Idaho’s Zuiderveld Rules: Quagga and Collapse

A guy wrote me a couple of years ago and said the past quagga mussel closure on the Snake River was a plot to keep him from fishing.  I’m not sure he meant himself specifically (who knows?), but he blamed a conspiracy.  But why would the state close the river if not for a dangerous invasive species?  Because the Governor doesn’t like Joe from Buhl (or whatever the paranoiac’s name was)? The economic hit was devastating for local business owners who not only vote, but are also often generous with campaign donations.

There are Some Very Selfish People in the Valley

Some people screamed about the fish killed as a result of the treatment.  You do realize that if the mussels win, the die-off will be much worse and permanent?  I can only conclude that the people yelling always need something to whine about, or they’re incredibly stupid.  Pick one!

The battle against quagga mussels may be futile.  Stopping them in other parts of the country has been a difficult task.  Still, consider what will happen if we do nothing and allow the takeover.  What industry in this valley depends on water beyond all others?  Even the conspiracy theorists know the answer is agriculture.  Mussels are expected to wipe out the transfer of water to where it’s needed for feeding us.  In one season, it would be game over!  Within a year, the land resembles nothing but dust and scrub, farms and ranches have collapsed, support businesses have been shuttered, and shops are empty.  Two years into the crisis, entire neighborhoods have been abandoned, and anyone left behind is begging for public assistance, which already has an uncertain future.  Southern Idaho will become a ghost town.  And you really want the government to do nothing because you can’t go fishing on a Saturday?

Life as We Know Would Cease

This is the future that State Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld and her fellow Branch Glennedians willingly promote.  Over the last several months, I’ve heard countless people say, “At least they vote the right way”.  Friends, they would turn all of southern Idaho into a ghost town.  As for how they vote, on spending issues, a lot of Republicans vote the same way.  We’ll trim a few programs every year, but at the same time, the so-called Gang of Eight promotes an existential threat in the Magic Valley.  Then they have the temerity to cry that they’re victims when the farmers push back.  I always thought being a victim was the refuge of liberals.