Finding balance
Delisting gray wolves allows states to protect farmers, too
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 10: The Interior Department’s decision … to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list is a sensible measure that allows Wisconsin and some other states to find the proper balance between protection of wolves and protecting the rights of farmers whose livestock could be threatened by a burgeoning wolf population.
The recovery of the gray wolf in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota is one of the great success stories of the Endangered Species Act. But with success has come a responsibility: to make sure the wolf population doesn’t become so large that it poses a threat to the livelihood of farmers. …
According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, 37 livestock were killed by wolves in 2007 and 30 farms suffered a kill by a wolf. Those farmers need some protection from a growing wolf population, and authorities in states where wolves have developed a healthy population need to be able to reasonably manage those populations.
Last fall, the wolf was put back on the list after a judge in Washington sought clarification on how officials could remove protections where wolves are recovering but not everywhere in their native range. We thought that decision was a mistake, ignoring local habitats and needs.
After some study, the Interior Department on Friday (March 7) affirmed a January decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deal with such court decisions by delisting the wolves in the western Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin, and portions of the northern Rocky Mountain states.
It’s the right move … .
Chicago Tribune, March 12: Given the vicious virus that has rampaged through the office lately, we rejoiced at the news that scientists have cracked the genetic code of all known species of the common cold. That means a cure, possibly even a vaccine may not be all that far off.
Revenge! For all those sore throats, fogged heads, hacking coughs and blustery sneezes. For uncounted trillions of hours of lost productivity. For forcing us to watch daytime television.
… Will anyone weep for the common cold-inducing rhinovirus, aside from the makers of cold remedies that don’t work?
Of course not. Still, after so many eons of battle, we think it is only proper to pause here for a moment of reflection, in awe and grudging respect for this crafty adversary. Astonishingly resilient and inventive, the rhinovirus has triumphed over the human immune system year after year, century after century. …
The reason that you can get colds all your life is that the rhinovirus has a large and diverse family tree. Researchers studied 99 strains collected from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, and found, to no one’s surprise, that they were all related. …
But is it possible that people in the distant future who don’t get colds will miss the experience in some tiny way? Will they miss the enforced respite? The bundling and the chicken soup? The sympathy? The dread of that first twinge of a sore throat, and the relief and triumph when normal breathing is restored?
By wiping out the cold do we tamper with the laws of nature?
… (T)he world may want to keep a few of these hardy cold viruses in some super-secret laboratory, ready to spring into action. Just in case.
San Jose Mercury News, March 13: … On Thursday, Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to a $65 billion pyramid scam. It may be cold comfort to those who lost life savings, but Madoff, 70, will spend the rest of his life in a small cell without a view.
One down and many more to go. Americans bailing out big banks deserve the satisfaction of seeing those whose deliberate actions contributed to the financial debacle either put behind bars or pressured to give back ill-gotten gains: CEOs who guided subprime mortgage schemes; brokers who made predatory loans; analysts who cooked ratings of mortgage packages sold on Wall Street; bank executives who handed out bonuses as their firms went south.
After Sept. 11, the FBI transferred 2,000 agents to anti-terrorism duties. Many are back doing white-collar crime. The Justice Department reports pursuing 530 cases of possible corporate crimes, including investigations into Fannie Mae, now-defunct Countrywide Financial and AIG. …
Federal sentencing guidelines link the size of the public’s financial loss to the length of a prison term. With so many billions swindled, prosecutors have plenty of leverage to squeeze out guilty pleas, offering the public a pleasant diversion from reading 401(k) statements.
Kansas City Star, March 11: Sens. Richard Shelby and John McCain say they’re tired of watching bailout after bailout of major U.S. banks. If banks are insolvent, the two said last weekend, it’s time to let them fail. …
The question, though, is whether simply allowing a few banking giants to collapse might trigger something financially and economically worse. …
The example of last fall’s failure of Lehman Brothers shows why officials should proceed with care.
The Lehman collapse led to problems in a money-market fund, which “broke the buck” – meaning its share value fell below one dollar. That led to a freeze-up of the commercial paper market, threatening many companies with the inability to make payroll.
… (T)he risk remains high that following the implied advice of Shelby and McCain – just “close them down” regardless of the consequences – could trigger massive unforeseen problems.