I simply don't understand how the aesthetic value of an environmental preserve, which serves no other purpose than "being pretty" trumps the social and economic needs of the greatest country in the history of civilization? To top it off, the Grand Ol Party congressmen couldn't even get the moratorium lifted on offshore drilling on the east and west coasts.
The worst part is how large the Republican defection was on this issue:
Twenty-five Republicans, led by Rep. Charles Bass of New Hampshire, signed a letter asking GOP leaders to strike the Alaskan drilling provision from the broader $54 billion budget cut bill.
“Rather then reversing decades of protection for this publicly held land, focusing greater attention on renewable energy sources, alternate fuels, and more efficient systems and appliances would yield more net energy savings than could come from ANWR and would have a higher benefit on the nation’s long-term economic leadership and security,” they said.
The moderates knew they had leverage, given the narrow margin of GOP control of the House. It only takes 14 Republican defections to scuttle a bill, assuming every Democrat opposes it.
Hopefully the Republicans in the Senate can throw a little clout around and get this thing done, finally, for the good of the country instead of cowtowing to the interests of nutty leftists who have twisted the issue into some all-important cause.
