U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department today demonstrates everything that is
wrong, foolhardy and destructive about big government.
The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who was one of the most vocal advocates of the dredging plan, has sent a letter to President Barack Obama, pleading for the work to continue.Nungesser said the government has asked crews to move the dredging site two more miles farther off the coastline.
Not only are the O-Bots not really doing anything to suck up the oil, not only are they impeding Louisiana efforts to get out there and suck up the oil that the Feds are ignoring, now the feds are blocking berms? Its more important to put it where Fish & Wildlife says than to get it the hell done and protect the coast?
One might almost think they were doing it on purpose. If it were a private company, it would be safe to assume they were doing it on purpose.
But with government, you just know this is simple stupidity. Some Poindexter at Fish and Wildlife (who didn't make the cut to be a well paid private industry propeller head) has computed the OPTIMUM placing of the berm that makes it perfect for a wide variety of factors, most of which are political. And it took him only three months! The Louisiana guys started throwing a berm up in the EASIEST place as soon as the Governor got sick of waiting for the Feds and told them to go to it. Poindexter is now throwing his weight around, insisting that his location is the one that by God shall be used, don't give a damn if a hundred tons of crude hit the shore while crews are moving and re-starting from zero what they already have half finished now.
Which is why, my friends, it is long past time to cut Poindexter's budget, remove most of that weight he's throwing around, and demote him to junior paper-pusher second class in charge of not much.
Or, time for Bobby Jindal to assert some state's rights Arizona style, and tell the Feds to piss off. "Fire on us if you dare, monkey boy."
The Phantom