Last week, I was at a lecture given by Eve Samples of The Stuart News which highlighted the abysmal state of our rivers and the lagoon. Eve and her newspaper have done a great job of reporting and explaining this desecration. Her columns are very reminiscent of the columns and reporting on our rivers and lagoon done by the legendary Ernie Lyons in the same newspaper so many years ago. Then and now, the local press have certainly made us aware of the problems and some of the possible solutions.
But what have we done as residents, citizens and voters? A few of us have marched, contributed and joined organizations to stop this degradation. People such as Maggie Hurchella, Marty Baum, Donna Melzer and Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch are full time advocates and warriors in the fight. The vast majority of us have kept quiet on this subject that is so vital to our homes, economy and future. We have done nothing.
Most of us have opinions and are not shy about expressing them. We are Democrats or Republicans, Liberals or Conservatives, pro or anti everything from the blame of Benghazi to whether the Common Core is good or bad. Where do we stand on our rivers? This silence and lack of involvement by most of us has led to this despicable state. The actions of residents, politicians and businesses have caused and perpetuated the decline. We are the only ones that can stop it.
We have some great local environmental commissioners. In the audience at the Sample’s lecture were County Commissioners Ed Fielding and Sarah Heard and Stuart Mayor Troy McDonald and Stuart Commissioner Eula Clarke. Through their actions using grants and our tax dollars, both commissions have made the county and city leaders in showing the way in protecting our environment. This is not so with our state and federal office holders.
On July 31st of last year, I wrote a letter to the President regarding Lake Okeechobee and the discharges. At the end of January, I received a form letter back telling me that the President shares my concerns about the environment and that he is working hard to protect it. After 7 months, that is the best the White House can offer…the same response that would go to anyone who sends a letter with the word “environment” in the body.
Governor Scott did not even attend the Everglades conference that was held 3 doors from his residence earlier this year. It was great that the Florida Senate held hearings, but appropriations have not as yet been forthcoming to do one thing for our waterways. Our state house representatives mouth pieties but continue to vote for the same anti-environmental policies. Congressman Murphy hosted concerned citizens in Washington and had influential Democratic members such as Leader Pelosi address them, but the farm bill with its sugar quotas and subsidies was passed with their votes. Senator Nelson is with us in spirit while doing everything he can to further the interests of the very people who are the environment’s biggest polluters. Senator Rubio is too busy to be bothered with anything as pedestrian as his constituents’ concerns while running for President in 2016.
What all of our state and national politicians have in common is their abiding love of campaign contributions from the very industries that are the worst offenders. While mouthing platitudes to voters, they have not stopped taking that money. When do you think the voters will learn to put aside party labels and actually elect those people who will work for us instead of the special interests? For too long, we have allowed others to divide us along artificial lines. We need to now, as residents and citizens, vote in our interest. If the lagoon and rivers actually, die what happens to we who live in Martin County? Our homes will be worth less. Our quality of life will be dissolute. Businesses will flee along with the tourists and snow birds. That is how important this issue is to all of us whether we fish or not, boat or not, live on the water or not.
We need to become single issue voters in this respect. Our mantra should be you have one term to accomplish some measurable improvement to our environment. This issue is that important to all of us that we cannot allow our representatives to tell us one thing and then take political payoffs to ignore our interest. I have heard that you need to choose when voting the lesser of the evils. Evil is still evil and in this case it will be deadly to the ordinary everyday citizen of Martin County.