James Watt, friend of Jesus, enemy of nature
It is good to see that there are some people out there, like Will Bunch, trying to trying to add some sanity into our national memory of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Reagan’s legacy is deeply problematic at best, despite his canonization by the right. And one of Reagan’s most ridiculous acts as president was his appointment of noted lunatic James G. Watt as secretary of the interior. (That’s a bit like putting Michael Milken in charge of the S.E.C., or making C. Montgomery Burns Secretary of Labor. Except with more Jesus-ness). And now, Reagan-myth purveyor John McCain is apparently interfering with President Obama’s nomination of David Hayes to a high-level position at the Interior Department, because Hayes had the audacity to question Reagan’s environmental policies. I think Brian Beutler’s comment on the matter sums things up nicely:
…as McCain should recall, Reagan’s own Interior Secretary was James Watt, who’s a weird man in all kinds of ways, but, on the issues, held that federal land should just be handed over to private, polluting interests to do whatever they wanted with, particularly if that involved mining or drilling or any unsustainable practice. He didn’t care about endangered species or the water supply or anything else, not simply because he was cold hearted, but because he thought the rapture was extremely nigh! Watt hinted at those dispensationalist religious views in testimony before Congress, when he said, “That is the delicate balance the Secretary of the Interior must have, to be steward for the natural resources for this generation as well as future generations. I do not know how many future generations we can count on before the Lord returns, whatever it is we have to manage with a skill to leave the resources needed for future generations.”
I guess we should only be mildly surprised. After all, Reagan was the guy who told us that conservation wasn’t a good idea, because it would mean we’d be too hot in the summer, and too cold in winter. (If there’s a Hall of Fame for Shortsightedness, Reagan could get in on that statement alone).
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That dude is goofy!