to the good cause of New Urbanism.

Please tell me that the VSI is not an underwriter of your newsletter! And by the way go watch the documentary "Blue Vinyl" www.bluevinyl.org.

(would be great if you had a letters or response to the editor section either in print or online)

Daniel F. Hellmuth, AIA
Principal, hellmuth + bicknese architects