Smelly air keeps homes affordable — Chuck Friedrichs

I grew up in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin during the 1960s and ’70s. That area between Green Bay and Oshkosh was home to lots of paper mills, most of which were surrounded by neighborhoods where workers could conveniently live close to work.

But mills make noise and smell. Subsequently, homes nearby were cheaper. The same was true living near one of the spider webs of rail lines and highways that served the heavily industrialized area. It was no secret why. The air was smelly, the yard was noisy and the neighborhoods were more condensed. But it also provided a way for people with less income to buy into a starter home, and hopefully eventually move up and out.

I had to chuckle reading the recent State Journal article revealing that the city was using a big federal grant to provide a real-time information system about air pollution at the neighborhood level. What makes the program unnecessary is that the air quality in Madison is much cleaner now than before.

This huge grant could be an example of why many people get upset about wasteful government spending, which we all pay for in one way or another. Interesting, did the smells from Oscar Mayer and Gardner Bakery really bother anybody anyway?

Chuck Friedrichs, Madison