Then and Now

Then, the city missed a crucial opportunity by which assuage the overwhelming concern and confusion of the citizens of Marco island by simply putting the matter to a vote via a referendum. I suspect that this strategy did not take place due to the hubris of some in the city council and some in the city administration that believe that the citizens are not capable of making informed decisions. We spent too much time on wild goose chases, such as counting fecal matter in the canals - when there weren't any worth mentioning (other than the fecal matter put there by the birds and the fish). While I do not believe it was a conspiracy, it certainly was a lack of judgment in terms of acting as a representative form of government.

Now, we are in the sewer (no put intended) of the judicial system. With its corrupt and activist judges, expecting an equitable and legal solution is sheer banality. There is a good portion of the citizens of Marco that have become alienated from their government, more so when one has to endure the cynical comments of certain council members. Notwithstanding the ill nature of these council members (why they hold public office is a mystery - other than for furthering their commercial endeavors), it is clearly up to the city to act to make amends. Why? Because the citizens have a right to petition their government, and seek redress.

The city council needs to stop listening to their lawyers, the denizens of the corrupt judicial process, and talk to ALL of its citizens - especially the ones that they deem to be adversarial. A government that views its citizens as adversarial is found in such places as Cuba, N. Korea, China. But to find such a stance in a democratic republic as the U.S. escapes this immigrant - from Cuba. A state that sees as its citizens as adversarial denies its own existence because a state is composed of its own people, and thus it must work with itself to be true to the tenets of the republic.

Recall "… and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. "

The city council needs to talk and listen and actively seek an amicable resolution - for the benefit of the community.

Mario R. Sanchez, Ph.D.