divide and conquer

Too many cooks spoil recipe for river protection ….There is an old saying about how too many cooks will spoil the stew. ……..The Verde Independent … 6/12/07 … EXERPTED ………The wisdom in that statement is lost on those we elect to make intelligent decisions on our behalf. Instead of making such decisions, elected officials today too often form committees or commissions to do their bidding for them. The end result is a lot of talk, but seldom any real action. Monday, the Arizona Senate played true to form when taking action to protect the water flows of the San Pedro River in Southern Arizona. Instead of doing something to actually protect the waterway, state senators instead decided to give voters the option of establishing a temporary committee to figure out how to increase the water supply in the area.That decision is akin to what's developed in recent years with efforts to protect our own Verde River. We have the Verde River Basin Partnership, Yavapai County Water Advisory Council and the Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition devising management plans for the river. We also have the myriad citizens groups who all have the common objective of influencing these government groups on the best management practices for the Verde River. They include the Verde Watershed Association, the Citizens Water Advisory Group and the Verde River Citizens Alliance.

Our government’s game is to promote and establish a plethora of environmental groups then to divide and conquer …


Currently there are all sizes, shapes, colors and pedigrees of groups formed addressing water issues in our state. But one need only look at the “bills” which our State Legislature and Senate actually address. The bill which get passed are not the ones emanating from these groups, rather they represent the positions advocated by the major players in Az. – the mines, big cities and counties, corporate AG – SRP – CAP – Developers – the promoters and principal beneficiaries of unrestricted growth.

All one need do is … “follow the money” … as Deep Throat advised Bob Woodward to do in … All the President’s Men.

It’s really that simple.