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386 Comments
- angusm, on 08/11/2008, -29/+272You know, when people tell me that Dick Cheney spends his days sitting on a throne made out of the skulls of murdered children, giggling hysterically as his henchmen feed puppies and kittens into a woodchipper, I always say "That's just crazy talk". But then I re-read the list of all the pointlessly evil things this administration has done and suddenly it doesn't seem so unlikely.
I'm not saying he does, mind you. I'm just saying that it would be consistent with everything else they've done. - DavidtheMavin, on 11/11/2008, -37/+157What an idiot! Why would people making a profit care and "decide for themselves" not to harm endangered wildlife!
- blast_flame, on 08/12/2008, -20/+102Whatever you think about wildlife the endangered species act isn't that great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PufNFWo9mm0&feature ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qix0up-b2h4&feature ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPiLmy78x0A&feature ... - n1eb, on 08/12/2008, -12/+77The endangered species act is horribly abused by environmentalists. Maybe it shouldn't be repealed, but I think heavy reform is in order. It's intended effect of protecting species from extinction has come at a huge loss of liberty, with very little benefit to wildlife in many cases. My personal experience with it is when they were trying to protect the "Snowy Plover", a bird that nests on the California Central Coast. Surf beach was closed for several months out of the year during nesting season to protect the nests from people hiking along the sand dunes where the birds nest. Turns out that Coyotes were a much bigger threat to the bird nests - the solution? - Vandenberg Air Force base declared war on the coyotes, killing as many as possible to save the birds.
Heres a good story from wiki: "the red-cockaded woodpecker which nests in trees that are at least 80 years old. Ben Cone is a tree farmer in North Carolina who owns 7,200 acres (29 km²) of southern pines. In 1991, the federal government forced him to pay a biologist $8,000 to look for red cockaded woodpeckers on his land[7]. After they were found, the government forced him to set aside 1,560 acres (6.3 km²) of his land in order to protect the woodpecker habitat. This cost him an additional $1.8 million. The government did not compensate him for his losses. Originally, his family had allowed the trees to grow for 80 to 100 years before harvesting them. In order to prevent any further financial losses, Cone switched the rest of his acreage to a rotation of only 30 to 40 years, so it would no longer be a suitable habitat to the woodpecker. [8] Randal O'Toole, a libertarian economist and public policy analyst who studied this case, stated, "Cone was given no incentive to protect the bird... When landowners face stiff penalties for harboring endangered species, they minimize suitable habitat... The law creates incentives to destroy wildlife." - slifty, on 08/12/2008, -9/+64I believe Eric Glitzenstein said it best:
"This is the fox guarding the hen house. The interests of agencies will outweigh species protection interests. What they are talking about doing is eviscerating the Endangered Species Act." - brstilson, on 08/12/2008, -12/+64Everybody just kind of takes it on faith that the Endangered Species Act is a good thing and is actually meant to protect all the cute wittle animals from going extinct. Remember, this was legislation passed by Richard Nixon, not a president known for his positive contributions. The true purpose of the law is to enable bigger corporations to engage in land grabs. Often, species put on the endangered species list are in no danger, but are put on the list anyway because they're rare in a certain area.
For example, say a family in Michigan buys some land and wants to build a house on it. The only problem is that one day someone finds one fire ant on the property. Because fire ants are hardly ever found in Michigan, the family is now required to go through all kinds of red tape because of the endangered species act. Even though there are a billion billion fire ants in the south and southwest, the fire ants in Michigan are considered "endangered." At that point, the only entity with the resources to cut through all the red tape is the Wal-Mart that's been eyeing that land for a while. They offer the family a rock-bottom price to get rid of their useless-to-them land, and all the fatcats make out like bandits.
The Endangered Species Act is good in theory, but the way it is now it is ripe for abuse and is regularly abused. - inactive, on 08/11/2008, -39/+87This is the latest in a long line of destructive policies from Bush's regime. Googling for proof of this statement just depresses me, so feel free to seek your own confirmation, but I don't think it's a surprise to anyone at this point.
- TVarmy, on 08/12/2008, -1/+39I try not to think about Dick Cheney too much. I just don't get pointless dickishness. I mean, I still can't wrap my head around Ronald Reagan tearing out Jimmy Carter's solar panels on the roof of the White House. Those things are expensive today. Imagine how much he must have spent in the 1970s... Whether you think it was a good investment or not, there's no reason to take off a low maintenance item that helps the building.
That'd be like taking a kid's ice cream cone, smashing it under your foot, laughing, and then telling the kid, "That's how the real world works, bro." - inactive, on 08/12/2008, -3/+39That's what you get for voting the goddamn Sith into power.
- pell, on 08/12/2008, -2/+33Are you sure retarded world leaders are becoming endangered? I would have thought the opposite!
- physicsguy, on 08/12/2008, -14/+45It really seems like he sits down, determines the right solution, and then does exactly the opposite.
- mrsteveman1, on 08/12/2008, -4/+32Typical short sighted response. If certain species disappear the entire food chain and environment are altered, which affects humans, dumbass.
- inactive, on 08/11/2008, -21/+49As an endangered species himself (retarded world leader), you would think that Bush would show some compassion.
- theDrizzle, on 08/12/2008, -23/+47Hasn't anyone watched the *****! episode on this? The ESA is a bureaucratic mess that cares more about the well being of animals than it does the well beings of humans. Last time I checked...the constitution was put in place for the citizen of the united states, not animals. This is not what my taxes need to be paying for...along with many others.
- megamod, on 08/12/2008, -1/+22he just doesn't care what people think of him anymore does he?
- snotrokit, on 08/12/2008, -0/+21he never did.
- Rotzooi, on 08/12/2008, -0/+20That last sentence just summed up *perfectly* the last 8 years of Bush's and the last 50 years of Cheney's behavior.
- TheGreenMiles, on 08/11/2008, -1/+20Not true. This doesn't need to be approved by Congress and there's only a 60 day public comment period. This gets through and they can do a whole lot of damage before 01/20/09.
- BXRWXR, on 08/12/2008, -3/+21I wish I could vote that up 100 times.
Thanks for the funny. - serif69, on 08/12/2008, -7/+22Good. This is an act that needs reform. It stands in the way of progress by showing up in ridiculous cases. There is a highway off-ramp on route 33 in NJ that is closed because there is a family of box turtles living in a pond NEAR the off-ramp, and the environmentalists have pulled the ESA out to block traffic on the ramp because it might disturb the turtles' habitat, even though the species is NOT endangered. Meanwhile, large corporations can cut through all the red tape of the ESA and actually hire people to relocate a bald eagle nest if it's on a piece of land that corporation wants to build on, which would most certainly disturb the eagles' habitat, and it IS endangered.
- ByteThis, on 08/12/2008, -14/+29Here is a link to the National Wildlife Federation's site with their email to the secretary of the interior.
Just fill in the information to the left. The email will be automatically populated when sent.
https://online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&p ... - TVarmy, on 08/12/2008, -3/+17I agree that the ESA is a pretty crappy piece of legislation, but if I have a say, it's going nowhere until a better bill is proposed in its place. It's just plain arrogant to assume that the free market won't hurt any animals we need. The ecosystem is a complicated thing. If we screw with it, it'll screw with us.
- jbmcb, on 08/12/2008, -4/+17Here's another:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/magazine/20wwln- ... - inactive, on 08/12/2008, -3/+16The part about the girl with Cerebal Palsy that can't build on her own property because of some bird that was sighted and not nested on her land yet Wal*Mart gets to build right next door (same ESA *****) was pretty telling.
And yet all these activists FOR it do not live in it. Common sense should be for sale because they all need it. - sid6871, on 08/12/2008, -5/+18Just what I wanted to post! People so worried about protecting this Endangered Species Act should take a close look at whether it has even been very effective.
- inactive, on 08/12/2008, -1/+14SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!
- barkus, on 08/12/2008, -0/+12I didn't realize we can only to worry about one issue at a time. Glad I know now... Thanks BuLong!
- inactive, on 08/12/2008, -1/+13he is a narcissist / sociopath
narcissists and sociopaths are incapable of compassion - metaphyze, on 08/12/2008, -0/+11Maybe he means well but all his instincts are wrong like George from Seinfeld. If he just decided to do the opposite of his natural instincts, he might go down as one of the greatest presidents in history.
- pradaaddict, on 08/12/2008, -6/+16Haha thanks for posting this. P&T kick ass
- dn11, on 08/12/2008, -0/+10you're missing the point completely. the point isn't to keep endangered species preserved in a zoo - it is to keep them as viable parts of the ecosystem. bio diversity is what has lead to the current conditions on earth as we know it - and allowed it to be hospitable for human beings. when one plant or animal species goes it can have far reaching, unforeseen consequences as it creates a chain reaction.
- NikoKun, on 08/12/2008, -5/+14Thank you for posting that, had you not, I would have.
I was starting to think digger's totally forgot what they learned from that episode.lol - inactive, on 08/12/2008, -1/+10Kinda reminds me of Vigo the Carpathian from Ghostbusters II
- nedzeve, on 08/12/2008, -2/+10Penn: "***** you"
Very compelling argument there. - sparkleyflowers, on 08/12/2008, -4/+12I hope your comment gets dugg WAY up. I can't believe so many diggers are clueless about the reality of the ESA.
- Ductapemaster, on 08/12/2008, -5/+13I agree that heavy reform is needed to improve the act, but gutting it without the intention of fixing it is not the solution to the problem. I can safely say that Bush has plans only to take it down and not to rebuild it, judging from his past environmental actions...
- Sarie2008, on 08/12/2008, -6/+14Your statement is very true, however, the RATE at which species have been dying out has risen significantly. The Endangered Species Act is in place for that very reason. You can see the positive effects it has had on the comeback of the bald eagle.
- roddack, on 08/12/2008, -6/+14Sure everyone loves Dolphins because they are cute and cuddly but no one gives a rat's ass about the poor Tuna
- austinisi, on 08/12/2008, -4/+11I was hoping someone had posted this. Thank you.
- swifty383, on 08/12/2008, -8/+15I hate bush as much as anyone, but please stop overreacting. The endangered species act has actually made many species worse off. If you see an endangered species on your property it actually gives you an incentive to kill it. Either you kill it or the federal government seizes your property in order to save it.
- inactive, on 08/12/2008, -17/+24Good, the Endangered Species Act is *****!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PufNFWo9mm0
- mk2cav, on 08/12/2008, -8/+15Some people will always be driven by money and profit and never see the BIG picture. President Bush is one of them.
- NikoKun, on 08/12/2008, -13/+20This is actually a good thing... Did nobody see the Penn & Teller ***** episode against the Endangered Species Act?
- DivineMonkey, on 08/12/2008, -0/+7And these replies just reinforce how many retards are on the planet.
- Coffeedemon, on 08/12/2008, -5/+12Here we go with the magician worship. FFS, who cares about Penn and Teller??
- Andrwmorph, on 08/12/2008, -2/+9I guess its sodomy time?
- ubuwalker31, on 08/12/2008, -1/+7*sigh* Unfortunately, nothing is obvious, especially in the science of biology. It might seem obvious to you that there are no bald eagle nests near New Jersey's Garden State Parkway, but how is this obvious to you besides a "gut check" type analysis.
Being scientifically minded requires the gathering of information and of facts and making a hypothesis, and setting out to disprove it. Thats what an environmental impact statement does. It does not prohibit the federal government or businesses from harming the environment, but merely requires that the prospective impacts be understood and disclosed in advance.
Why would we want a government to operate ignorant of the facts? Haven't we all had enough of ignorance and stupidity of the Bush administration? - krnldmp, on 08/12/2008, -1/+7Nothing in this reworking of the law is arranged to improve performance regarding species protection. All it will enable is less restriction on government action.
- sugarmagnolia31, on 08/12/2008, -0/+6When has the US government done the "'right thing"? Again we are leaving the decision to protect wildlife up to people who base thier decisions on how to gain the biggest profit.
- dafunkmonster, on 08/12/2008, -5/+11No, its the latest response to the latest in a long line of destructive policies from the environmental movement. The ESA is used as a tool for land control, not protecting species. Now, they want it to become a tool for controlling everyone's driving and energy consumption by changing it to include "Global Warming". Go read up on how many people have been screwed out of using their legally-owned land because some perfectly safe species is deemed "endangered" just in the area that someone is trying to build.
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