Latest Mises.org blog post by Jim Fedako.
The Chicago Tribune and The Columbus Dispatch are reporting a Washington Post story on the federal push to make the polar bear the first mammal to be listed as in-risk of extinction due to global warming. According to the reports, "The Bush administration has decided to propose listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, putting the U.S. government on record as saying that global warming could drive one of the world's most recognizable animals out of existence."
OK, now that the feds are willing to consider the global impact of a supposed warming Earth on the polar bear population, it's time to work out the local implications. No longer is some local forest or stream the habitat of legal restraint as "putting polar bears on the endangered species list raises the legal question of whether the government would be required to compel U.S. industries to curb their carbon-dioxide output."
According to this logic, cars made in the US contribute to global warming, which in turn affects the greater habitat of the polar bear. It's a beautiful strategy, extend the habitat of an animal to encompass the whole Earth in order to control the actions of all acting humans.
The snail darter and spotted owl were amateur attempts at Green socialism compared to the polar bear.