New Monuments/Old Attitudes

[Carl B.Lind]

"Public resources belong to all of the public."
-------------------------------------

Exactly.  And that's why care must be taken in making decisions about those
resources.

The "Executive Order" is a two-edged sword:  it can be used for positive or
negative purposes.  Why use the Executive Order when a consensus decision
might be achieved to the same end?   The fact the Clinton waited eight years
to sign these Orders indicates that perhaps there were serious difficulties
that would be better addressed by open, public debate.  By not having this,
affected states and communities could be embittered to the point of
hindering future environmental legislation.

The issue is process.  This is a country that is supposed to be ruled by
law, not man.  The Executive Order appears to come close to negating that
idea.  In today's society where so many people are effected by such
decisions, neither Clinton nor Bush should be able to make environmental law
without at least attempting to achieve some sort of consensus from the
citizens.  This will best serve the environment in the long term.

CL

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