Pave paradise, put up a parking lot

Say goodbye to biodiversity. The House GOPers have succeeding in decimating the Endangered Species Act in a what passes for a relatively close vote these days in Congress.

The bill would require the government to compensate property owners if measures to protect species thwart development plans. It would also give political appointees the power to make some scientific determinations and stop "critical habitat" designations, which limit development.

In other words, crony capitalists will no longer have to give up obscene profits from overdevelopment projects in order to protect our natural resources. Rather ironic that the party that trumpets personal responsibility when it comes to entitlement programs doesn't think its big funders should have to take any for their bad choices.