Paying to Save Species

Ronald Bailey | September 23, 2005

After 32 contentious years, the Endangered Species Act may finally get amended so that landowners are compensated when the Federal government essentially seizes their property to protect endangered plants and animals. Naturally, poltiical environmentalists are up in arms because they don't want to have to pay for the protection that they've been getting for free. My favorite clueless enviro quotation from the Washington Post story is below:

"Even schoolchildren know you can't protect plants and animals if you don't protect the places where they live," said Susan Holmes, senior legislative representative at Earthjustice, an advocacy group.

Ms. Holmes forgets some other more important playground wisdom: "Even schoolchildren know you can't take one kid's toys and just give them to some other kid without their permission."