Feds: More Wildfires, Fewer Firefighters

With a bleak outlook for this year's wildfire season and the challenge of a shrunken budget, federal officials on Monday urged private citizens to do their part to reduce the risk of fire to property and life. "We are now at a time in the season where we need to begin to prepare for what will likely be a difficult fire season," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a news conference call from the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Noting that 12 of the hottest years on record have occurred in the last 15 years, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said she expected the coming fire season to be "a tough one." "It's pretty scary for folks on the ground here," said Jewell, who joined Vilsack in Idaho...more

Congrats to Vilsack & Jewell...they managed to get budget cuts and global warming in a press briefing allegedly about the fire season.

Vilsack, whose department oversees the U.S. Forest Service, said his budget has about $1 billion less in discretionary spending than in 2009, so less federal money is available for fuel reduction projects that can decrease fire danger.

Cancel the ridiculously puny "fuel reduction projects" and use the money to hire firefighters.  Then issue contracts to real, live timber companies so they can harvest the resource.

"There will obviously be fewer firefighters, there will be fewer engines, and hopefully we'll be able to manage this situation and ensure that people are protected and property is protected. That's our ultimate goal." - Vilsack

For that quote I had to resort to my bullshit detector. 

And sure enough, it found this was nothing but

Insiders at USDA advised his "ultimate goal" was to overturn the sequestration cuts and elect Democrats in 2014.