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March 08, 2007
Editorial
LCAT The Right Bandwagon
There’s an old story about the guy living in a house when the flood waters came.
When the water reached the bottom step of the stoop, a police car shows up with an officer who yells “There’s a flood coming. Jump in the car and I’ll take you to safety.”
“Don’t worry about me,” the man replies. “The Lord will save me.”
Within hours, the water has reached the second floor of the house.
A man in a motorboat pulls up and yells “The flood is getting worse. Jump in the boat and I’ll take you to safety.”
The man in the house replies “Don’t worry about me, the Lord will save me.”
Just before nightfall, the man is on top of his roof because the flood waters have nearly covered the house.
From above, a man in a helicopter lowers a rope ladder and says through a loudspeaker “Grab onto the rope and I’ll take you to safety.”
“Don’t worry about me,” the man shouts back. “The Lord will save me.”
Within the hour, the water covered the roof and the man drowned.
Upon appearing at the Pearly Gates, the man asks St. Peter if he could please have an audience with the Lord.
“A highly unusual request, but I’ll see what I can do,” St. Peter says.
Before long, the Lord appears.
“Lord,” the man begins, “I was a faithful churchgoer, a believer, and a follower. Why, in my hour of need, did you forsake me and let me drown?”
To which the Lord replies,
“Hey, I sent you a police car, a motorboat, and a motorcycle!”
People in Lincoln County have been given a chance to get in a motorboat called the S.S. LCAT.
It’s an organization with the stated aim of helping Lincoln County survive the oncoming flood of new residents, visitors, and changes that will accompany the Coyote Springs development and the Toquop Township community.
The truth is that if the residents of Alamo, Caliente, Panaca, Pioche, and the other small enclaves dotting this rural paradise don’t set aside their differences and come up with a plan for the community’s future, the future will sweep the community along on its own tide.
We have to face the fact that the mines probably aren’t coming back, that 21st century railroads won’t provide many jobs, and that ranching and farming will continue to disappear along with the offspring that don’t want to follow that hardscrabble life.
Too many people have sacrificed too much to allow these traditions to go quietly into that good night.
One of the best ways to preserve those traditions is tourism.
While we don’t have an abundance of gold or industry anymore, the one thing we have lots of is history, and a slower-paced lifestyle that many city dwellers could only wish for.
The community needs to capitalize on this now, while there is still evidence of that history, and residents who know and can talk about it.
We need to involve our young people by making sure they know the heritage of their hometowns, and helping them develop ways to earn a living from it.
Otherwise, our children will be forced to leave the area to find jobs that will pay livable wages.
And the clock is ticking.
There are historical buildings in all four communities that won’t survive if they aren’t salvaged soon, and there aren’t enough state and federal grant dollars to save them all.
They can be saved if they can be incorporated into historic tours that will attract outside dollars.
Then you have dozens of mines that could be turned into tourist attractions.
Also, the various parks and natural wonders surrounding Lincoln County are tremendous assets that, if incorporated into a comprehensive marketing program with the local historical draws, would bring thousands of visitors and potentially millions of dollars each year.
The starting point is for all of the towns and residents of Lincoln County to come together as one voice to the outside world.
It’s an old but accurate cliché…
United we stand, divided we fall. |
