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Article: Lords of the flies: the United States government is forcing landowners to spend millions of dollars to protect an endangered bug.(Dehli sands flower-loving fly)
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- May 5, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WHEN President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act in 1973, he inadvertently codified Aldo Leopold's stylish but stupid aphorism, "To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering." Should we lament the extinction of smallpox, or expand the ESA to protect unique life forms such as various viruses for future generations? Before we "Save the fungus among us!" as Gary Larson once quipped, we might want to reconsider what we are already trying to save -- and, more importantly, how we are going about it.
At present, the ESA protects 33 species of insect. While most Americans might not think twice about stepping on a bug, the federal penalty ...