Fresno farmers vs. Five inch fish

This one hits close to home. In California's Central Valley (Fresno), the current administration's lack of concern for the general well being of man has caused at least 45,000 jobs to be lost in the agricultural, and farming communities surrounding the Fresno area. This was done to protect a fish. Fish, or people? Watching the news last night, seeing families standing in lines because of a Smelt. I can't imagine what some of these people are going through. Their entire livelihood, taken from them. Imagine if you lost your job, whatever it is, because of a Hypomesus Transpacificus (Smelt). Why did you get layed off? The economy, downsizing, outsourcing, or was it the smelt? Forty five thousand people, without jobs.

As if the Fresno farmers don't have enough problems. Three years of severe droughts, the worst recession in our generation, and now, being denied access to water, a vital, and essential life blood for farmers.

The main argument is the fish are being caught in the delta pump and dying, which in my opinion still doesn't justify causing hardship on American families. It has also been argued that the salmon eat the smelt so therefore the smelt are vital to the salmon population as well, which is a half truth. Salmon eat many other things. They could definitely live without smelt in their diet. To say that smelt is vital to the salmon population is just not truth. Even if the argument held water, it still makes no difference. To place smelt, salmon, whales, grizzly bears, bald eagles, etc before human well-being is bordering on the edge of insanity.

How is this standing in the tradition of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness", when farmers and there families have to stand in line for hours just to get free food because of the endangered smelt. One farmer had to spend $600,000 dollars for a well just to keep operating. I believe our forefathers, if faced with the same problem may have destroyed all the fish no sooner as to even discuss lessoning general welfare of men and women. The smelt might as well be endowed to have these "certain unalienable Rights" as we were blessed with from God, and our national heritage. All men and smelt are created equal. It's not silly, or meant to be humorous. That is the attitude of these people.

There is a show on Animal Planet called Whale Wars, were the green peace rejects, the Sea Shepard's (The founder of the Sea Shepard was kicked out of Green Peace for being to fanatical about saving the whales) risk their own human lives in frigid waters to save the whales, and disrupt the whaling industry. The lengths these people go through to protect the whales, while endangering the lives of volunteers is beyond my comprehension.

The extinction number is not even that low for the Smelt. Last of all, why are we as a nation still having Smelt festivals in New York that goes through 500 pounds of Smelt in 2 days if they are endangered. Lunacy