The presentation about the mining in Treece, Kansas was really shocking to me. There were many unfair and horrible things done to the people in this town; there is not just one thing that I am mad as hell about. First, I would have to say that I am mad as hell about the fact that no one did anything to prevent this town from getting so polluted, even though mining stopped in the 1970s. The towers of mining “chat” remained looming over the town, continuing to pollute its inhabitants although there was no reason why something could have been done to help these people. As Gigdet stating in her presentation, children were especially at risk for health issues, including asthma, due to the chat and other pollutants in the air from the mining. These children are a special concern because, unlike the adults of the town, they did not choose to live in this area. Children should be given a safe and healthy place to grow up in.
I am also mad as hell about the whole idea behind eminent domain. I understand how it could sometimes be necessary to take people’s land if you need to build a road through it, or accomplish some other goal for the public good. But the government should be required to give the people that they are taking land from sufficient money. The government did not give the people of this town enough money for them to buy adequate houses. They were given about $30,000 I believe, which sounds like an especially low amount of money considering how high the standard of living is in this part of the country. Although this money probably went further where in their part of the country, it was still not enough. The mayor was forced to stay in a trailer park. This is unacceptable; I understand why that one couple chose to stay as the only two residents of Treece, even just to stick it to the government.
This situation reminds me of the proposal for the creation of the garbage-processing center. While I understand that it is hard for the government to solve these issues in a way that satisfies everyone, the government should try to ensure that the least amount of people are inconvenienced. This garbage-processing center will severely decrease the land value of the people living there. Also, there are many public buildings that are used by the community in this area. This is a tough decision for the government to make. However in the case of Treece, the government should definitely have given the citizens more money to buy satisfactory housing.
While we were unable to see all of the advertising campaigns presentation, I really liked the first idea. I think that the collage of images is a good way to make an impact on the masses. The message is clearly delivered, and I think that people will understand it. I also thought it was clever that the images paralleled ad campaigns hailing New York City as the Wonder City. Good advertising is one of the best ways to engage people emotionally, and to help them realize that their actions can make a difference.
