I Believe In Conservationism, Not Environmentalism

I took this photo at Lake Casablanca a couple of years ago.

With the renewed interest in the RGISC in banning plastic bags in Laredo becoming a topic of local bloggers, and recent revival of those who wanted to save a retention pond (aka:  wetland) at a development near the airport and Lake Casablanca, I thought it time to lay out some of my personal beliefs on land use.

I am a conservationist.  Meaning, I believe in the willful conservation of land and buildings for future generations of people and wildlife.  Note, I said willful.  I would love to see Laredo shoot for a wildlife preserve, just like they have in Rio Grande Valley.  This area is not only great for locals, but brings in lots of tourist.  I think this city council has missed the boat on focusing only on "my district" issues.  Meaning, well, we cannot have a wildlife refuge in your district, and not in mine.  Never mind the fact that council then prices the city out of opportunity to enhance the city as a whole.

Anyway, my belief is simple:  Property rights trump group rights, unless the property owner is doing something so bad that the community is in "real" danger.  Imagined or made up dangers do not count.  Then it is up to the courts to decide the outcome based on law, not hyperbole.

On the other hand, environmentalist use terms such as, BAN, TAKE, HALT, END, and others too numerous to list in order to advance their agenda.  They believe things like a multi-million dollar project (you name the type) should be stopped in order to protect a bug they think may be near extinction.  How they can know that has always baffled me, as the human race has never mapped every bug, animal, plant, or fish on this planet.  Oh well, I digress.  So, instead of allowing a project to move forward, they HALT it for months or even years until it is either ENDED or moved at an enormous cost to the citizenry.

Environmentalist could care less about property rights.  Environmentalist care nothing about business.  They love to take a liberal line that the rich are ruining the planet and that corporations are killers.  Yet, their own leaders live under the umbrella of  huge corporations with the same internal power struggles.

So, my fellow Laredoans, and bloggers, I believe in saving land and buildings for our future. I do not believe in "consensus science."  You know the science that says well a bunch of us think this or that will happen, so it must be true.  In science, FACTS ARE FACTS.  Until they are proven, they are just a hypothesis   If someone, be it a city council, a preservation group, or whoever, wants to TAKE land or a building from someone, be prepared to pay the market value, if the owner "agrees" to sell.  Otherwise, move on.

And finally,  I just don't think the government, nor environmentalist,  have the right to tell me how to use/take my land without due process.  Nor does the United States Constitution.