Goldwater's predictions for 2012

[Ptah]

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/021412_goldwater_centennial/goldwaters-predictions-2012/

<snip>

Goldwater refers to Arizona as "heaven on earth" and writes, "A desert rain, just passed,
accentuated the pungency of the greasewood and I stopped my walk with the dreadful first
decision that the man of 2012 would not be able to walk from his doorstep into this pastel
paradise with its saguaro, the mesquite, the leap of a jackrabbit, the cholla or the smell of
freshly wet greasewood, because people will have transgressed on the desert for homesites
to accommodate a population of slightly over 10 million people."

He was on the right track there, but Goldwater, as would be expected, had both hits and misses.
He correctly predicted that by 2012 Phoenix would be either the fourth- or sixth-largest city in the
United States — it's the sixth — but expected a population of 3 million (it's about 1.5 million).
He also accurately envisioned Valley cities growing and merging into "a city complex not unlike
the present city of Los Angeles." On the other hand, he expected Arizona to be obtaining water
from the ocean, to have an economy based on manufacturing and to be without Indian reservations —
as Native Americans became individual property owners.

Perhaps most interesting, though, were Mr. Conservative's expectations for the relationship between Arizonans and Mexicans:

Our ties with Mexico will be much more firmly established in 2012 because sometime within the next 50 years
the Mexican border will become as the Canadian border, a free one, with the formalities and red tape of ingress
and egress cut to a minimum so that the residents of both countries can travel back and forth across the
line as if it were not there.

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Nice short article.

Enjoy.

Happy 100

[Cowboy8541]

1. Goldwater

actually softened some of his positions on social issues later in his life, and even predicted the extreme right turn of the republican party. (ironic) I think it was around the time of his retirement in 1986 that he said the time would come when he would be considered too liberal for the party. (paraphrasing). Overall, I think he was as close to an honest politician as we've ever had. Just my opinion : )

[southernyankeebelle]

2. He turned out to be right. But back then he was scary thought for a president. Yes as many

realize as we get older that the live let live attitude is the way to go. At least for liberals.

[Cowboy8541]

3. He was a man of principle

and, I believe, a giant among his peers. I can only imagine what he would think about the current crop of GOP'rs.
Probably wouldn't be too happy

[southernyankeebelle]

4. Well he did worry about the religious nut jobs taking over the party. He was right about

that. I found respect for the man when he stuck up for his gay grandson. That told me alot about the man. If he could change then others could. How sad that many leaders in the party disguard their children because politics is more important to them.

[Cowboy8541]

5. Couldn't agree more