SENT TO MARTIN COUNTY COMMISSION ON OCT 29TH 2013

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Dear Commissioner:

I am writing today regarding three issues on your November 5th agenda. The first is the Business Development Board Contract. Regardless of your political and philosophical temperament, you are stuck trying to make the terrible better. The previous commission or any commission should never be able to enter into a contract of such a long duration. In this case not only is it for an eternity but the lopsidedness of the contract’s terms makes it seem more a “sweet heart” deal than a benefit to the county. It is a perfect reason why there is so much distrust of government by citizens.

In a perfect world the government should not be a party to this at all.  But the county is stuck between negotiation and a lawsuit which is perhaps winnable perhaps not but certainly expensive and time consuming.  Your goals should be to negotiate the shortest term possible for the smallest amount while holding them to measurable standards easily quantifiable. Going forward if this organization means so much to the business community of the county then they should pay for it. The government’s responsibility to business and to all citizens is to have in place easy to understand rules, quick permit and license application processes and ideally an ombudsman to assist the business in opening and expanding in the county. Digital Domain showed us what happens when government tries to insert itself into the market.

The second matter is the customs facility. Once again the so called interests of free market capitalism want the local government to provide a subsidy for their businesses. The very idea that once the federal facility is opened that our local government will control the operation or be able to limit or close the facility is probably a dream. The federal government will ultimately dictate to Martin County what will be allowable or not. The commission’s obligation will be to figure out how to pay for it. Just like the runway extension, once you involve Washington, local control is gone except for funding.

Some will say that this should be provided by the county because businesses will relocate or expand, or it is a governmental function like parks or schools and anyway once built increased fees from airport users will pay for the facility. This is all based on fantasy numbers and rosy scenarios. Parks and schools are not for the few or well-connected but for everyone. Those are legitimate functions of local government. Immigration and Customs are clearly federal functions and if there was a need at Witham Field the proper place to lobby for them would be in Washington.

My last point is the Seven50 Plan. As a planning tool it may be good and the locality can opt in or out of it in part or in its entirety. I don’t believe it is an insidious plot by the UN to gain control of the good old U.S. of A. After reading some of it and after speaking to someone on the executive committee, I do believe that the federal government will begin using the recommendations contained therein in awarding grants to the localities. Much of what is contained in the proposed plan such as density requirements would be in direct conflict with my beliefs and those of the commission majority. Much needs to be explored before continuing with the relationship.

How you look at these three issues is determined by your governing and governmental philosophy. If one consistently applies the principles of the free market, local control and smart growth then you should agree with my positions on the above.  I do not know whether any of you read your e-mail or not but this is one citizen’s way of expressing his opinions without taking time from your already over packed commission meeting schedule to do so.

Rivers Coalition Meeting

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I was at the Rivers Coalition meeting in Stuart last night. I learned a few things that I did not know. I was very heartened to see that the turnout had filled the chamber. It is important that we keep the pressure on our elected state and federal representatives. But I can’t help but feel that they are paying lip service to the cause. Not one official above the county level has done more than talk about the plight of our waters.

While they introduce bills, have ideas and blame the other guy for the problem; so far the only boat they have rocked is ours. Mr. Judah from Lee County in his presentation stated that to complete the flow way south we would only need 7% of the Agricultural District. That to me shows that this is quite doable except for an unwillingness of our elected officials to confront Big Business and Big Agriculture. They are afraid of losing the money they are paid to continue talking, studying and meeting to keep us quiet and hopeful.

It is a sickness that pervades our political establishment becoming worse as you get closer to Washington. The powerful use government given subsidies, tax breaks, quotas and insurance (ultimately borrowed from abroad or paid by us) to keep the gravy train flowing unimpeded while “contributing” to the very people who are supposed to look after the people’s interest. That is one reason why to most of the world we look like a failed state and not the supposed great one that many of us continue to think we are. Actions, perceptions and results are what matter not bluster, talk and rhetoric.

This has led me to the conclusion that the only way we can save our waterways is to insist that Washington do away with all agricultural subsidies and supports. We consider ourselves a free market economy and a get the government out of the way society. The “Bigs” continue to spout that official line but fill their pockets with government provided welfare and they will fight to the death if those perks are challenged. Maybe by championing the end to those subsidies, etc. we can keep a few more tax dollars in our pockets and save our waterways.

 

SLAPP SUIT

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When did it become acceptable to be sued for expressing an opinion? Was there a suspension of the 1st Amendment when it came to petitioning your elected representatives? Or has the state of Florida been so corrupted by corporate interests that the average citizen must be in fear of reprisal by speaking his mind on matters before governmental bodies? Are the interests of the big and moneyed that afraid of someone like Maggie Hurchella that they need the ridiculousness of a SLAPP suit to silence her.

 

The state of Florida supposedly prides itself on “Open Government.”  Somehow, the very idea of silencing an individual for petitioning and addressing her government if she disagrees with those powerful interests seems ludicrous.  Do we have “Open Government” for everyone but the individual? The use of the courts as a vehicle to stop legitimate petitioning of one’s government is tyrannical in purpose. It is a corruption of due process that should send waves of disgust through every American.

 

For too long, both the legislative and executive branches of government on the state and federal level have divided the American people using faulty syllogisms and logic to ferment artificial divides. While at the same time they have eroded our liberties as individual citizens in order to protect the entrenched powers. This is all shown to be true in the farcical SLAPP suit.

 

Is someone like Ms. Hurchalla, whether through writing or by speaking at public meetings, so menacing to companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars that she should be silenced by the courts? Has Florida become a state resembling those depicted in the works of Koestler and Kafka? Does uttering opinion and sharing one’s beliefs with their government, to be equated when directed against the interest of the powerful, as so dangerous as to be treated as a wrongful act?

 

Even if one were to presume that someone such as Maggie Hurchalla was mistaken in everything she said or wrote to her government, are her words so powerful that she should be sued for her opinion?  Is the price one pays for a political disagreement thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees? This is judicial intimidation of the worse sort by instilling fear and to prevent invoking one’s first amendment rights. Slander and libel are not in question, but free speech is in our state. There is no place for this type of judicial travesty.

Let Me See If I Have This Right…..

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Let me see if I have this right. Our federal government has been shut down for the past 10 days. But members of Congress and the Senate are being paid, the courts are functioning and the White House hasn’t forced the President to look elsewhere for lodging. Some departments have essential personnel working but they could be paid now or in the future depending on the budget of the particular department or agency. While it may be tough for federal employees right now who have been furloughed, both Democrats and Republicans of both houses and Mr. Obama have said they will be paid for not working when this is all cleared up.

The shutdown is occurring, Republicans say, so that dreaded “Obama Care” will be repealed but the funding is in place to enact it. The President claims he won’t sit down and negotiate with a gun to his head equating the Speaker of the House (or as he is known at the White House as Big Bad John) to a terrorist.

We need to not raise the debt ceiling because….well it doesn’t really matter say the Republicans or the world will come apart states the Democrats. Some Republicans claim we can always pay interest on the debt but are a little fuzzy on how we pay for other things such as those federal employees they promised the back pay to for not working. The Democrats claim the debt borrowing limit must be raised to pay for everything already appropriated because either party hasn’t the ability to live within a budget. OH RIGHT! There hasn’t been an enacted U.S. budget since before Obama was president.

So the way I see this, the average person employed in the private sector continues to send taxes to D.C. to pay for a President and a Congress that closes things refusing to do their jobs and for those in “public service” who are not currently working but will eventually be paid for not working. (By the way, the average government employee now makes more than the average private one, but we still call it public service.) We, the people, in turn can’t visit parks and monuments. We can’t contact federal agencies on the phone or visit closed offices. Even the loved ones of those killed in battle can’t get the benefits needed for a burial.

I don’t really care what the crazies on either side want.  The vast majority of the American people want a functioning government. If you can’t come together and compromise, the only way we can move forward is to vote every incumbent out of office. It doesn’t matter if we agree with their political philosophies or not. The nation cannot continue on this path. I am sick of Washington politicians acting as if they are in kindergarten. Obama and all the rest of both parties need to grow up and act like adults. Anyone who has ever operated in the real world, as opposed to the political one, knows you don’t get everything you want. Those fools need to recognize that truth. They are sent to Washington to govern not raise money for their campaigns or get ready for the next election.

A River Runs Through Our Lives

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A river runs through our lives. From the time of our beginning to end, the flow of water is omnipresent. Our personal timelines are etched with watery guideposts. Some of my earliest memories are of Rockaway Beach in New York. The rolling waves refreshing on a hot city summer day. When I was young, my father would take us to the row boats in Central Park. It was an adventure of a lifetime to a 5 year old.

As a boy scout at summer camp, I remember swimming in the cold water of a mountain lake in up-state New York. That summer, our troop built a bridge of lashed timber across a stream. As we waded in the murky water, leeches would attach to our legs later to be removed with extinguished match heads that evening. One hot summer day while in high school I persuaded a few friends to go swimming in a pond ignoring the snapping turtle signs until it was too late.

When my children were small we had a “farm” on the East Branch of the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania -New York border. It was remote and we had no neighbors. I would stand down river with my lower half in the freezing water while my upper body was burned by the summer sun. The kids would body surf the current for me to catch them.  The old farm house was perched high above the river and we would sit on the porch just gazing transfixed as the river flowed past.

My mother-in-law had lived in Stuart for over thirty years before she died. For most of that time, she had a condo that overlooked the Saint Lucie. When we would come to visit, I would sit on her balcony and we would talk, all the while mesmerized by the river’s flow. As she aged and my wife needed to spend more time here, we bought the apartment next door to her. Our balcony also overlooked the river. When she passed, it was her wish that her ashes be placed in the river.

A dozen years ago we traded in our apartment and bought a house on the river and over time built a new house on the same spot. Then when the new house was nearing completion, we decided to move full time to Stuart and the river. Every day whether from our back porch or kitchen or bedroom we can see the Saint Lucie.

There are no dolphins now and there are fewer birds, probably because the fish aren’t there. The river still flows but more silent than before. It is still a beautiful and majestic sight. One can gaze at the magnificence of the flowing river for hours. It is calming and soothing in a cacophonous world. But the river is dying just as the estuary that it flows into is. We know why and how and what must be done to prevent this death, but seem powerless to do so.

A river runs through our lives. From beginning to end, it meanders at times and surges forth at others. The beauty and the power of the water have an ability to transform our very nature. The river needs little from man except to be left alone. As we have done with so much of nature, we are incapable of keeping God’s work untouched.

We Are All Americans!

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I didn’t vote for President Obama either time. I didn’t think he would be a very good president. In my estimation I was right. After the elections in 2008 and 2012, my view was in the minority. But, Barak Obama is my president as well as every other American’s president. Because I disagree with him politically, it does not mean he is a demon or a monster or someone trying to ruin our nation. My fellow Americans, who continue to spew hatred of him, are being un-American.

When did it become so fashionable, so acceptable and so respectable to demonize the other side when we disagree on issues? Where is the civility that we should all demand in order to have a free and open society? We may not agree on a policy or policies, but does that mean we should hate and despise someone who holds differing beliefs? Our tendency to abhor another person because of a differing opinion is counter-productive to an open society.

I believe several things have happened to us in the past few years that make it easier and more acceptable to voice disdain for ideas with which we do not agree.  As more and more of us rely on our news and information from cable stations, online news, and websites, we listen and read to only those outlets that agree with our formed opinions.  No need to bother with differing viewpoints when we can have our own pre-conceived notions ratified in the world of talking heads. The proliferations of new sources have also hastened the political specialization of those sources. This is the same whether you are liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, black or white.

We choose friends that tend to believe the same as we and live in neighborhoods with people who are much like us, and associate with organizations and (sometimes religions) that narrowly define what it means to be a member. The more affluent we are, the easier it is to spin a cocoon against the outside world with all its differences.

But difference is what made the United States great. New people, ideas and cultures have constantly bombarded our shores since Native Americans allowed the illegal immigrants from Europe to land more than five hundred years ago. Proportionately, the largest bilingual school program was for the German children of New York and Philadelphia in the 19th century. How many of us grew up Catholic and could define ourselves and others from the parish attended? Eventually, most of us ventured from those parochial environments into which we were born out to the greater world.

We all are prejudice to some degree. We fear that which is unknown. That is why we retreat to the safety of those who are like minded. In the past, it was harder to retreat because daily life required so much more interaction with different races, religions and ethnicities. Many of us now live in a one dimensional community untouched by difference. Our state legislature then draw up districts comprised of as many politically likeminded folks as possible in order to create a one-dimensional district. These communities and political districts are not socially or politically sustainable over time.

For as long as these make-believe communities and districts exist, state representatives and congressmen are free to ignore the minority viewpoint in their districts. This insularity of ideas, thoughts and people result in a staleness that begins to rot the core of American ideals. Since you now confront opposing ideas not directly while speaking to someone sitting next to you but through the internet, the constraints brought by good manners no longer apply. If there were more face-to-face encounters the venomous level of what passes for discourse would greatly improve.

Throughout American history, we have had those who hated and despised those who are different from themselves. Perhaps I was fortunate to live most of my life In New York where everyone was from somewhere else. Some days, from the time I left my home in the morning until I returned at night, I spoke to no one who was native born. I was the minority, the “foreigner”, the one who could not communicate in the lingua franca of the moment. I could not speak fluent enough Spanish or speak at all in Creole, Greek, Polish, Hindi or Pashtun. While I may have complained, at the same time I reveled in the fact that all these different cultures and people had come here just as my ancestors had to have a better life.

We, the children and grandchildren of immigrants feel as if “they” will overwhelm good old America with their foreignness. I know that is not true, they will only enhance our society like my forebears and yours. I have always said it takes one generation to be an American. How many of us have had the experience of seeing someone named Chin or Patel and expecting that person to speak English with a heavy accent. It turns out they have the same accent as I do, because they were born in America. I am sure our ancestors were greeted with the same stereotypical reaction.

Demonization of differences is an old American custom. From politics to religion to language to culture the “natives born” have always hated the newer immigrant. That is why a small subsection of the American electorate has such hatred for Obama. (I think he is a terrible leader and president.) Instead of giving a reasoned argument to his failures they lash out calling him a Muslim, as if that is an invective instead of a religion, and much worse. That approach does not win arguments because it is based on fear and non-articulation of cogent reasoning.

If one wants to have a serious discussion of our political or social differences, it is necessary to have respect for the other person as a fellow human being. Without rules of civility to guide us we descend into warring tribes and factions that are far from the founders’ ideas and aspirations. Name calling and shouting will not sway an opponent. A civil or social policy must derive from beliefs that are unclouded by prejudices either real or imagined. But the first thing we need to do is accept our differences and embrace others with whom we may have differences as fellow Americans.

Intergovernmental Cooperation

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Martin County and the City of Stuart are two governmental entities that should be working together to further the interests of every citizen. The needs of both are intertwined in so many ways that it demands they develop policies in concert that are beneficial to both. From economic development to ecological conservation to land use, a coordinated effort would increase results.

Working in concert doesn’t just mean the occasional joint meeting. There should be task forces headed by a commissioner from each commission that meets to determine coordinated policy. The task forces should also include staff and citizen representatives. The commissioners would then report back to their respective bodies for feedback and eventual enactment of policies.

This would require both entities not to just preach coordination but to actually practice it. Staff alone, even under the best of circumstances, can only advise those elected by the voters. The commissioners themselves need to be involved to make this work. Reliance on staff for technical or administrative tasks is necessary. But the business of governing is more than just issuing proclamations and passing staff recommendations.

For what happens in Stuart does affect all residents of the county to some degree as does what happens in the county affect Stuart residents. No one lives in isolation and is impervious to consequences across governmental boundary lines. We, as citizens, have chosen to live in different parts of Martin County for various reasons. I live close to downtown Stuart because I like the amenities that affords. Someone else lives in rural Hobe Sound or Palm City or Jensen Beach because of their particular preferences. That doesn’t mean we do not have an interest for the well-being of all of Martin County.

Fund the Central Everglades Plan Project NOW!

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Why is it so difficult for our government to do the right thing? Our politicians and agencies inundate us with meetings and deadlines and acronyms to convince us that progress is being made. Yes, we all should attend those meetings, but most of us have jobs or small businesses, kids and parents that we must attended to first. It is not that we don’t care, we do care desperately. How many meetings and rallies are enough before action is taken? We are not lobbyists or lawyers who show up at every one of these “dog and pony” shows. We are not paid by those looking to keep the status quo.

We are looking to our government to protect the people’s interest over those who would further denigrate our environment for one more dollar earned in greed. It is now time to stop meeting and having arbitrary deadlines and creating one more program that will be known by one more acronym. Our government now needs to enact relief for our sickened environment. Instead of spending money on bombing Syria or Iran, how about we fund the restoration of our Everglades. We need the Central Everglades Plan Project funded now.

Business Development Board

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I know some in our community may think the county commission is moving too slowly, I just want to thank them for proceeding in the right direction. Not all problems can be solved in a year or even two. To resolve most problems of any magnitude will and does take time. Time to formulate ideas, time to turn those ideas into policies, time to forge consensus between commission members, time for staff recommendations, time needed because of legal or procedural rules and time to make sure the majority of citizens want that particular policy.

Nothing bears this out more than the re-negotiation of the Business Development Board contract. Clearly 4 out of 5 commissioners want that to happen. But again the element of time is an important part of that negotiation. While I would like nothing more than to see that contract abrogated, I know that is not currently possible without the county becoming embroiled in costly litigation. After forty years making my living in New York commercial real estate, I know that litigation produces only attorneys as winners.

The ultimate goal for the county should be to end all participation with the BDB. Any outreach by government to the business community should be handled by county staff.  I believe a better method of serving the needs of new and existing businesses within the county would be to have an ombudsman’s office to help with permitting, licensing, etc. Business people want and should expect certainty when dealing with the government. The rules and procedures should be the same for all; and not onerous, arbitrary or capricious.

The county should never be in this predicament as a signatory to such a long term contract. It should be forbidden for any commission to negotiate more than a three-year term with any entity including options and extensions (certain real estate leases and some other categories could be exceptions). To commit the county for a longer period ties the hands of future commissions and can frustrate the will of the citizens. As we know circumstances, finances and goals change with time.

Saving Our Waterways

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The problems facing Martin County, the Treasure Coast and indeed South Florida are more than just the Indian River Lagoon and Everglades restoration. Progress on correcting the Indian River Lagoon’s problems is proceeding at a glacial pace. The public has finally succeeded in having the government at least pay lip service to the implementation of the actions needed. The only way to continue making progress is to put pressure on every elected and appointed public official.

The voters should not become fixated on thinking there is only one bad guy, such as Big Sugar, that is impeding the health of our waterways. From pesticides to septic systems to increased development in our area and the entire state, each of us contributes to the degradation of our environment. We need to not think of just one solution but rather a number of solutions to solve this one problem. The state will never be able to marshal the will and the resources necessary to tackle problems without a realization of what we can accomplish individually and collectively through government.

Most environmental regulations will not lead to socialism. Just look to the Saint Lucie to see why such regulation should not only be on the books but should be enforced impartially with no one being exempted. Sure there are many examples of out-of-control bureaucrats persecuting an individual or small business owner with an overzealous interpretation of a regulation. In order not to have selective persecution, we need to insist on universal enforcement without special treatment for anyone.

Large agricultural interests, real estate developers and others have succeeded through political contributions and lobbying efforts in receiving special treatment while the average citizen must obey all laws and regulations.  Anytime those interests are threatened, “Big Business” proclaims (through their spokespeople) that the nation is becoming socialistic. Immediately Big Business’s political and media minions take up the cry in order to preserve their privileged position.

What we have allowed to occur in this state and nationally is not the preservation of capitalism but the introduction of cronyism. Capitalism does not mean that there is no regulation but that regulation insures the protection of all members of society. The administration of regulations and laws are equally applied to all the participants. In order for markets to work under capitalism, the rules must be the same for all.

A good example of different rules for different people is what is happening to the Indian River Lagoon.  I live on the Saint Lucie, and if I allowed untreated water to flow into the river, I would be in jail. Yet the Army Corps is allowing billions and billions of gallons of water to go into the river every day. There are numerous excuses, but the reasons come down to the protection of agricultural interests under the guise of making sure that the lake doesn’t overflow its banks. Florida and the nation can no longer afford either industry or development that wreaks ecological disaster on our environment.