Horton Hears A Who

Timing is everything. This is especially true in the world of serious un-news journalism. Sometimes the timing of unrelated events seem to fit together like bread and butter. It seems the circumstances of perfect timing have developed over the past couple of weeks.

At the highly dreaded Osceola County Commission meeting from this past week where the developers of the Toho Preserve project and the public finally had a chance to argue their cases for and against the DRI (Development of Regional Impact), or county killers as we like to call them, an interesting fact was brought forward. One of the top brass from the DR Horton office in Orlando in his opening remarks explained how shocked the company was when they realized the public was not happy with their great project, and how tough this had been on the company. He then said, "I have read the blogs." (Stop for just a minute and let that one sink in.) So the question now becomes did Horton Hear a Who, or at least did DR Horton hear a WayneWho?

Now we must take a look at the almost magical quality of the timing of unrelated events that seem to have happened in unison that somehow came together in this single comment.

Just a couple of weeks ago, one of the great Dr. Seuss children's stories was releases as a full length motion picture. For those of us who have spent hours reading Dr. Seuss stories to our grandkids, it was nice to watch their excitement as the movie unfolded. It was also fun to see a story that many of us feel like we have read a thousand times come to life on a big screen. When the reality of what the DR Horton front man said finally sunk in, the great Dr. Seuss story seemed to take on new meaning.

For those of you who do not know the story, "Horton Hears A Who" is a story about Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called "Who-ville", inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos. The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming throughout the book that "a person's a person, no matter how small". In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear.

Horton knows the danger that the Whos face so he tells the Whos that they need to make themselves heard to the other animals, lest they end up as part of "beezlenut stew", which they finally accomplish. The Whos finally make themselves heard by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is the smallest Who of all, Jo-Jo, who provides the last volume lift to be heard, thus reinforcing the moral of "a person's a person no matter how small".

Now convinced of the Whos' existence, Horton's neighbors vow to help him protect the tiny community. So now we must ask another question, will DR Horton protect our community? Will Horton protect all of the Whos in Who-ville? Does Horton have a record that matches the protector status that they claim?

The answer to those questions from those who live in other places DR Horton has been developing is a resounding "NO." Besides the fact that DR Horton is racking up serious financial losses coming out of the first quarter of this year because of having way too many homes they cannot sell, other problems and lawsuits now plague them. One of those issues is a New Jersey Carpenters Union who has filed a lawsuit against the home building giant alleging that the homebuilder has engaged in widespread corruption and tax fraud. The lawsuit also accuses DR Horton of hiring undocumented workers in an illegal hiring ploy. Sounds a little different than the benevolent Horton of Dr. Seuss fame, but with stocks plunging and being downgraded, corporate interest can outweigh the interest of a community of Whos. Of course during the DRI sales pitch, DR Horton makes it sound like they are protecting our community by bulldozing it, but that is typical of our development friends.

Although the WayneWho staff does not believe that DR Horton will protect us like Horton the Elephant, we do believe that there are lessons from the story that do relate. If all of those people who are interested in protecting our land and teaching our county commissioners what "Smart Growth" really means would make their voices heard, we could protect our community and protect ourselves in the process. Once again the moral of "a person's a person no matter how small" might ring true. Till then the WayneWho staff will do its best to let the residents of Whoville know what is going on no matter how much ridicule we face.

For now we would at least like to give a shout-out to our avid readers from over at the DR Horton offices in Orlando. We look forward to seeing you again in the commission chambers and we hope you continue to enjoy our brand of un-news.