
Of course, everyone wants prosperity and new jobs, but it is important that we evaluate all possible consequences of the actions that we take before we do so, for the unintended consequences can turn what we think to be a big win into a huge loss. Where Nestle is concerned, there are some very big red flags.
Why do you think that Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck is so interested in working with Governor Scott? Well, as the leader of a company that has bottled water as one of its most important products, Brabeck has a problems and that problem is he's running out of water. Oh, he's already drawing a large amount of water from our springs, but he has been sucking the water out of California in record volume and now, with a huge drought underway, his source is drying up.
Adverse citizen pressure is also building dramatically on the West Coast as it has now become public knowledge that Nestle's water withdrawal permit expired twenty-seven years ago. When people can't get the critical element of life, water, they tend to not take stupidity and likely corruption in the business-government relationship as an acceptable approach.
But the problem for Nestle is much deeper, for most of America is starting to run into water shortage problems and the last key bastion of pure, crystal clear plentiful water, at least from a superficial point of view, is Florida. So the company is wheeling and dealing with our dealer of a Governor to use more and more of our dwindling precious resource.
The Sunshine State is noted for its sparking clear springs and unique aquifer, home of some of the purest water in the world. But what the Governor doesn't want you to know is that it is under stress; it is no longer fully recharging itself and is beginning to slow down in its flow in rivers and the springs as the water volume decreases. One day we'll visit the springs and wonder where they went. Not only that, but it is beginning to receive pollutants at an alarming rate; one only needs to visit our lakes and inland bodies of water to see the degradation in terms of algae blooms and loss of clarity.
From a state with a population of less than ten million twenty-five years ago to a current population of twenty million, the Governor wants to add another ten million, maybe more, when our stressed aquifer, our source for water, can't keep up with current water needs. And since the state legislature continually panders to Big Ag water needs and businesses that use huge volumes of water, like Nestle, something has got to give and it will start giving fast.
First, rural residents on private wells will lose their water, then cities will find the incursion of salt water in their massive well systems, as has already been found in Miami and Jacksonville. After all, Florida is really nothing but a giant sand peninsula surrounded on three sides by salt water. To date, the solution has just been to move further inland with their wells, further stressing and depleting the aquifer. And as the upper aquifer fails to recharge in full, more and more brackish water will seep up from the lower aquifer through fissures and cracks.
And the worst part is that similar stories are developing all over the country as politicians and big business work deal after deal to put the American populace at need due to their never ending thirst for the last dollar on earth. Florida is likely to be the end of the line and more and more Big Ag businesses are working with the Governor to move large scale operations here. The beautiful native pines will be replaced by the mass produced stalks resembling a corn field, the animals will desperately seek new homes and the water will be shipped to China or wherever the highest profit can be found.
It's time for Floridians and Americans to wake up and take charge of our own destiny, otherwise it will be last one out of water, turn off the lights at the state line. And as for Governor Scott, he'll be retired, safe in his cushy digs with nary a concern for the beautiful state which he has turned into a wasteland. We won't have to worry about international relations or any of the other big problems we face, for we will be begging for a drink of water with our little tin cups. Remember, it's always the unintended consequences that do us in. And yet we seem to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
Want to learn more about the Florida problem as an example of what might soon be a central crisis to life in these United States. Listen to my three part series on blogtalkradio entitled The Plight of Small Landowners which is available on demand, available in the order of presentation at the following links: tobtr.com/s/7470207, tobtr.com/s/7482753 and tobtr.com/s/7505057. I hope you might find it interesting.
This is just another area where we need to pray for the future of our country for, once again, the leaders we elect to represent us, in this case the representatives and senators in the Florida legislature, opt to support crony capitalism and lobbyist donors instead of the voters. Just another mini-Washington operation which is ruining this country and this state. God help America.