It's Green Isn't it?

Lesser Green Broadbill

Other than the bird above, "Green” can often times be the excuse for anything stupid. You can vote on something totally against common sense but if you plant a little “green” it makes everything A-Okay.

You can let your grass go to hell in a hand basket and blame it on water conservation...plant xeriscaping and kid yourself by pretending that it looks good and that you are helping the environment. In the beginning the intent is sometimes honest but eventually, like everything else, it goes to weed and blight. Everyone else knows exactly what it looks like.

That’s what happened at our beach when Commissioner Jennings and Mayor Varela (before he was mayor) introduced a plan by artist, Life is Beautiful, Michael Singer, to eliminate 164 upper level parking spaces in order to have plants, trees and a Jungle Jim for little Tommy.

In spite of the fact that two Palm Beach County Commissioners were already imprisoned for corruption regarding their connection to Palm Beach Aggregates and rock mining, the Palm Beach County Commission just voted on zoning approval for more rock mining. This is all in spite of the fact that environmental groups say that this will pollute our water at nearby reservoirs. They claim that any more mines could compromise our aquifer. Although many groups have spoken out against in the past, it was reported that only one representative of an environmental group showed up to speak out about the project.

What does Palm Beach Aggregates get out of the deal? Their on-going money pit business that produces 4 to 5 million tons of stone and sand. They now will be assured of not running out of land in 3 to 5 years as they feared. They were having sleepless nights thinking about the possibility of all those $$$ signs going right down the tubes.

What does the County get out of the deal? 5 cents per ton of rock and sand sold from the mine. What will the County use the money for? Environmental projects--doncha love it?

What does Kilday (yeah the very same Kilday involved in so much "planning") get? A lot of money as project manager.

What do the County residents get? We get to look at little green native plants that must be planted around the pit as part of the deal.

What happens to our water?