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December 12, 2008
Yet Another Look At The Salton Sea
For almost as long as there's been a Salton Sea there have been tales of great wealth to be made in real estate on its shores. We all know how well that's gone. Even recently, as it became obvious that a government-funded fix of the environmental mess would be many years away (if it happened at all), people have proposed building towns around the sea and using the proceeds of the subsequent real estate sales to fund the clean-up. Man, I want what they're smoking.
The idea is that private interests come in and clean up the sea using their money, but following "plans approved by local, state and federal officials." After that, the investors would be allowed to haul in the big bucks from real estate and geothermal. Would they do something like the 19th century deal with the railroads? In return for cleaning up the sea, simply give the investors great swaths of formerly public lands around it?
The best part is this:
"There are trillions of dollars out there in (private) infrastructure money available," [Patrick Swarthout, president of the Valley Action Group] said, though declining to name who might be interested. "They need to know what the return on the dollar would be."
I propose a test program to see if this idea would work; something similar, but on a smaller scale. I propose that we assemble a group of investors with trillions to sink into a project. We allow them to completely fix up Desert Hot Springs. New sidewalks, build the Vortex Project, repave the streets, new business facades, get rid of the criminal element, clean up trash, bring in a couple of big retailers, build that new Boys & Girls Club, replace all the wooden fences, put in a big gay Korean spa on Palm Drive (that's my own idea), all of it. Then, when that's all done to our satisfaction, we let them build and sell houses here to recoup all of their investment.
If that Salton Sea plan would work, then my DHS test plan should work too. The investment required here in DHS is just a small fraction of what the Salton Sea requires, and clearly we're a place where people really do want to live. People already build houses here at a much greater rate than they do around the Salton Sea.
No, honestly, I think the only way you could get trillions from private investors to clean up the Salton Sea is to draw a border around it and cut it out of California. Make it a territory under federal jurisdiction and let it be run like the Northern Marianas, or Hong Kong. No minimum wage, no workers comp, no green cards, just raw capitalism. In ten years it would put Vegas to shame.
Filed under California,Coachella Valley | permalink | December 12, 2008 at 09:45 AM
Comments
"How about a woven hemp structure with gold leaf trim?"
If you're sure it wouldn't clash with the big gay Korean spa . . .
I do worry about being ordered to replace my wood fence someday, but that aside, the idea of enticing investors to put money into DHS is worth serious consideration. The plan should include creating jobs, real 'better than paycheck to paycheck' jobs and lots of 'em too. Maybe plant the seed for the green "silicon valley" here in DHS, and let LaQuinta come begging 20 years from now.
Posted by: Darr at Dec 12, 2008 8:36:38 PM
Well, we're dealing with a pie-in-the-sky made up of trillions of private dollars, so you can probably replace that wooden fence with anything you can dream of. How about a woven hemp structure with gold leaf trim?
Posted by: Ron's Log at Dec 12, 2008 5:03:07 PM
Replace all the wooden fences?
With what? Not concrete block I hope. Too damn ugly, and too damn expensive.
One contractor wanted almost 10 grand to replace my wood fence with concrete block, I'm still waiting for a money to tree to bear fruit so I can afford it.
Posted by: Darr at Dec 12, 2008 2:16:09 PM
Ron has got this figured out!
Posted by: at Dec 12, 2008 10:49:21 AM
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