‘Sneaky’ Bush Attack on Endangered Species
Saying the Bush administration’s most recent Endangered Species Act rulemaking is “anti-democratic,” 104 conservation and scientific organizations today submitted a letter to Cabinet officials calling for increased transparency and opportunities for public participation.
The new rule published in the Federal Register last week would change the way the Endangered Species Act is administered concerning both land and marine species.
The actual change is the absurd idea that federal bureaucrats, in this case political appointees that change from administration to administration, get to decide whether things like strip mining, mountain top removal or other activities would not be reviewed by scientific experts, The Bush White House has also decided that this major change from science based to politically based environmental decisions only gets thirty days for public comment. If you do decide to comment you may only do so by paper letter or on a web site that reserves the right to publish your comment and personal information – a backdoor way of discouraging many people from even bothering.
US foreclosure filings up 71 percent in 3Q
By the end of the year, RealtyTrac expects more than a million bank-owned properties to have piled up on the market, representing around a third of all properties for sale in the U.S.
That’s bad news for anyone who lives nearby and wants to sell their home. While foreclosure sales are booming in many areas, those properties are commanding deep discounts and pulling down neighboring property values.
Better to have a house that is more difficult to sell then not have a house anymore.
Sick economy has patients skimping on medicine
The ailing economy is leading many Americans to skip doctor visits, skimp on their medicine, and put off mammograms, Pap smears and other tests. And physicians worry the result will be sicker patients who need more expensive treatment later.
tangledwing 