Questions for Byers | Letter
Published 11:41 am Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Lisa, you have done the politically correct thing in your letter by avoiding my very direct questions. In particular, you have not told us enough about your sympathy with the beliefs expressed on the website of The New Economics Institute (www.neweconomics.org). Specifically, what is your position with respect to NEI’s lack of respect for the concepts of private property?
I agree with your statement about “pruning” regulations that no longer serve us. But your idea of pruning and mine seem to be 180 degrees apart.
The replacement of the former CAO with updated version which is more expensive, more complicated and more restrictive will obviously serve those who want to be even more intrusive – those who would limit a person’s ability to realize his or her dream on their land and exact more control over businesses that work the land. The new CAO will create more jobs for bureaucrats, consultants and NGOs who now have new tools with which to play a more intrusive role in the everyday aspects of land ownership. These tools are also likely to result in more taxes and fees to pay their way.
The “pruning” the county has done has in fact caused some real “growth” in permit fees, county staff and additional permitting steps. All while refusing to identify any real problems that resulted from actual deficiencies within the former CAO.
If we continue to go down the current path of creating regulations based on “Solutions looking for Problems,” I predict that at least nine more years of uncertainty and division in our community is in store for San Juan County.
Question: If elected, are you willing to change CAO regulations that were made without peer reviewed scientific data?
The simple fact is we still live in a pristine environment whose residents form a community that has an extremely high environmental ethos. What we need is a County Council that actually TRUSTS its neighbors to protect the islands that we all love.
Mike Carlson
San Juan Island
