Public Mistrust

I know I try to write about funny little things. I know that often I miss the mark by a wide margin (mr. herewegoagain would agree when my posts have a scatological slant). However, today there is nothing funny to write about, scat or not.

I guess, like most Americans, I tend to be proud of my state, my nation, our form of government and our way of life. That is until the ICK that is news from Florida dominates the news, and until the legal land-grabs that are becoming common-place hit way too close to home.

Anyone who has read my blog for awhile knows that we are fighting a large utility which wants to assert eminent domain over our front pasture. We understand that it is "for the public good", and that we can't win against them (if one more person tells me that, I might actually explode, thereby ending the fight once and for all). However, we have countered this large utility with the fact that they must give us fair market value for our land and for the damage to the remainder of our homestead.

Therefore, it has basically come down to money. This has been going on for months. DH and I would gladly take NO money if they would take NO property (by property, I mean the right to clear-cut over 40 mature trees). This has been roundly denied, so we have come down to cold, hard cash.

Last week, we finally got a letter from their attorneys (oooooooohhhhh, the big, bad attorneys!), which was reasonable and which left us an opening for one last counter-offer. They accepted it within an hour. We weren't happy, and will never be happy, about being forced to sell, but at least we had come to a resolution that we could live with.

Then I got the phone call.

After they accepted our counter-offer, but before we had signed paperwork, the project manager called me. She said, (and I am quoting) that there was a "typo" in the paperwork. She said, (and I am quoting), that "they would need less land, and needed to change the acreage amount". I was stunned. I was happy. I reiterated to her, "Do you mean to tell me that this is a good thing for us? That we are getting back ten feet?". She agreed. She said she would have a new survey done, call us and then come out to sign papers at our home.

Because the paperwork would be changed, obviously we needed to see it before she came out for the signing. We sent an email to that effect and two days later (today) she wrote back.

In her email, she completely disavowed what she had told me in our conversation. Not only were they not scaling back on their required easement, but they would actually now be calling it "ground easement" instead of "aerial". Now, I'm not a rocket scientist, but to me, "ground" is worse than "aerial". And if you aren't a rocket scientist either, I'll tell you...it IS worse.

The deal is OFF again. We cannot trust the people that the great state of Texas has hired to put utility lines throughout the hill country. These are the people who told me that they "represented the Texan taxpayers" when we asked for more money for our land. Well, I'M a Texas taxpayer and this is wrong, wrong, wrong. It is so far from the tradition of "my handshake is my word" that used to mean all that was good about Texas to "we are changing the wording of documents after you have agreed to them".

I guess, as usual, all the lawyers will make the deals and the money. Oh yeah, perfect daughter is going to be a perfect lawyer one day. Can I just say, "I can't wait"?

Wish us luck.