THE GOVERNMENT VS THE ENVIRONMENT When the subject is the environment, the general public perception is that a resource of such importance can only be adequately safeguarded by the benevolent, all-encompassing hands of the government. Whether this comes in the guise of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, the Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management or any of their variations on the federal, state, and local levels, many citizens fear that leaving environmental (…showed first 75 words of 1343 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1343 total…is acting immorally. In terms of environmental protection, the State is not exempt from the Law of Unintended Consequences. Even when acting from good intentions, the government will cause problems where none existed or permit problems to continue which a strict adherence to property rights would end. In reality, the issue is not "the government vs the environment" but rather the government vs individuals and their rights. From such a stance, only destruction can result.