¶ … Judgment

The case of the cement plant in Lake Springs shows that when a person or people use poor judgment, they must understand that they alone are responsible for the consequences. In this situation, the developers and civic authorities moved into the area with full understanding of the cement plant and its operations. They subsequently demanded that the cement plant accommodate their needs. They expect the cement plant to contribute to their community when they have only made accommodation to the cement plant after being subject to legal proceedings.

As this case demonstrates, if judgment is poor initially, then the consequences could flow for years. Better judgment in the first place would have allowed for better cooperation between the city and the cement plant. Instead, the city went for the cash grab by allowing residential development in the area. Homeowners, too cheap or lazy to purchase elsewhere, have decided that they are more important than the plant that preceded them. These sorts of attitudes guided these people to show poor judgment and to simply expect the plant to bend to their needs. This showed a poor understanding of reality on their part. That the council attempted to deny the permit to the plant without having legal grounds shows that these decision makers had poor judgment. They did not take the time to properly learn about the situation, to learn about their legal position or to understand that is it their role as newcomers to fit into the existing community as opposed to the other way around.

Good judgment comes from proper understanding of history and one's legal position. To achieve the best results from good judgment, people must avoid placing themselves in awkward positions in the hopes that problems will simply resolve themselves later. Good judgment must be shown from the earliest decision, or the entire situation could be beyond resolution from the start.