according to the washington post, these titular stink bugs (halyomorpha halys) have been destroying enough flora along the eastern seaboard that 15 congressmen have asked the USDA and EPA to step in to help farmers and local industries deal with the problem.
the best part is, of the 15 lawmakers, 8 are republican...
BENEN (9/26/10): In other words, faced with a [sic] environmental problem, the first instinct from conservative Republican politicians is to ask the federal government to do something. Indeed, they're specifically asking for federal bureaucrats to sweep into action and use expanded federal regulations to help people.
Hmm.
There seems to be a bit of disconnect here between Republican ideology and real-world problems. On the one hand, conservative lawmakers like Bartlett hate "big government," the EPA, federal regulations, and government bureaucrats. This year, plenty of GOP candidates are talking about eliminating the EPA, firing parts of the federal workforce, scrapping regulations, and slashing spending on various agencies.
Shouldn't conservative lawmakers, right about now, expect the free market to offer a solution to the stink-bug problem? Why hasn't the GOP offered everyone a tax credit for fly swatters and facemasks? Why aren't Tenthers running around demanding to know where, exactly, the Constitution empowers the federal government to deal with an insect infestation?
there's more, but it always bugs me ::ahem:: when conservatives pretend that government can do no good, that the free market is always the best solution, and that regulations are socialist.
they know better.
yet we've heard this same refrain on a variety of topics--from social security to health care, medicare to medicaid--for the past 30 years from the right-wing.
this just demonstrates that their claims are disingenuous at best.
too bad i can't get the EPA to regulate the stink of THEIR B.S...
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