Man and "Environment" Can Coexist

I was struck by forest ecology supervisor Craig Iverson's statement in an article in the May 10, 2010 Pensacola News Journal (www.pnj.com, Coldwater Creek Feels the Burn). The statement had to do with the demise of a woodpecker species during the 1970's, '80's and 90's. The woodpecker species was disappearing because "there was too much brushy understory in Blackwater. We were not burning enough."

Disclaimer; I know Craig Iverson and he is a very intelligent man. My entry here is no indictment of him or his statement.

What struck me about the statement was that we've been told for years (by those purporting to protect the environment/earth) how man is "destroying the environment." We are threatening the habitat of numerous species. To listen to the reports it often sounds as if the planet would somehow be better off without mankind.

So I ask the following;
1. How arrogant must we humans be if we think that we have the power to destroy the earth? Think about that. If you believe in God, you've got to believe that He wouldn't give us the power to destroy His creation. If you believe the earth is greater than us mere mortals, how could you possibly believe we would have power over the earth?
2. What if we didn't protect some of the many "protected" species? Many other countries put no such restrictions on themselves. What would happen? Would new species be created?
3. How much money do we spend every year to "protect" species that have no apparent value to the environment?
4. Isn't man part of nature? If the lion is part of nature and eats when it wants (killing its prey with no regard for the endagerment of a species), why does man have to worry about preserving certain species (other than to maintain a food supply)?

Just for the record; I don't support the senseless killing of various species for no reason. I'm just asking questions.

I say; we can coexist, but we humans are higher on the food chain than the animals and plant life. What do you think?

Are We Underpaid?

Two things really stuck with me over the weekend;

1. In a story about Fortune magazine's number one place to work in America, CBS Sunday Morning cited some poll that stated most American workers are overworked and underpaid.

2. A customer complained that dry cleaning prices are much lower in Houston. This was the second complaint (in one week) about Pensacola dry cleaning prices being higher than dry cleaning prices outside the area.

On the idea that most workers are underpaid and overworked, I tried to imagine how that polling went; Gee, do you think you get paid enough? Do you think your employer expects too much work from you, the right amount or not enough? Is it any surprise how these were answered?

The people I've met that think their pay is adequate can be counted on one hand. You may wonder how this ties into the number two issue; dry cleaning prices being too high. Well, read on...

I am fascinated with people's inability to understand that the private sector typically prices goods and services based on cost and adding some profit. Contrary to popular belief, most small businesses are not adding anywhere near the 100% profit some would have you believe. By the way, our dry cleaning prices are lower than the two larger dry cleaners in the area.

In the Pensacola area we are unable to hire people at minimum wage. We may pay more for supplies than some areas because of transportation costs (e.g. different geographic areas have different fuel costs and that affects the cost of supplies and wholesale goods). Since labor is the single biggest expense in most businesses, it seems to me that complaining about pricing is almost like saying "your people get paid too much."

We want to buy big screen tv's for under $1,000, computers for less than $500 and we expect to get our shirts cleaned and pressed for $1.99. But we don't even consider taking a job that requires significant manual labor or getting dirty. We wouldn't dream of working in a factory. When we do consider a job with a big company, we expect tons of benefits, great salaries and great working conditions. Then when all the manufacturing jobs go overseas, we get mad at the companies for "giving our jobs away."

The next time you hear someone complain about the prices of some good or service, ask them if they'd be willing to take a pay cut in order to keep prices down.

Government Waste

Thank goodness our government is finally gonna get a handle on the U.S. deficit. What? You're surprised? Well, consider that this week our president announced the formation of a "bipartisan" panel to focus on reducing deficits. Yep, you can rest assured that they'll get to the bottom of our deficit issues.

Now I don't know about you, but I thought that was the job of our elected representatives. And who do you think will make up that "bipartisan" commission? Do you think it will be independent auditors that have no ties to the elected morons who've helped create this mess? I doubt it.

So once again, the federal government will pay people lots of money to tell us what we already know; the idiots responsible for oversight of our federal spending have been derelict in their duties for many years and it needs to be stopped. But no one will be fired, tried or even slapped on the wrist. The final report probably won't even be shown to the public. If it is, it will only be after somebody twists the findings to show that the irresponsibilities were the fault of people no longer in office ('cause God-forbid one of our esteemed politicians be held to account).

Please encourage your friends to pay attention.