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By Lou Russo
“We in Alpine …seem to be saddled with governments that cannot or will not serve us, but instead seem to serve everyone else but us.”—Lou Russo
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
I am sure the above will seem familiar to you. It is the beginning of our Declaration of Independence. It is the foundation upon which we Americans base all else, e.g. that government serves us, not the other way around. We in Alpine, however, seem to be saddled with governments that cannot or will not serve us, but instead seems to serve everyone but us. From the local planning group to the high school district to the county to the state, we find ourselves constantly “on the short end of the stick.”
Our local planning group consistently votes with the wealthy developers and corporations, from 7-11 to Mc Donald’s, to large parcel owners to non-resident parcel owners, all the while ignoring the residents. The high school district snookers us into voting for a school bond, but then backtracks on the school. County supervisors voted this week to weaken the planning groups and are considering letting non-residents run for the seats, all the while refusing to protect us from a power company or to show competence in designing and building drains for our main boulevard. Finally, we have a state government, including the Public Utilities Commission, which rams Sunrise PowerLink down our throats, ruining our businesses and views, and the Governor then comes here and tells us how he “crushes” the opposition.
At what point do we in Alpine decide that our government has become “…destructive of these ends…”, e.g. the pursuit of “…Life, Liberty and Happiness….”? When is enough, enough? When do we exercise our right, our duty, to throw off such government and provide new guards for our future security? Have we reached the point, finally, when we realize that no one will look out for us but ourselves? Is it time for Alpine to consider, once again, whether it should incorporate. More to come.
Lou Russo is a member of the Alpine Community Planning Group. The views in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine.
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