It’s no sin to make a buck

There was an interesting piece in the news recently about a guy who ran a for-profit outfit that staged charity events. His company raised hundreds of millions of dollars for charities — and the company profited handsomely.

Win-win, right? Nope. In the minds of purists, the entrepreneur was “profiteering” and he was ultimately chased off.

The charities subsequently took on their own fund-raising — and the totals plunged. Brilliant.

We should take care that we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot in the same way in Sisters. You often hear rhetoric that portrays anybody in the development business as “greedy,” just out to make a buck. Well, that’s no sin. Too many people resent everybody else’s money but their own (which is, of course, well-earned).

We need a lot of work in our forests, and somebody’s gonna have to make a buck to make it happen. It’s okay to cut down trees for profit. It really is. It is possible for forest health and economic health to be compatible.

Destination resorts are a hot-button topic around here. But each should be individually evaluated on its merits and impacts, not on the fact that somebody is going to make a lot of money.

Some resorts may have a negative impact, some may be positive, some may be pretty much neutral. We should weigh impacts on resources and traffic and on neighborhoods along with potential economic and resource benefits without getting all stirred up about the “greed” of developers.

Sure, there are greedy people out there. Others may have visions that are too grandiose for Sisters. We must be vigilant and rigorous in applying standards, whether it’s logging protocols or development guidelines. But those who are willing to invest in Sisters on the prospect of adding value to the community and making a profit for themselves should be applauded, not demonized.

Jim Cornelius