Letter To The Editor
"Letters To The Editor" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Jefferson County Post nor any of its employees. The Jefferson County Post does not underwrite any of the facts or situations mentioned in the letters.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Submitted by: David Seal
Dear Editor,
Jefferson County Elite vs. Regular Citizens
If you drop your guard while boxing, you give your opponent the opportunity to knock your lights out. Citizens in this county had their guard down in the Summer of 2009 and again in the Winter of 2013. The apparent shock has caused a large number of people to watch their local government, the Chamber of Commerce, and the self-appointed Jefferson County elite. The people of New Market were jolted in 2009 with the Norfolk-Southern Intermodal; and the people of Kansas-Talbott got it in January of this year with the Megasite. Striking similarities, in both cases at least one county commissioner from each effected district was strategically kept uninformed until the last minute. Planners had to assume that certain commissioners would be spoilers if they were informed, presumed likely to stand up for the people they represented. Both projects were covertly planned by the same group of people with no trace of respect for the residents and property owners that would be affected, a practice whose evil is magnified by secrecy. Each proposed development was announced to a group of hand-picked business leaders, media, and community elite without a single invitation going to the people whose private property would be consumed. The Megasite with its 2970 acres of farmland and standing hardwood, and the Intermodal Facility proposed to consume 1200 acres of prime farmland constitutes an anti-agriculture policy on the part of planners. In both communities, the residents were under siege by the publically funded Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. The failed Megasite alone disposed of more than one hundred thousand dollars of taxpayer money, not a penny of which has been specifically itemized to the taxpaying public. Citizens appeared at county commission meetings objecting to the waste and abuse, pleading for their private property rights by holding up makeshift signs that read “save our farms”, “save our homes”, “respect our property rights”; in the background the Chamber of Commerce was laughing all the way to the bank, a violation of basic constitutional property rights and open government that has the founding fathers rolling over in their graves. The New Market residents were faced with two grim choices, sell the farm or face the possibility that Norfolk-Southern could forcefully take the property by the power of eminent domain. Some property owners folded under this deplorable threat, others sold voluntarily.
Fast-forward to the present and picture this hypothetical Autumn afternoon in your mind. While the hard-working farmers in Jefferson County are climbing off their tractors and dusting off their boots, a different group have gathering at a lake house near Dandridge. The self-appointed elite of Jefferson County have gathered to shake hands, sip on cocktails, and secretly plan the next big project. As they stand on the deck overlooking Douglas Lake, they nibble on shrimp, brag and boast to impress each other, and plan ways to use your farmland for their economic development. Your farmland is in their crosshairs. Make no mistake about it. They are waiting for the dust to settle, your guard to drop, and your complacency to set in. When the time is right, they will likely surface with another announcement that involves your farmland and your way of life.
These people have proven that they have no regard for the spirit of open government, no concern for the overall environment, no respect for property rights, and no interest in your opinion. It is time for concerned and responsible citizens to rise up and take decisive and appropriate action to mitigate this threat.
