10th Anniversary Post: Paying Attention to the Suburban Development Behind the Curtain

(Google Maps screenshot)(9/5/2026) Ten years ago, we in the United States were engaged in a presidential election campaign that would bring us the first of two presidential terms for Donald Trump. That was not the outcome I anticipated back in September 2016, but I certainly noticed the surly tone of American politics. The presidential debates occurred against the backdrop of rising Cedar River levels.The grass-roots efforts by hundreds of Cedar Rapidians this past weekend to protect their fellow citizens' homes and businesses speak to the best potential of our common life. The candidates just don't. Clinton is no visionary, and has a fondness for national programs that will at best nibble at the edges of problems, though the few moments in the debate where the public had a chance to be illuminated were hers.... Trump, whose campaign has been a toxic stew of racial innuendo, vacuous comments, and personal insults, has nothing to recommend himself to anyone who cares about our common…