One hand in the river, one hand upstream

Upstream. It may be the most over-used word in social services today. "We need to work upstream to resolve that issue, so we can stop dealing with the results."

I'm sure the phrase came from some issue that really did happen upstream, like pollution into a freshwater stream, or the lack of water flow to a downstream community caused by excessive water use upstream. But now the phrase comes with this picture -- the river is full of people being washed downstream. Do you keep pulling them out, or do you go upstream to figure out why people are in the river in the first place?

PTSD in veterans. We need to fix that upstream. Does that mean ending wars? I'm all for it. But we're fighting a really big war machine.

Hunger. We need to work upstream. Where? The system that doesn't assist enough families with enough money for food stamps, the system that doesn't help them to become self-sufficient and not need assistance, the system that doesn't encourage them to stay in school and get decent jobs, or the food distribution system in all communities that doesn't get extra food to the right places so that all are fed? Which upstream problem do we target?

Homelessness. We need to tackle this upstream. Should we advocate for more affordable housing, deal with the mental health issues of thousands of homeless people, provide additional Section 8 HUD vouchers in local communities, turn foreclosed housing into shelters, or some other answer?

Meanwhile, people are still suffering, hungry and homeless. Do we work upstream or do we help ease their suffering, feed them and shelter them? Each answer takes people, time and money. Families affected by one member with PTSD create issues for generations. The mother of two children can't tell her kids that she'll be able to feed them in two years when she finishes her degree. Study after study shows that housing people is more cost-effective than leaving them homeless.

Community problems require both solutions: people to reach in the river and keep people from drowning, and people to hike upstream and figure out why people are in the river in the first place. Without the hands-on community services, these are real people who will drown in the wake. Without advocacy upstream, we will never stop having to rescue people. Every problem requires both hands-on service and advocacy.

NIMBY? I think NIMBY for a prison is OK

OK, first thought that comes to your mind: Where's a good place for a prison?

If you said Not in My Backyard (NIMBY), count yourself among the majority. A prison, along with a shooting range, a religious cult compound, a sewer plant, and a freeway, are some of the facilities that people probably don't want near their homes. I'm not saying that nothing would be appropriate in my neighborhood. If they want to drop a pocket park behind my house, then I'm OK with that. A few more neighbors, a school, a museum, a camp, all good. But some things belong a long way from populated communities. Especially far from communities that have grown exponentially in 20 years.

Somehow, desperate for continued wild growth, Prescott Valley's economic "minds" (using the term rather loosely) decided that they haven't had any "what's coming to Prescott Valley" stories in the paper in the last month. Considering the years of one announcement after another, that was bound to happen. Look at the headlines and go figure. Prescott Valley is still incredibly economically viable, so why not wait out the current downturn and the economic engine will fire again. Instead, these folks grabbed onto the first train that passed...CCA. Let's build a prison in Prescott Valley.

A wise council would say publicly "Hmm. Let's consider this very carefully." In private, the discussion should have gone something like this: "Are you out of your recession-twisted mind? A couple of years ago, they bit our heads off for suggesting a prison in Prescott Valley. You can't find a solar panel manufacturer, a technology-based company, another distribution center, or some other employer that wants a medium-size, pleasant community with good weather and good transportation routes? I'm not going to back a prison and get killed by the voters. We pay you enough -- get out there and earn your economic development money."

CCA wouldn't have wasted a day more in Prescott Valley. Instead, last night's 3-4 straw poll isn't enough to put the nails in this coffin. Watch your backs, PV residents. Stay watchful. Sometimes being a NIMBY isn't such a bad thing.