Bill Wald’s observation in his Sept. 30 letter titled “Money is Wasted” is right on. A genuine solution to our crowded roads, schools and housing developments is to discourage economic development by creating an “Economic Discouragement Council.” Why does every neighborhood, town and city government think that encouraging new businesses to come to their area is some pie-in-the-sky solution to their perceived problems?

Is a bigger business tax base worth more cars, more houses, more people, more crime, more pollution, more regulations? These purveyors of progress greed after nothing more than fame and fortune and care nothing for problems that additional people bring. The business mantra “Grow or Die” is not a viable solution to our area’s problems unless we are willing to bulldoze the Cascades and fill in Puget Sound.

Everett