Economically Unbalanced Budget

Did you ever stop to consider how in the world the United States of America, the most powerful economic engine in the history of the known universe, can end up several trillion dollars in debt? Well, take a look at the microcosmom of America evident in this report from the Denver Post:

"Thousands of tiny dead fish drifted down Cherry Creek through Denver on Tuesday morning, becoming fodder for other urban critters and bit players in an ecological mystery.
As the silvery gizzard shad began to wash ashore upstream from Confluence Park, firefighters responded, followed by city, federal and state environmental overseers." http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13655676?source=rss

So some hapless beasties, very far down the food chain, go belly up and America has teams from not only the fire department, but at every level of our government, poised and ready to strike. And with state-of-the-art equipment, I might add.

Why did the fire department respond in the first place? Did they think the fish caught fire?

Let's take a look at the Keystone Bureaucrats call-to-action over what is most likely a normally occuring act of nature:

"A state biologist (was) called to the creek

Federal scientists sampled water from Cherry Creek...

Colorado Department of Health and Environment officials (were consulted)

Federal Environmental Protection Agency experts hiked a few blocks from their regional headquarters to Cherry Creek to check out the drifting dead fish and offer help

Firefighters used an infrared device to look for contamination in the water.

(H)azmat crew Capt. C.J. Haberkorn said (, results were) "negative so far."

In addition, state parks rangers were consulted and local marina employees were interviewed. How many man-hours and how much equipment expense was rustled up in the Mystery of the Silvery Shad? I don't want to appear hard-hearted about the little semi-sentient creatures, but where is the fiscal restraint?

Across the full spectrum of the American bureaurcracy, every day tens of thousands of busy-bodies waste our tax dollars pursuing the politically correct agenda entrenched at every level of our government. Are these the jobs we continue to save and create?