Report for September 30, 2010
CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF THE NEW KINGS: THE BUREAUCRATS
235 years after the Declaration of Independence, we are once again
at the mercy of those who
“impose taxes on us without our consent,” and those who send out
“swarms of officers to harass
our people, and eat out their substance.”
Only this time, it’s not King George issuing orders and
trampling on the rights of people, it’s the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), Florida’s Department of Environmental
Protection (FDEP), and the Dept. of Health (DOH), Bureau of On-site
Sewage causing the residents of Florida such distress.
Make no mistake, EVERY Florida resident, not just those on septic
systems will pay dearly for the harsh and unnecessary rules the
federal and state bureaucrats are pushing.
Unelected, unaccountable career bureaucrats, living off the
taxpayer dollar, are defying the directives and objections of our elected officials.
They are enacting rules that will cost the residents of
Florida billions of dollars they don’t have and tens of thousands of
jobs.
The same Dept. of Health bureaucrats that issued the permit to
install your septic system are ignoring the recommendations of the
TRAP (Technical Review and Advisory Panel) committee to delay
implementation of SB 550 rule-making.
They continue to push forward.
Ignoring even our legislators’ objections, they push forward,
determined to make you dig it up a legal, functioning system so it
meets new rules, and threatening fines for non-compliance that could
be as high as $500 a day.
The same Dept. of Environmental Protection that issued storm water
and sewer permits to cities, counties and developers is now blaming
them for polluting our rivers and oceans.
The federal EPA has issued nutrient rules that are without
scientific basis, and set those nutrient standards as if there were
no people living here.
Good job, bureaucrats!
When you are all done with rule-making, there won’t be people who
will live, work or pay taxes in Florida.
The question is:
Where are the rules to protect us?
30 days from now, you will be voting.
There are legislators and candidates that are every bit as
frustrated as we are with the arrogant bureaucrats who have seized
control of our lives and our finances.
There are also legislators and candidates who either don’t
understand the issue or don’t care.
There is not a candidate in this state who can promise
economic growth and new jobs as long as the power of the bureaucrats
remains un-checked.
So far, only Pam Bondi, candidate for Attorney General, and Marco
Rubio, U.S. Senate candidate have made public statements objecting
to the EPA’s nutrient rules and the state’s Dept. of Health rules.
Gov. Crist’s position supporting implementation of these
rules was published last week.
We have issued invitations to candidates to submit position
statements and hope they will respond.
We will publish them as we receive them.
In the meantime, make sure your vote goes to those who can commit to
defending our rights, and limiting the power of bureaucrats who
would be kings and “eat out our substance.”
Make your voice and your
vote count.
PLEASE REFERENCE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
http://lemieux.senate.gov/public/?p=NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=a99a578c-ced3-4cb9-ba77-2fb5b3475e40
Additional links to a congressional delegation letter signed by 20
Florida Congressional legislators, and a “MY WORD” opinion letter
from Senator LeMieux are
available through this link.
MORE LINKS.
Read about sewer rates skyrocketing in Jacksonville as a
result of the EPA’s Numeric Nutrient Criteria (NNC)
http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/othercities/jacksonville/stories/2010/09/27/story3.html
EPA responds to Senator Nelson’s request to delay EPA mandates:
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2010/09/27/daily30.html?ana=e_du_pub
If there is any doubt in your mind about the
truth of what we are saying, read this.
Very disturbing statistics about what the US EPA nutrient
regulations will do to Florida’s struggling economy. From the
Associated Industries of Florida, Inc.
http://aif.com/special_notice/2010/WaterHandoutforPrint%208-17-10.pdf
Summarized from the Orlando Sentinel 9/29/2010:
“Numbers
reflect misery: even more in Dire Straits”
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13.4% - Poverty level in Metro Orlando (Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole Counties
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YOUR SLUDGE REPORT EDITOR’S OPINION:
Is this really the time for the Dept. of Health to implement
the septic system rules?
Many of these families live in homes served by septic
systems. Many of them
rent. These septic
evaluation rules will be devastating to so many families living on
the edge. The landlords will increase their rents to cover the high
cost of the complex evaluations (estimates range from $600-$800) and
replacing septic systems that are working, but fail inspection
because they do not meet the required soil separation between the
bottom of the drain field and the high water table.
Drain field replacement costs that average $4,000+ will also
hike rents. Poverty
level homeowners will simply be pushed over the edge into bankruptcy
or homelessness. Not
exaggerating.
Is it really the job of the Dept. of Health’s Bureau of
On-site Sewage to permanently damage and destroy the health of
Florida’s neediest citizens with arbitrary and unnecessary mandates?
Does it make sense for the
Dept. of Health to vaccinate poverty level children for free with
one hand and with the
other hand make them homeless?