Pythons Devastating the Everglades: Thank a Republican
When I saw the story yesterday about the Everglades crawling with pythons — and native wildlife being decimated as a result — I had no idea this could be anything political. What could the Liberal-Conservative Democrat-Republican divide have to do with people’s pet pythons escaping — or being released — into the wild?
Believe it or not, it IS a political issue. Pythons were first discovered in the Everglades around 1980. By 2000 the problem had become serious. And now there are practically no raccoons, foxes, marsh rabbits, opossums or white-tailed deer left in the Everglades.
It’s a day late and a dollar short, but the Obama Administration is working on a rule making it illegal to move or import Burmese pythons across state lines. It’s a start anyway.
And House Republicans are denouncing this new intrusive “job-killing” regulation. Apparently the python business is an integral part of America’s economy, and any attempt to regulate it would send the unemployment rate skyrocketing into the triple digits.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has referred to this new regulation as “a solution in search of a problem.” And the committee brought in a python breeder to testify on the importance of this industry and the economic devastation that this new regulation would cause.
[sigh]
If somebody found a cure for cancer, Republicans would be against it.
Labels: Everglades pythons
posted by Tom Harper @ 2:20 PM
15 Comments:
I believe it was PBS "Nature" I was watching this one just a few months ago. People buy "Cute little Pythons" not realizing how big they can get and they have escaped, grown and spread throughout the everglades eating everything (even the gators) in it's path. In other cases they have escaped from the aftermath of the hurricanes. Local Fish and Game has been asking for more money to fight this - do they have to start eating pets and kids before the Republicans take notice?
Some animals should not be pets - hell! Sell piranhas - release them and let them eat the Pythons.
Are they really against this because it smacks too much of tree hugging environmentalism or something?
Erik
Speaking of pythons. Surviving Monty Pythons are planning a new movie about aliens.
you know what's amazing,the more rules and regulations the government puts in place the more corrupt it becomes with more red tape which defeats the intended purpose by the system getting abused like it does in every other bloated government program. Since Obama expanded food safety regulations we have had more cases of contamination.
Bigger is never better. We have alot to learn if we think we can emulate Europe and they have already told us to stop expanding.
Leaner and meaner is what we need.
Wrong Lisa,
The Record is still held by the Reagan Administration when they deregulated and then cut back on the Ag Inspectors. When American Meatpackers process meat for the European Market, they have to follow stricter safety and hygiene regulations.
Just for that, you get a free one way trip to the everglades.
Erik
you know what's amazing,the more rules and regulations the government puts in place the more corrupt it becomes with more red tape which defeats the intended purpose by the system getting abused like it does in every other bloated government program.
Would you stick to baking pies, you dumb broad? Unless you care to explain how Glass-Steagall caused more "corruption," that presumably went away when it was repealed.
Nah. Don't even try to explain anything. Just go bake us a pie and stifle yourself.
Yes, where would America, or more importantly the free-market asylum Republicans' want, be without an expanding Burmese python breeding industry?
On a more serious note, as much of a scourge as those pythons have become in southern Florida, the whole state has been crawling with snake-in-the-grass pols recently. However, this scourge seems to be migrating to Missouri.
Ugh, make that migrating to Nevada.
It was Clinton who deregulated the housing market. So how's that working out for us so far?
Easy solution: Put a bounty on wild pythons in Fla. Tell the rethugs you're doing it to support the NRA. Problem solved.
When I first read Florida was being inundated with snakes, I said to my husband... ah they are only there for the republican debate, they'll be moving on to other states soon enough.
I think moving Republicans across state lines should be banned. They suck all the fresh air out of where ever there at.... and decimate free thinkers and baby chipmunks.
They'll be in NY and Detroit soon....
Jeez, just import some snake-eating gorillas, and when winter comes they'll just freeze to de -- oh, Florida. Well played!
Erik: That's true, a lot of people see a baby python in a pet store and think "oh, isn't he cute." And then they're dumbfounded when it grows to ten feet long and weighs 200 pounds, so they release it into the wild.
If a Republican's kid gets eaten by a python, then Republicans will notice. If it's a Democrat's kid or pet, Republicans will just say he was asking for it.
Dave: Ah yes, the Monty -- the fiercest python of them all.
Erik: Americans should find a way to purchase meat that's destined for Europe.
JR: Lisa is right; these intrusive regulations only make problems worse. Food safety regulations cause food poisoning. And most car accidents are caused by those cumbersome speed limits and intrusive stop signs.
SW: You're right; Floridians will be better off when these politician-snakes finally leave their state.
Demeur: LOL, that's one way to solve it.
Jess: Yup, coming soon to a state near you.
okjimm: And unlike pythons, Republicans aren't even cute when they're little.
Anonymous: Can't wait.
Randal: Snake-eating gorillas would be more useful in Washington, DC.
I think Demeur is onto something. If there is a way to make money off of something, the Republicans will be right there.
There would have to be private donors to hand out the reward money, though... because if the money was to come from a fund created by taxpayers, then the Republicans wouldn't accept a cent of the money on general principle, right? ;-)
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