Bush tries to slip some last-minute regulations under the wire
President George W. Bush may well have just entered the most important part of his presidency. While he may seem like a lame duck to most, his administration is blasting through a series of detrimental and lasting midnight regulations. The number of his regulations may not be anything new (former Presidents Bill Clinton and Bush Sr. each set their own records), but the intent behind them is startling. Almost all of Bush’s regulations are influenced by some special interest or another – not the American people or their welfare.
The latest abhorrence-inspiring regulation comes in the form of a change to the Endangered Species Act. Under the new rule, federal wildlife scientists will not be able to ensure that constructions such as dams and highways do not interfere with wildlife. The federal agencies in charge of these constructions, surprise surprise, will have the only say in whether they are harmful or not. Endangered species could be at risk, according to The Associated Press.
This is just one regulation in a slew of environmentally, socially and economically harmful last-minute decisions. You’d think Bush would get the idea after an entire campaign was lost due to his damaging policies. These regulations are the last signature mark of a callous presidency.
-ÿAndi Berlin is a journalism senior.
Enough of ill-considered ‘Team of Rivals’ comparison
Sales of “”The Defining Moment,”” Jonathan Alter’s 2006 book on former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first 100 days, shot through the roof after President-elect Barack Obama mentioned he was reading it during a “”60 Minutes”” interview Nov. 16. Obama’s mention of “”Team of Rivals,”” Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book about former President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet, sent pundits into a frenzy, speculating that Obama would pick “”rivals”” like Sen. Hillary Clinton and even Sen. John McCain to balance his own views. For one thing, as historian James Oakes pointed out in The New York Times this week, Lincoln’s great achievements were accomplished in spite of his cabinet, not because of them – they opposed passing the Emancipation Proclamation, for example. A political genius like Lincoln may have gotten away with that, but Obama would be better advised to stock his cabinet with people who won’t try to outfox him at every turn.
– Justyn Dillingham is the opinions editor of the Daily Wildcat.
Unfair to keep students in town the day before Thanksgiving
We really get shortchanged on breaks during the fall semester. Besides Labor Day and Thanksgiving, students and staff only have Veterans’ Day off. For whatever reason, the university granted this day off on a Tuesday instead of Monday, ruining any long weekend Veterans’ Day plans students may have had in mind. It’s already bad enough that classes will still be in session on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We may be in school to learn, so traveling elsewhere shouldn’t be a top priority. Even so, it’s unreasonable to expect out-of-state students to sacrifice their high attendance grade in order to go home and see their families for once. Yes, it’s possible to take the risk of flying home on Wednesday, the busiest traveling day of the year. Anyone who has done this understands how miserable an experience it is, and in some cases, travelers never make it to their destination because of canceled flights. Some professors think it’s irresponsible to excuse absences or cancel class on the day before Thanksgiving, but it’s pretty irresponsible of an instructor to not be at least a little accommodating and understanding at the end of the semester. What a nice transition into the holiday season.
– Laura Donovan is a creative writing junior.
Schwarzenegger proposes a total recall on emissions at Summit
The governor of the chunk of land known as Kahleefohnia (formerly the state of California), promised to focus on environmental issues as part of the Global Climate Summit beginning in Beverly Hills on Tuesday. According to The Associated Press, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order the day before the summit mandating that the state obtain a third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Prior to then, California pledged to produce 20 percent of its power from wind and solar renewables by 2010, according to the AP.
It’s great that the former “”Arnold Strong”” is willing to acknowledge global warming, unlike some other Republicans, but an additional analysis by the AP “”revealed that the air travel alone of the 1,400 invitees would discharge more than 2,554 metric tons of carbon dioxide – a so-called carbon footprint equivalent to that produced from 424 cars driven for a year.”” It’s uncertain whether or not Governor Schwarzenegger will be riding in his Hummer H3 to the event.
– Matt Wavrin is a media arts senior.
