Perhaps it would be useful to interject some thoughts I've had for some time about the continuing debate in Carson Valley concerning uncontrolled growth and whether and how to control it.

A lot of anger about the SGI has been expressed in letters to the editor. Anger at developers, anger at people who move to this area, anger at ranchers.

Although I live in Alpine County, this issue affects us as well as residents of Carson Valley because we do most of our shopping and much else in Carson Valley. A good percentage of our disposable income gets spent in Carson Valley, and our two communities have been entwined throughout our history.

Like many others, I do not like what I see happening to Carson Valley. What I see reminds me sadly of what has happened to the Santa Clara Valley, the Contra Costa County area and many other areas in California.

But I am not sure that the SGI is the way to solve the problem. It does seem to tread rather heavily on the private property rights of those who would, for whatever reason, want to sell their property for development.

What I have found most frustrating and disturbing is that throughout the many-decades-long debate over this issue in Carson Valley, I have yet to see any facts about growth and development. The costs, the returns, the gains and losses, the pros and cons.

I think planners have known for decades that residential development does not pay for itself, that it always results in increased taxes and decreased services. But everything I have read has been, I believe, based on emotion, not on well researched, substantiated fact.

This fact-finding should be the responsibility of elected officials and their planners, and they must get this information out to the public. If they fail to carry out this obligation, then it would seem that the media, i.e. The Record-Courier in this case, should do so. It would be a daunting task which would require probably hundreds of hours of research.

Because the problem is so widespread it seems obvious that there is no easy solution. But I wonder if there aren't communities somewhere that have dealt effectively with the matter. What I think I have witnessed in Carson Valley is that the people insist on repeating the same arguments and counter-arguments, playing the same blame games, arguments based on emotion and opinion rather than on fact.

I don't know. Maybe there is no fair and workable solution, no such thing as "smart growth." But I don't think any real effort has been made to find out whether there are communities out there, somewhere, that have taken an intelligent approach to the matter and come up with innovative and successful solutions. Maybe there are. Maybe we don't have to reinvent the wheel.

One final thought because it is related to this growth issue but is also certainly not being dealt with rationally and that is this. It is urgent that the people of this country demand that our elected representatives create and enforce a strong, fair and workable immigration policy and that we as a nation support family planning efforts throughout the world. Failure to do so - and soon - will make today's growth issues seem pretty insignificant.

Nancy Thornburg

Markleeville