Landscape design and politics 2012

Did you watch the State of the Union address last night? This year’s election is a critical one for all of us and in particular, landscape design professionals. Whether you are a red state conservative or a blue state liberal, one thing is for sure - you're a member of the Green-Industry. While most of us may have already made up our minds, there are a suprising few that are still sitting on the fence.
Yes, I know that what candidates say can vary with the direction of the wind, but how do the two major parties stand on some of the green-industry’s more important issues? It's unfortunate that we don't have a more rigorous dialogue within our industry. And we can’t go to many of our landscape contracting trade magazines to gain any clarity either. Many of their “opinion pages” simply can’t be trusted to present an open minded viewpoint and often just parrot the thinking of advertisers. So what’s an inquiring mind to do?
Fear not intrepid DonD readers, for I have distilled the issues down to three salient green industry areas and cut n' pasted some political propaganda for you to sift through from the respective party websites...
1. Business & taxes: Landscape designers not only weather the seasonal downturns, but often find themselves at the tail end of construction sequences or remodeling projects. Small design businesses in particular are dependent upon slim margins and have had difficulty staying in business during this economic downturn. Republican thinking points out that more taxation will stifle economic growth, while Democrats supports the idea government can guide and help stimulate growth. Will greater regulation possibly include stricter licensure standards for landscape designers? Who stands for what here?
Democrats: “Democrats are moving forward with a “Made in America” economic plan to strengthen American industries and create jobs for American workers by: Ending tax loopholes that let corporations hide profits overseas, and investing those dollars in small businesses that create jobs in America; Providing tax cuts to small businesses and expanding lending so that businesses can create new jobs; Investing in a clean-energy economy, and providing tax credits to spark manufacturing of windmills, solar panels, and electric cars here at home; and Putting Americans to work rebuilding roads, bridges, rails, and ports, strengthening our economy and our infrastructure across all 50 states”.
Republicans: “Cut taxes to stimulate economy and help families. Budget surpluses are the result of over-taxation of the American people. The weak link in the chain of prosperity is the tax system. Foster capital investment and savings to boost today’s dangerously low personal savings rate. Tax cuts & low interest rates lead to home ownership. Low interest rates open up more housing opportunities than any government program. Affordable housing is in the national interest. That is why tax reform should continue to encourage homeownership. We will turn over to communities abandoned HUD properties for urban homesteading, a citizen effort that has been successful in revitalizing neighborhoods. We affirm our commitment to open housing, without quotas, and we applaud the efforts by the housing industries to assure access for everyone”.
2 2. The environment: Most of us would define ourselves as ecologically minded, but how do we draw the lines between environmental regulation and business responsibility? Is it true that prohibiting the use of certain lawn & garden chemicals is destroying landscape businesses? Are regulations stifling growth or providing much needed environmental protections? Or both?
Democrats: “During the Obama Administration, the Department of Transportation issued new fuel-economy standards, the first mandated increases in fuel economy for cars in decades. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken the first steps toward regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. For the first time, the U.S. will catalogue greenhouse gas emissions from large emission sources-—an important initial step toward measurable and transparent reductions. Democrats have made investments in weatherization programs, energy efficiency, and renewable-energy research, as well as investments in public transit and new rail transportation. For decades it has been clear that the way Americans produce and consume energy is not sustainable. Our addiction to foreign oil and fossil fuels puts our economy, our national security, and our environment at risk. Democrats are working to develop comprehensive energy and climate legislation to protect our environment and grow our economy”.
Republicans: “Private property ownership key to environmental agenda. Republicans know that economic prosperity is essential to environmental progress. We link the security of private property to our environmental agenda because environmental stewardship has been best advanced where property is privately held. People who own the land also protect it. Republicans will safeguard private property rights by enforcing the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment and by providing just compensation whenever private property is needed to achieve a compelling public purpose. Economic prosperity and environmental protection must advance together. Environmental regulations should be based on science. The government’s role should be to provide market-based incentives to develop the technologies to meet environmental standards. We should ensure that environmental policy meets the needs of localities. Environmental policy should focus on achieving results processes”.
Environmental issues to watch and contact your legislators about:
Fertilizer & phosphorus runoff: The EPA has been a lightning rod for controversy, from banning pesticides to enforcing property regulations. Recent studies have shown that phosphorus runoff, largely from fertilizers, is negatively impacting Americas watersheds. What do you think? Should individuals be restricted in the amount of fertilizer they can apply and where? Should phosphorus be further restricted or even eliminated from fertilizer?
Pesticide use: Continuing disagreement will arise as more Americans try to limit chemical use on the basis of ‘The precautionary principle” and try to limit the use of legally available garden chemicals. What do you think? Do individual municipalities have the right to restrict the use of legal, but possibly harmful garden chemicals?
3. Labor & immigration: With record numbers of Americans out of work, will immigration reform be backburnered or become a primary issue in 2012? How does it affect your landscape design business? Are you concerned about illegal labor? Does illegal labor have any impact upon your projects? Will changes in labor standards, immigration amnesty or stricter enforcement affect the quality and costs of landscape projects?
Democrats: “Support comprehensive reform grounded in the principles of responsibility and accountability:Responsibility from the federal government to secure our borders: The Obama Administration has dedicated unprecedented resources to securing our borders and reducing the flow of illegal traffic in both directions.Responsibility from unscrupulous businesses that break the law: Employers who exploit undocumented workers undermine American workers, and they have to be held accountable. Responsibility from people who are living in the United States illegally: Undocumented workers who are in good standing must admit that they broke the law, pay taxes and a penalty, learn English, and get right with the law before they can get in line to earn their citizenship”.
Republicans: “Ensuring the integrity of our borders is vital to ensuring the safety of our citizens. We must know the identity of all visitors who enter the US, and we must know when they leave. We must strengthen our Border Patrol to stop illegal crossings, and we will equip the Border Patrol with the tools, technologies, structures, and sufficient force necessary to secure the border. We will seek stiff penalties for those who smuggle illegal aliens into the country and for those who sell fraudulent documents. The Republican Party supports reforming the immigration system to ensure that it is legal, safe, orderly and humane. To better ensure that immigrants enter the United States only through legal means that allow for verification of their identity, reconnaissance cameras, border patrol agents, and unmanned aerial flights have all been increased at the border. We support these efforts to enforce the law while welcoming immigrants who enter America through legal avenues. We oppose amnesty because it would have the effect of encouraging illegal immigration and would give an unfair advantage to those who have broken our laws”.
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Yes, I know that I didn’t include any discussion regarding abortion, gay rights or many of the other important issues. I also didn’t include libertarian, tea party or green party views here. In the interest of brevity, I think you might generally know that when the election comes down to the two major parties, (which it will), in which direction these parties will skew.
That said, how are you voting…and why?
Info from websites such as:
http://www.issues2000.org/Republican_Party.htm#Environment
For more on these issues and text go to: http://www.factcheck.org/.


