I am finding it increasingly difficult to listen to anymore LDPCSD meeting recordings for a number of reasons. One of the most significant is the fact that what I repeatedly hear and observe is only a diminished local reflection of a much more serious crisis facing our entire nation – that being, a systematic lack of governmental accountability for intentional wrong-doing which harms others.
Closely associated with this “accountability failure” is the simultaneous attempt to dismiss resulting injury as having minimal or insignificant effect upon constituents, and therefore, the intentional wrong-doing itself is mysteriously excused and accepted as “just politics as usual” – “move on folks, nothing to see here”.
Naturally, accepting such exculpatory rationale is dependent upon whether you were/are personally injured in some way by the wrongful activity. When injustice happens to us personally (especially when directly affecting our finances) we tend to pay much more attention to detail than if it is merely a terrible story in a newspaper regarding someone else’s misfortune in being victimized by the “powers that be”.
I have been repeatedly told that customers simply do not care – at least until such activities actually affect their pocketbooks which is actually the trap because by the time people realize they are paying much more than they should for services received it is too late to stop and/or correct the wrongful activity. Please realize I am not referring to simple “human error” or accidental damages resulting from otherwise sincere efforts to assist the public because that is understandable, probably even expected. I am specifically referring to the slow, methodical, and deliberate execution of a multi-tiered plan specifically designed to achieve certain results with complete disregard for any semblance of ethical or moral standards – much less concern for the foreseeable negative financial consequences to the 99% of entitled, and innocent, Merced River Water using customers.
Certainly most folks are already too busy surviving all the responsibilities and duties in their own lives with little or no time to spend researching water rates/fees, or why they are expected to finance a special benefit water service they did not request or even need. Believe me, I understand completely because I too have other things more pressing in my life that are in need of attention but at the time believed, and still do, the decades of obvious deception by our local Lake Don Pedro Community Services District was deserving of some public reporting, attention and hopefully, ultimate correction.
Heck I didn’t learn the truth about this water service map deceitfulness until after serving four years on the Board of Directors when I discovered the information on the California Public Utilities Commission website was different than our District records! The idea that fabricated documents could reside in the District office for so many years and were provided to those who asked for the information is absolutely appalling and a very big clue as to how serious this conspiratorial breach of fiduciary duty has been.
Where are the governmental watchdogs to protect citizens? Who gives a flying rat’s ass about the regular customer’s mushroom predicament of being kept in the dark and fed absolute bullshit for decades?
Yup, difficult it is – if not impossible – to stop those who have and will continue to profit by such an outrageous deception especially when something as simple as water license restrictions to service are not prominently displayed on the LDPCSD website for public review and appreciation. Unfortunately, money/power (the two seem inexorably linked) are obviously far more influential than any blah blah blah postings on an insignificant nonprofit amateurish website which repetitively complains about the District’s lack of clear regulation adherence and the resulting unfairness to its legal water rate and fee paying customers.
As initially noted, Lake Don Pedro is a microcosm of a much larger problem facing our entire nation. Appreciate that taxpayers are already saddled with a tremendous financial burden which will of necessity be greatly increased if the failed policies of the last several years are continued by a vote of “the people” in this November’s presidential election.
Regular viewers of this site know local issues have always been the primary focus of lakedonpedro.org leaving national politics and other serious societal issues such as drug/alcohol abuse, criminal activity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, immigration, etc. to the “professionals”. Part of the rationale for this approach was the belief there was a far more realistic opportunity for positive change on the local level without introduction of larger issue variables which would likely confuse and distract from the intended purpose of discussion – local change.
Perhaps this was an incorrect approach as it is painfully obvious to me now all are interconnected and share the common denominator of a profound lack of respect – for other people, our laws, and that for which our Country had previously and proudly stood.
God Bless America.
My best to you and yours, Lew
