We the people once elected a president with the wisdom to serve all of us for all time, not just those of us favoring the present day’s economic or selfish interests.

This was President Theodore Roosevelt, whose iconic image looks down from Mount Rushmore. Good old Teddy saw so many areas of our once United States being ruined by the momentary exploitation of the few – not merely at the expense of the many but also at the expense of all future generations.

The answer of this thoughtful president, who came to love wild America as a treasure well worth preserving for all future generations, was to set aside areas of immense value for a formidable host of reasons, as national preserves or national parks.

The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in western Oregon remains a region of many special qualities that would serve the interests of all future generations.

The National Park Service was given the job of overseeing such national preserves and parks in order to protect them from ruination or excessive exploitation. No transient or selfish interest has any right whatsoever to in any way act against the interest of future generations in this preservation process. Enough of the once United States of America has been utterly ruined for all time because of exploitation by transient selfish interests.

George Eaton

South Portland