Page 4A – THE WAKULLA NEWS, Wednesday, December 24, 2014
www.thewakullanews.com
The Opinion Page
readers speak out
READERS WRITE:
Busybodies never rest Editor, the News:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Wakulla News.
Embrace Wakulla’s multi-lingual history Editor, H e l l o Wa k u l l a ! I lear ned the French language many years ago. Even after seven years of instruction, the culture intimidated me when I had to speak. I learned a few words of Chinese. By then I was older and no longer afraid that people would laugh at me for a grammatical faux-pas (a French expression). I learned that saying Hello in any language gets you by. A “Ni How” here or “Gruezi” there, along with a smile brought forth more smiles. Then I learned to greet people in Arabic. “Merhaba” to all and more smiles. I learned about American history and many smiles disappeared. I turned to the country’s culture: music, poetry, dance and
paintings. The smiles returned. I lear ned that an entire African American way of expressions here in Wakulla County sounded so foreign to white people that the government began an intensive English language program in 1955 for black students who had attended their segregated schools. I learned to ask myself why it would not be a sense of pride that there was a dialect spoken in Wakulla that is probably extinct at this point. I learned that along with knowing how to speak another language comes a sense of pride along with a sense of shame. I learned that people do make fun of others who express themselves with unfamiliar sounds. I grew up in Switzerland where
dialects and languages provide constant flareups about whose language is better or more proper. Then I learned that human beings need to shed their protective skin and really look at people’s faces when they try to communicate. Eyes convey so much when people talk in a language unfamiliar to our ears. Hello Wakulla! We need to look at each other and embrace our long local multi-lingual history: Muscogean languages, Spanish, Creole, African Indian, Gallic, English, French, Asian, Ger man and quite possibly Arabic and Hebrew. H a p p y N e w Ye a r Wakulla! Madeleine H. Carr Crawfordville
Take exception to Talquin’s position Editor, The News:
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I take exception to many of the “truths” Mr. Bensley claims in his letter in the Nov. 20 edition of The Wakulla News regarding Talquin Electric’s opposition to the recent EPA standards for reducing carbon pollution from our existing power plants (“Talquin is against proposed EPA rule,” Opinion Page, letter by T racy Bensely, Talquin general manager). I have studied these standards from a consumer’s perspective and as a public activist for a Clean Power Plan for Florida. I have a long association with Wakulla County via family and friends as well as business interests. I am concerned that Wakulla County gets another view of these proposed standards. Not just one that spouts the industry viewpoint that effectively says “ just leave us alone, we’re doing OK, or as good as can be done.” Wakulla and other counties served by TEC deserve better. Our community’s future depends on a better understanding. My comments in this rebuttal
follow the “truths” as Mr Bensley lays them out. The standards are not without need for adjustment. However, there is none of the limits, extreme deadlines or requirements suggested by Mr. Bensley. His assertions are not based on a careful reading of the proposed standards or the intent behind the need to reduce harmful carbon pollution. It should be noted these standards for the first time declare carbon dioxide to be a pollutant that affects personal health and the environment, and needs to be reduced. Its impact as a greenhouse gases is also a major concern. I hope you will consider publishing the rebuttal in its entirety to provide your readers more information about the alleged “truths” the power industry wants its customers to believe. Thank you and your team for the service you provide to all of us interested in the future of Wakulla County.
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The Wakulla News (USPS 664-640) is published weekly at 3119A Crawfordville Hwy., Crawfordville, FL 32327. Periodicals postage paid at P.O. Box 307, Crawfordville, FL 32326-0307. Phone: (850) 926-7102. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Wakulla News, P.O. Box 307, Crawfordville, FL 32326-0307. Editor/manager: William Snowden ....................editor@thewakullanews.net Reporter: Nicole Zema ........................................nzema@thewakullanews.net Advertising: Lynda Kinsey .................................lkinsey@thewakullanews.net Advertising/reception: Denise Folh ...................denise@thewakullanews.net Production Coordinator/IT: Eric Stanton.advertising@thewakullanews.net
• Hundreds turn out to experience Handel’s Messiah • A new beginning • City of Panacea: Third time’s a charm? • Underwater Wakulla- December 11, 2014 • Trouble with CHAT • Our words are tied to our character
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“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – C.S. Lewis. The busybody continues to thrive, even here in Wakulla County. Honestly, we all have busybody tendencies. We care about our fellow citizens. We care about our communities. We care about our health. We care about all manner of things. All this is good and healthy unless we begin to thrust our values and wishes on others. Many politicians claim to want smaller, less intrusive government and then find it is almost impossible to reduce the size of government when they are in power. After all, who receives accolades and awards for doing nothing? Who is respected for making their jobs simpler (and easier)? Politicians are rewarded by passing rules and regulations and orders and ordinances, all intended to improve our lives. Virtually all these directives begin with a local busybody who wants to make your life better. The problem is, these rules, regulations, and statutes are, or may be, enforced by the power of law. If a person does not want to live in accordance with the law as written by someone else, they will suffer from some enforcement group and lose their liberty (jail) or property (fines or property loss). The Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners is considering a new ordinance regulating the number of used tires a person can have on their property. Eight is OK, nine is not allowed. This issue was brought to the BOCC by the Code Enforcement Board (non-elected) and Keep Wakulla Beautiful (non-elected). Both organizations do good work and are to be commended. However, both organizations want to tell their neighbors how to live (for their own good and the good of their fellow citizens). Why pass this new ordinance? According to the draft ordinance, the following are the main reasons (www. mywakulla.com/December_8_2014_ Final_Agenda.pdf, Page 75). None pass the logic test. 1. Toxic Chemical and other harmful substances can leach into soils. However, the board agreed to exempt old tires used for decorative purposes (they don’t leach?). We even use old ground up tires in playgrounds (visit the playground on the St Marks Rail Trail). This must not be the real reason.
2. Waste tire present a fire hazard and when burned are hard to put out and the smoke is toxic. This is true. So why allow any used tires? Why are as many tires as you want allowed in a shed? This must be just an excuse for the ordinance. 3. Waste tires can collect water and breed mosquitoes, rodents, and other pests. However, we prohibit anyone from filling a wetland which, by definition, collects water, breeds mosquitoes, and is home to rodents and other pests. Is this inconsistent or what? 4. The presence of unenclosed waste tires represents a blight on the community. Oh, now I understand! Busybodies don’t want to look at what you have on your private property and wants the authority of the government to force you to do what they cannot. Busybodies think they have the best solution to problems and begins to lobby for the force of law to solve their problems. Few politicians can resist the lure of passing an ordinance that few would oppose despite the trampling of property rights of only a few free citizens. As Neal Boortz once observed, “A lot of people out there pay good lip service to the idea of personal freedom … right up to the point that someone tries to do something that they don’t personally approve of.” Why are personal freedoms important? Rules and ordinances attempt to control people’s actions and outcomes without regard for personal freedoms. However, unintended consequences happen, both positive and negative. The plague of rules tends to stymie freedom with no consideration of what might have happened without the rules. Free people make better decisions for themselves than any other individual or group. Free people do better when dealing with themselves because others because cannot see the future. Future inventors are not wanted in Wakulla County. As Thomas Edison said, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” I’m not an advocate of piles of junk (although I seldom throw things away). However, I am an advocate of property rights. If I don’t want to live next to a future inventor, I will move to a subdivision with a homeowner’s association. Bill Bonner said, “A man on his owns knows that he is best advised to leave his dumbbell neighbors alone. But let him join a political party (or government organization), and he fantasizes that he has the right and the power to tell everyone on the block what to do.” I encourage our Board of County Commissioners resist the temptation of eroding personal freedoms – even the freedom to do things that “everyone” agrees are not good ideas. Ed Brimner Crawfordville
CHAT has lost its way Editor, The News: My name is Lauren Casto and my mother Debbie Beard and I have been members and hard working volunteers for CHAT of Wakulla since I was 7 years old. For more than 10 YEARS, my mother and and I and many other members who care about the actual well being of the animals in this community have put in time and hard work for this organization. We have spent countless weekends at Petco trying to find animals homes. We have used OUR out of pocket money to help supply the Shelter with what they needed to keep the animals safe and happy until they were adopted. We’ve spent OUR personal time doing countless fundraisers, dog washes, flea dips, you name it, to help our COMMUNITY and their pets. There was a time when CHAT was about what it is supposed to be about, caring about the well being and humane treatment of animals. Now it’s about a bunch of catty women who can never get along. What took place on Dec. 10 at the board meeting I feel was disrespectful, uncalled for, and childish. You are all adults, who are supposed to be a
part of this organization because you all have a common goal and interest. We have spent years bending over backwards to help CHAT and reach that goal and now everyone including the “new members” are ready to throw that away because you can’t get over your selfish pride and work together. I want to know: Where these women that are all of a sudden so interested in CHAT funds and where they’re going, where have they been? I don’t recall seeing Anne Van Meter for the past couple of years at a single CHAT event, nor have I ever even heard of Suzanne Johnson. So my real question is, why do you people get the control? You’ve put in no time or effort into the sole REASON for CHAT. The only thing that seems to be a common interest between these women is arguing about who gets to be boss. This is an 18-year-old asking all of you to please stop being so oblivious and narrow minded. This organization isn’t about money. It’s about helping the helpless animals of WAKULLA County. Lauren Casto lcasto24@gmail.com
Letters to the Editor The Wakulla News welcomes your letters. It’s preferred that you email it to editor@thewakullanews.net, but you can also mail it to P.O. Box 307, Crawfordville FL 32326 or drop it off at The News office, 3119-A Crawfordville Highway. Letters are published as space becomes available and must include the author’s first and last name, mailing address and telephone number for verification purposes. One submission per person per month. Letters are edited for style, length and clarity.