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.