While this may seem like a funny subject, I assure you, this is a very serious matter to those who live in the Great Lakes area. This Asian Carp is a destructive species that fishing experts beleive could pose a tremendous threat to great lakes sports fishing species. Here's a EPA article on it http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/invasive/asiancarp/ These garbage fish could destroy the food source of slamon, lake trout, walleye, bass, perch, white fish and other sport fish in the great lakes. The fate of these fish is in the hands of the state of Ill. which controls the gateway of these fish from the Mississippi river to the great lakes. One was just found 6 miles from Lake Michigan. States like Michigan have been asking Illinois to shut the locks that join the Chigago river to the big lakes but they've refused to do so. The carp could do to the Great Lakes fishing industry what the oil spill is doing to the Gulf. The damage could last much longer and the sad part is it's preventable.
Gipper, I do not in any way mean to say it's not a real problem. But a National Czar? How is it preventable, and is it Illinois that should take the action?
Durbin I think is trying to hand off responsibility at the last minute so that when the disaster occurs, his home state isn't responsible. Here's an article explaining the problem http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20100627/OPINION01/6270327/We-have-to-fight-to-save-Great-Lakes
You have to admit Gipper a Carp Czar is kinda funny.... 8) Exotic species are a major problem and living in Florida we have vast experience of the never ending assault of new species that put us on the brink of danger. I have grown citrus for 25 years and in the last 5 years alone we have battled Citrus Canker and Citrus greening that was introduced via the Miami airport. These have the annual 9 billion dollar citrus industry on the brink of extinction and after never having a year in the red in the business I manage we have lost 1.5 million each of the last 5 years. Its so bad that the Citrus ag businesses are looking at ways to diversify because the outlook is so bleak. I am honestly not sure that in 10 to 15 years there will be any citrus grown in the state of Florida. I wish you and those in charge the best in their pursuit to stop the spread of these exotic species. Florida's Exotic and Invasive Species According to the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, "invasive exotic pest plants are biological pollutants that wipe out more natural habitat every year than development." In Fiscal Year 1999-2000, the State of Florida spent $90,836,680 on exotic plant and animal and insect control. Approximately 1.7 million acres of Florida's remaining natural areas have been invaded by exotic plant species. Florida's ecosystems are unique. Exotic species alter the landscape of Florida and render habitats unsuitable to native species. This reduces biodiversity and puts additional strain on endangered species, of which Florida has more than any other state in the continental U.S. The species listed below are just a sample of the exotic species that are affecting Florida's flora and fauna. Species list Brazilian Pepper European Starling Melaleuca Wild Hog Australian Pine Cuban Tree Frog Japanese Climbing Fern Fire Ant Water Hyacinth Asian Swamp Eel Hydrilla Great Toad Monk Parakeet Blue Tilapia Citrus Canker Spectacled Caiman
Far from it Bill.......I just get a little irked by the far right extremist views continually put forth here like it's gospel, blaming the current adminstartion for all of our nation's ills when in reality the first 8 pathetic years of this political decade tend to get mysteriously forgotten and ignored.
MCG, kind of like I got tired of loony lefties blaming the Bush years for any problems we have. And hearing people spout that all the time.
What would be correct Bill is that the Obama administration has been unable so far to right the severely upside down ship that he inherited from the Bush administration. Maybe he never will but it's only been 18 months. The jury is out on if he screws it up even further than Bush.....and he might or maybe he won't. I just get tired of everything boiling down to one side is completely wrong while the other is completely right which is a political mentality that has us going nowhere. I disagree that the voters are going to suddenly get amnesia in Nov. about a president that left office with some of the lowest approval ratings ever. Now if the right had any fresh ideas ( sane ones....not like the idea of doing away with Social Security )....if they had any sort of an agenda other than tearing down whatever Obama does or attempts to do then maybe they actually could sway a significant majority of impartial moderate voters come November but I don't think the GOP has positioned itself as anything other than the NO party or the MEAN party that they are well known for. Your guy in Texas that proposed the Gulf region needs to get over it and everyone just cut BP some slack is a good example of what will sink the GOP in November. Hey....check out this impartial bit of an article.....at least as impartial as the ones you guys have been posting in annoying fashion: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/05/03/bp-oil-slick-the-result-of-republican-doj-and-regulatory-policy/ Being the pied piper of NO and MEAN certainly gets the attention of the far right wing voters but I don't think it will win elections in November.
Dave, I can't blame you for not acknowledging the debt that Obama has run up in his 18 short months. It is so vast it is incomprehensible and has broken the back of this nation. By virtue of this alone he qualifies, without serious competition from anyone, as the worst president in our nation's history. If you can't see that then I can only guess that your concerns are only for the here and now and do not extend to your heirs.
In my mind, he has not passed Jimmy Carter yet, but he's less than halfway through his first term and clearly headed in that direction.
Watch it REC....you might be labeled a "loony leftist" for being concerned about anything that has to do with the environment. Besides.....your list seems relegated to just one state....one area....one group of people affected and you know what they say on the right about that....."if it doesn't affect me personally then tough sh*t.....deal with it."
Wow this is shocking to read, it certainly has not got any publicity. I'd never heard of the problem before, the only thing I thought were a threat to citrus growers were freeze and fruit flies.
Worse than that, if one state like Florida tries to keep out these unwanted invaders from foreign countries you may likely be sued by the Obama administration and branded as racist for trying to protect your borders.
Not about to label REC a loony leftist. I leave that title for loony leftists which REC is not. Gipper, you have a good point.