Key West The Newspaper

by John Donnelly

Lighted cigarette butts, beer bottles, cans, fast food debris and fecal ridden diapers tossed from vehicles traveling along US1 have significantly increased since the construction of the expansion bridge over Jewfish Creek, connecting Key Largo and the Florida Keys to Greater Miami.

Noise pollution, along with toxins discharged into our fragile aquatic ecosystem, continue to poison our environment at an alarming rate.

Although the County and teams of residents have done their best to combat the effects of litter,  they’re no match for the hordes of travelers swarming through our communities.

Bicyclist, motorcycle and pedestrian casualties have increased. Near misses, knock downs and brush offs, without any law enforcement involvement occur regularly.

Many of so-called advancements have had an adversarial impact upon the lives of our residents. Traveling on our only highway they’re required to toil through traffic jams, vehicular hazards and highway obstructions; as they commute to work, shop for their families, arrive at their second jobs and involve themselves with charitable work.

Many businesses, developers and contractors crave the fruits of expanded development. Their myopic pursuit of the almighty dollar has systematically denigrated the attractiveness of the very environment they lavishly market. Obtuse and self-defeating, after they malign and destroy everything that gets in the way of making money, they’ll move on, scarifying anything else that gets in their way.

Some smokers can be nasty. Approximately 4.5 trillion filters from spent cigarettes make their way into the environment every year. Individuals continue to litter our islands and waters with lit butts, needlessly poisoning everything in their wake.

Enforcing the law regarding these types of violations, with appropriate visible punishments, would deter future criminal conduct. It will also add cash to the government’s coffers, easing the burden on taxpayers.

Scientists at San Diego State University have determined that a single cigarette butt with a small amount of tobacco clinging to it, soaked in a liter of water for one day, will kill 50% of the fish swimming in it. Each butt tossed into the ocean is a miniature vial of poison.

Quality of life issues have ceased to be a societal, cultural or government priority. Strangulating upon indoctrinated delusions featuring egocentricity, intolerance, greed, power and financial gain as the essential ingredients and pursuits of a successful life has generated a reckless disregard for Mother Earth.

The inescapable scientific principle of “cause-and-effect” can be brutally harsh when one ignores the call of reason and insists on dancing with the devil.