Kevin Brady: “in Washington everything looks perfect on paper and people hate to admit they made a mistake; but the truth of the…”

“in Washington everything looks perfect on paper and people hate to admit they made a mistake; but the truth of the matter is how it works in real life is completely different, and we have a responsibility to make those changes. I strongly support this recovery act and thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) for his leadership and the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza) for his hard work. My east Texas district, which was hit very hard by Hurricane Rita, is jam packed with trees. The piney woods are our heritage. They are our economy; and they provide habitat for the red cockheaded woodpecker, among other endangered species. But for decades, responsible landowners have been afraid that the Federal Government would swoop in and take their livelihood away for the sake of this bird due simply to the outdated and unsubstantiated burdens of the Endangered Species Act. America's farmers and ranchers and private property owners in east Texas have spent long enough fearing the Federal Government. Unfortunately, current law has created incentives for landowners to destroy species habitat to rid their properties of liability. I strongly support this measure.”