As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, my sister Susan and I visited Durango, Colorado a few days ago and walked around the historic downtown area after having dinner at a local establishment called Grassburgers (whose burgers actually contain beef, and not grass, thank God). We walked down to the end of the street where the train station for the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gage Railroad is located, as seen in the photograph on the left. This 1800s era train is the town's major tourist attraction, but sadly, the government has determined that one of it's trains caused a wildfire last year that destroyed 54,000 acres of forest. The U.S. Attorney's Office has filed suit against the company to recoup over $25 million in damages. If successful, this could bankrupt the railroad and force it to shut down.
Of course, to me, this sounds like cutting off your nose to spite you face. If the U.S. Attorney's Office wins this lawsuit, it will destroy a significant part of Durango's tourist trade, since the train contributes $250 million dollars to that city's economy each year. Not to be too dramatic, but it reminds me of that quote from a Vietnam War era officer who said that "we had to destroy the village in order to save it." But what do I know? I am now retired, and a different generation is running the country. They are the ones now making these decisions, as crazy as they might be. And no, I am not at all bitter - all I ask is that they just keep those social security checks coming.
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