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READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! Then comment and tell me what you think im hoping to win some money with it lol. And hopefully the recognition and attention of the mayer or someone who can stop all this crud!!
What Santee Means To Me
A little girl, around the age of three crosses the threshold of a newly constructed 2-story house, holding tightly to her mother’s hand. The cold concrete floor has yet to be carpeted and the stark white walls anxiously await the touch of a colorful paintbrush. The young couple and their daughter make their way into the back yard, and the girl slowly releases her grasp and curiously explores this new world. She caresses the leaves of one of the young trees that line the stone wall and turns around to take another look at the house. For this wasn’t just any house. This was her new home.
Thirteen years later those trees have grown to tower over the lot, and the little girl is not so little anymore. I’ve grown up in Santee, and have always had the sense of a small, connected and friendly community. These attributes have become increasingly scarce, especially in cities with an ever-growing population like San Diego. Today, Santee seems to be living up to Mayor Randy Voepel’s desire to transform it into the “La Jolla” of East County. We have our share of shopping centers, restaurants, and supermarkets; and nowadays what is any growing city without a Starbucks on every corner? There has also been recent talk of a new movie theater, row housing developments, and the additional roads necessary to handle the expected increase in traffic these additions will bring. All of which are said to be conveniences to the human population of the city.
In October of 2003, the new Santee Trolley Center had its grand opening. On what had previously been 50 acres of open fields, there now sits a 450,000sq.ft. concrete jungle. Not much thought could have gone into the design of the center, as is evident by the disorganization of the lot and excessive parking. Those responsible for the continued development of Santee see construction as a moneymaker, a profitable investment for themselves and accessible entertainment for Santee’s inhabitants. However they refuse to recognize the downside to their actions, the importance of a unified community and its effect on the people, especially the youth.
Society’s attitude, its social zeitgeist, focuses everincreasingly on the individual. It seems in the rush to satisfy the “me”, the collective good of the “we” is tossedaside like so much flotsam, and in doing so, we rush to fill every open space of land with more buildings, more apartments, more strip malls, more shopping centers, more ways to convenience ourselves. And in doing so, we quite often inconvenience ourselves in ways not unexpected, but all too often ignored. The new-age mantra of “two hundred channels and nothing’s on”, never rang truer. Better still to coin a new phrase: “All dressed down, and too many places to go”.
Like the cries of a baby ignored by its parents, complaints flow from our lips without any thought or consideration for the needs or well-being of others, only to be ignored by our elected officials. To be sure, they have a vision, but one that is not exactly 20/20 to those outside their circle of thought. Why should we feel that we must conform to the standards of the rest of San Diego? Santee is unique with its open spaces, and hillsides unblemished with housing developments, and deserves to remain so. Contrary to the saying “bigger is better,” it comforts me to know that my best friend is no more than a short walk away, and on those walks, I don’t have to fear for my safety. Often I look outside my window and see a hawk perched on the branch of a huge eucalyptus tree. To know that wildlife is right outside my door, coexisting with the people that live here is an ever-present reminder of nature’s beauty. Listening to the birds at dawn and dusk is much more satisfying than the potential drone of cars and trucks. When will we realize the beauty and simplicity in what we already have? What we do today, influences that which comes tomorrow. The future is not ours alone, but the responsibility for it rests upon the shoulders of everyone alive today. I can only hope that future generations, my own included, will be able to enjoy the simple things in life. Birds chirping in the trees for example, or wide open spaces uncluttered by empty buildings garnished with “For Lease” signs. A life if you will, instead of a lifestyle. How much more are we willing to take away from our current way of life, just to add the suffix, “style” to it?
What Santee Means To Me
A little girl, around the age of three crosses the threshold of a newly constructed 2-story house, holding tightly to her mother’s hand. The cold concrete floor has yet to be carpeted and the stark white walls anxiously await the touch of a colorful paintbrush. The young couple and their daughter make their way into the back yard, and the girl slowly releases her grasp and curiously explores this new world. She caresses the leaves of one of the young trees that line the stone wall and turns around to take another look at the house. For this wasn’t just any house. This was her new home.
Thirteen years later those trees have grown to tower over the lot, and the little girl is not so little anymore. I’ve grown up in Santee, and have always had the sense of a small, connected and friendly community. These attributes have become increasingly scarce, especially in cities with an ever-growing population like San Diego. Today, Santee seems to be living up to Mayor Randy Voepel’s desire to transform it into the “La Jolla” of East County. We have our share of shopping centers, restaurants, and supermarkets; and nowadays what is any growing city without a Starbucks on every corner? There has also been recent talk of a new movie theater, row housing developments, and the additional roads necessary to handle the expected increase in traffic these additions will bring. All of which are said to be conveniences to the human population of the city.
In October of 2003, the new Santee Trolley Center had its grand opening. On what had previously been 50 acres of open fields, there now sits a 450,000sq.ft. concrete jungle. Not much thought could have gone into the design of the center, as is evident by the disorganization of the lot and excessive parking. Those responsible for the continued development of Santee see construction as a moneymaker, a profitable investment for themselves and accessible entertainment for Santee’s inhabitants. However they refuse to recognize the downside to their actions, the importance of a unified community and its effect on the people, especially the youth.
Society’s attitude, its social zeitgeist, focuses everincreasingly on the individual. It seems in the rush to satisfy the “me”, the collective good of the “we” is tossedaside like so much flotsam, and in doing so, we rush to fill every open space of land with more buildings, more apartments, more strip malls, more shopping centers, more ways to convenience ourselves. And in doing so, we quite often inconvenience ourselves in ways not unexpected, but all too often ignored. The new-age mantra of “two hundred channels and nothing’s on”, never rang truer. Better still to coin a new phrase: “All dressed down, and too many places to go”.
Like the cries of a baby ignored by its parents, complaints flow from our lips without any thought or consideration for the needs or well-being of others, only to be ignored by our elected officials. To be sure, they have a vision, but one that is not exactly 20/20 to those outside their circle of thought. Why should we feel that we must conform to the standards of the rest of San Diego? Santee is unique with its open spaces, and hillsides unblemished with housing developments, and deserves to remain so. Contrary to the saying “bigger is better,” it comforts me to know that my best friend is no more than a short walk away, and on those walks, I don’t have to fear for my safety. Often I look outside my window and see a hawk perched on the branch of a huge eucalyptus tree. To know that wildlife is right outside my door, coexisting with the people that live here is an ever-present reminder of nature’s beauty. Listening to the birds at dawn and dusk is much more satisfying than the potential drone of cars and trucks. When will we realize the beauty and simplicity in what we already have? What we do today, influences that which comes tomorrow. The future is not ours alone, but the responsibility for it rests upon the shoulders of everyone alive today. I can only hope that future generations, my own included, will be able to enjoy the simple things in life. Birds chirping in the trees for example, or wide open spaces uncluttered by empty buildings garnished with “For Lease” signs. A life if you will, instead of a lifestyle. How much more are we willing to take away from our current way of life, just to add the suffix, “style” to it?