Dutch madness: billion euros for cows and grass - Page 2

Shabbaman · 27-05-2006, 12:48

So true.

Pastorius · 27-05-2006, 13:42

Totally agree with Grandpa Stapel here

romeothemonk · 27-05-2006, 17:03

Shabba, I can't believe that you are upset over 2 billion Euro's spent on nothing. We in the U.S. routinely lose that much in rounding errors.
As a guy that grew up around farms, and is now dabbling in the construction business, I can tell you that it is a really "good" idea from a long term standpoint. Most of the lots that people develop belong to some 65 year old farmer who is broke and whose wife gets cancer. He gets offered 2 million bucks for 200 acres, and boom, 300 new houses go up. Just preventing the erosion of the good land requires money to keep the developers out. Now, I am not sure that I would be an evil developer, as I am looking at 1 lot in an old grazing range in the Black Hills, but I can pay $71k for a 3.1 acre lot in the hills, or pay $60k for a 0.25 acre lot downtown with a house on it that I have to tear down and remove at another $18k.
The economics of preservation are important, and it is good to see that we aren't the only one's who try and fix stuff just by throwing money at it.

Shabbaman · 27-05-2006, 17:15

Ah...

Well, here in the Netherlands, 2 billion is actually a lot of money. A whole lot (you know, I actually work at the Ministry of Agriculture that is involved here, and the total annual budget is 1.5 billion euros).
I understand your economic insight, but the point is that that doesn't really apply here. The farmers could sell their land, but that still doesn't give someone the right to build houses on it. I can't even imagine on what they actually could spend that money on... The bigger issue is that preservation is indeed of importance, however, in my very humble opinion there's nothing except cows to preserve. That vision might have something to do with me coming from a different part of the country, where cows are in abundance...

Beam · 28-05-2006, 01:27

2 billion available from the green heart, another 2,7 billion from the canceled / much disputed Zuiderzeelijn. That's a whopping 4,7 billion available! The government could easily get a good deal with Firaxis and give every citizen a free Civ copy and with the cash Firaxis can develop an even better release.

Politics made agriculture in Holland a problem and turned it down on the farmers having to spend more time now keeping the bureaucracy happy instead of doing what they are best at: farming. (And animal husbandary if you're a Civ addict

)

Shabbaman · 22-03-2007, 22:55

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/...t_in_schatkist

27-05-2006, 12:48	#11
Shabbaman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Costa La Haya Posts: 8,494	So true. __________________ "Our spam is backed with COMETS!"

27-05-2006, 13:42	#12
Pastorius Custard used tile Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Opening a can Posts: 3,158	Totally agree with Grandpa Stapel here __________________

27-05-2006, 17:03	#13
romeothemonk King Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Yankton, SD. Posts: 1,310	Shabba, I can't believe that you are upset over 2 billion Euro's spent on nothing. We in the U.S. routinely lose that much in rounding errors. As a guy that grew up around farms, and is now dabbling in the construction business, I can tell you that it is a really "good" idea from a long term standpoint. Most of the lots that people develop belong to some 65 year old farmer who is broke and whose wife gets cancer. He gets offered 2 million bucks for 200 acres, and boom, 300 new houses go up. Just preventing the erosion of the good land requires money to keep the developers out. Now, I am not sure that I would be an evil developer, as I am looking at 1 lot in an old grazing range in the Black Hills, but I can pay $71k for a 3.1 acre lot in the hills, or pay $60k for a 0.25 acre lot downtown with a house on it that I have to tear down and remove at another $18k. The economics of preservation are important, and it is good to see that we aren't the only one's who try and fix stuff just by throwing money at it. __________________ I am not crazy cause I take the right pills..................................... Everyday

27-05-2006, 17:15	#14
Shabbaman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Costa La Haya Posts: 8,494	Ah... Well, here in the Netherlands, 2 billion is actually a lot of money. A whole lot (you know, I actually work at the Ministry of Agriculture that is involved here, and the total annual budget is 1.5 billion euros). I understand your economic insight, but the point is that that doesn't really apply here. The farmers could sell their land, but that still doesn't give someone the right to build houses on it. I can't even imagine on what they actually could spend that money on... The bigger issue is that preservation is indeed of importance, however, in my very humble opinion there's nothing except cows to preserve. That vision might have something to do with me coming from a different part of the country, where cows are in abundance... __________________ "Our spam is backed with COMETS!"

28-05-2006, 01:27	#15
Beam c00l b33r Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Beat 'm up Scotty!. Lives in the Lands that are Nether. Posts: 5,094	2 billion available from the green heart, another 2,7 billion from the canceled / much disputed Zuiderzeelijn. That's a whopping 4,7 billion available! The government could easily get a good deal with Firaxis and give every citizen a free Civ copy and with the cash Firaxis can develop an even better release. Politics made agriculture in Holland a problem and turned it down on the farmers having to spend more time now keeping the bureaucracy happy instead of doing what they are best at: farming. (And animal husbandary if you're a Civ addict ) __________________ That was a pretty good gamble. -- Scotty, The Galileo Seven, stardate 2821.5, Episode 14 Linux never looked this good!

22-03-2007, 22:55	#16
Shabbaman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Costa La Haya Posts: 8,494	http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/...t_in_schatkist __________________ "Our spam is backed with COMETS!"