He didn't elaborate at the time why we couldn't insist that our local groundwater board had the same kinds of rights and responsibilities as all the other ones around the region, but we should be satisfied to know that Mr. Conley knows what is best for us and our water
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Guest Column
By Susan Cook
Driftwood, Tx
County Commissioner Will Conley's conspiratorial diatribe that has been making the rounds of newspapers and online blogs this past week must have been written by someone other than Commissioner Conley. I recently heard Mr. Conley talk all about this issue and he never mentioned any of these apparently new opinions about the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District.
I attended the meeting of the Commissioner's Court just a couple of weeks back where Mr. Conley extolled the merits of having a strong and fully-funded groundwater conservation district and he made it quite clear in several respects that the only reason he felt that a resolution not granting them full Chapter 36 authority was simply a matter of trying to get a compromise bill passed by the Legislature. He was just being moderate so we could get our GCD all the authority they need to protect and preserve our local water resources.
He let us know that we just should not ask for too much from our elected officials because well, we just would not get what we asked for. He didn't elaborate at the time why we couldn't insist that our local groundwater board had the same kinds of rights and responsibilities as all the other ones around the region, but we should be satisfied to know that Mr. Conley knows what is best for us and our water.
He plum forgot to mention that this was a "government takeover!" My, my, my . . . you would think he would have remembered to mention that. Ya know?
Mr. Conley said in Commissioners Court that he recognized that we needed wise and knowledgeable people to oversee our water resources, he didn't even tell us at that time that these were "big government promoters" who want "unlimited control and power over all the citizens of the western portion of the county." I sure wish he had mentioned that.
Mr. Conley certainly made no mention at that time, in that public meeting, of his real fears about what a strong, competent and fully-funded Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District was all about, in essence "Power and Control" over every aspect of our lives here in these parched hills. Was he just trying to protect our delicate sensitivities from the real dangers of water conservation, wise-use water resource planning and scientific inquiry into how much water we have and how to make it last?
He completely left out the part about how we had to be afraid, very afraid of hydrogeologists and their real plans to "take over our lives," "run up the cost of living" (he forgot to mention just why they would want to do this, but surely they do or he would not have said such a thing, right?) and in general take away our freedoms.
He must have just forgotten about all this in that Commissioners Court meeting that day. Just must've slipped his mind. That is the only thing I can figure.
3 comments:
I can't turn the computer on lately without someone attacking the Hays County Judge or one of the Commissioners. We have really become a society full of helpless whiners, happily complaining about our woes but doing nothing about them. If the elected officials are so bad then why don't our activists, concerned citizens, and watch dogs step up and unseat them?
Perhaps it is because the most vocal citizens represent such a small percentage of real voters that they are just plain irrelevant. Could it be their twisted and extreme views are the very reason these hated officials continue to be re-elected? Maybe by taking the loud bark and no bite approach to push for political change is a subconscious way to guarantee something to blog about in the morning. The fact is, if you never really attempt to change something, then there will always be an elected official to complain about.
It is pretty obvious that a hanful of people know a better way to run the machine. Then get out and do it.
Anonymous, those are very astute observations you make, for an 'inside the box' thinker. 'Inside the box' we have "the most vocal citizens" who are "just plain irrelevant" with "twisted and extreme views."
Inside the box, we also have the truly "unethical officials and system" that keep getting re-elected and supported because we do not have a system of "reliable accountability," i.e., "no one's really looking or cares." Some politicians and special interests who understand this are taking "full advantage of the spoils."
Outside the box are the vast majority of voting citizens who are "abysmally uninformed and misinformed" of the ground level wheelings and dealings (decision making) of our elected officials.
Remember, we in Hays County have no radio stations, no tv stations with regular local government coverage. On top of that we have a longstanding and woeful shortage of ongoing, in-depth, investigative and analytical reporting from the scantily staffed few newspapers we do have. They're great at stenography, but way short on sustained analytical reporting. Many of our politicians have gotten so used to a "lapdog press" that they chaff at reporters' questions that go "off script."
Anonymous, you seem to want to have it both ways: activists who want to raise awareness are toothless, ineffective whiners; therefore they should put up or shut up, or just be happy that they and the citizens at large are regularly being taken to the cleaners. Who cares?
I say let's expose the corruption, the influence peddling and the power and control freaks in any and all ways possible. Let's put some sunshine in this box.
Perhaps those "inside the box" thinkers such as yourself should try "meditating and breathing" on a more enlightened path for us all. We could sure use it.
The truth is that truly worthy citizens cannot run for office unless we can afford to do so. It all comes down to the bottom line...money! Some of us have standards that would preclude us from accepting campaign donations from developers, real estate brokerages and any other entity that would shell out the bucks in return for favors. Some of us have been working tirelessly on issues that negatively impact the entire county. I am here to tell you that eventually the "whiners" in the trenches do make a difference. It takes perseverance and absolute blind faith. And strength in the knowledge that ethical and moral principles will eventually bring the changes to our community we so desperately need. This "helpless whiner" will be testifying before the Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday morning regarding Representative Roses Bill #3366. Pennslyvania private water profiteers beware!(p.s. I have been "whining" for over two years to every elected official: local, county, state and federal and I intend to keep going until private water profiteers are no longer allowed to abuse consumers and our resources)Water is not a luxury item and definitely a precious resource we must protect!
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