Andrew Broman, managing editor of the online Ashland Current, correctly notes that opposition from liberals will not be enough to stop the fast-track efforts to approve a new taconite mine in northern Wisconsin. He makes a compelling argument for conservatives to get involved. Although it's lilke;ly to fall on deaf ears, it is insigntful. The short version:


 


Conservation is a conservative principle, and many Republican leaders, from Theodore Roosevelt to Barry Goldwater, recognized that government has an obligation to protect the this nation's natural resources and hold accountable companies that seek to profit off the destruction of the environment....

 


Unfortunately, the Walker administration fails to appreciate the nuances of conservative thinking. Gov. Walker understands the need for low tax rates; this is a core conservative principle. But, low tax rates are not permission to run roughshod over the environment. On the contrary, low tax rates coupled with strict environmental regulations are likely to generate greater economic prosperity.


 


Northern Wisconsin needs industry, and it's important to give industry incentives to move to Wisconsin. Conservatives ought to applaud Walker's efforts to reduce taxes and lure industries from states with punitive tax rates. However, pollution does not have to be the price of prosperity...


 


Today's Republicans need to reexamine what it means to be conservative. Private interest groups, through campaign donations and lobbyists, have led too many of them astray. It is not too late, however, for these Republicans to reclaim their conservative roots and recognize them as a guiding force for protecting the environment.


The whole thing is well worth a read.


And here's a group that should contact Scott Walker: Republicans for Environmental Protection. Imagine that.