Putting polar bears on the endangered species list is no drop in the bucket.
It costs an average of $400,000 to list. Back in 2003 the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (3)announced that they wouldn't have the funds to meet the obligation of 32 animals proposed for this list. Yet, Congress continues to give itself pay raises. The money to fund the protection of these animals must be skimmed from the salaries of those who usually take the most.Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisconsin, who every year stands up against pay increases, said that with the economy still weak and many Americans finding it hard to make ends meet, it was "the wrong time for Congress to give itself a pay hike."
"This automatic stealth pay raise system is just wrong," he added.
CNN.com/INSIDE POLITICS
Worse, President Bush is pushing for historically higher military spending on the war in Iraq. It already costs us over 500.5 billion dollars and he's asking for another 28 billion. Where will it come from? Today, right now, what could we do with the $28,000,000,000? Besides invigorating our own economy, putting people into jobs and not on the streets, it could certainly do a lot for the environment, save the polar bears and our own future.
The bigger problem is that polar bears are dying at a great rate. They've resorted to cannibalism, as the broken ice caps hinder their mobility, forcing them to feed among themselves.
What is wanted and needed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to create an environment that will protect these animals. It requires making changes, passing laws, and great sacrifices by our government as well as you and I. We're all at fault and we have a chance to make it right.
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