The Klamath Basin is home to over 1,400 farmers who are apparently less important than sucker fish.

Farmers in northern California and southern Oregon rely heavily on the water from Klamath Lake for irrigation purposes.

Last April, the federal government decided to stop farmers from taking water from the Klamath Lake.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has been accused of violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing farmers to take the water that was named theirs over 100 year ago.

Klamath farmers have been cut off from the water in order to help save the endangered sucker fish.

You know things have gotten out of hand when our federal government steps in to help sucker fish at the expense of people.

This wasn’t the best summer for this to happen.

Farmers in the area are facing a drought, and without the water from the lake, they have been forced to sell off livestock and watch their fields dry up as they lose their crops.

Well, hundreds of them are fighting for their farms and their families.

The farmers have organized a protest and have illegally cut open the gates that feed the canal on four separate occasions.

Each time, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has shut them immediately, but no arrests have been made.

Many of the environmentalists on the scene are accusing the farmers of extremism, saying they need to respect the rule of law.

It’s kind of hard to respect the rule of law when that law took away everything you ever worked for and dreamed of.

It’s not the same situation as a poor person robbing the rich.

Criminals so often give the excuse that there is no other way for them to survive other than stealing.

The difference is when a person robs another, it infringes upon someone’s rights.

When a farmer opens a gate to a canal, he or she doesn’t hurt any person or infringe on their rights.

Rather, it actually helps others by providing income and food.

It is the farmer in Klamath that will not be able to survive because of a law that fails to deal with people and their rights.

In a 52-48 vote Thursday, the U.S. Senate decided to direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take action for the recovery of these sucker fish.

What boggles my mind is the way our Iowa Senators voted.

Republican Chuck Grassley did the right thing by voting against taking this governmental action.

On the other hand, Democrat Tom Harkin voted to take action against these farmers.

Federal agents with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are now on the scene to make sure the Endangered Species Act is not violated.

This was just more bad news for the farmers affected in the area.

Sunday, however, the farmers beat the system.

Although it may be too late for this summer, farmers in the area built an irrigation pipe around the gate that would bring water to the canal.

Environmentalists are threatening the farmers, saying if the water level drops or fish are sucked into the irrigation pipe, arrests will be made.

Klamath is simply an example of what environmentalism is doing to us as a society. They say those of us on the right don’t care about people, just ourselves.

Yet it is they who are causing farmers to go without necessities this year.

This is what happens with government intrusion. People fail because the government fails them first.

This is a perfect reason we as people should not rely on big brother government.

Farmers in Iowa should take note of the Klamath situation.

They are lucky it’s not them being thrown in the dark because the government wants to protect a sucker fish.

Hopefully, people will remember this next election when Harkin claims he will help the family farm.

Remember, he cast a vote which basically told farmers to screw off, because fish are more important.

It’s time for the country to wake up from this environmental daydream and realize what is actually happening to people out there.

Thanks to the extreme environmental left, it’s the farmer, not the fish, who is the real sucker here.

Zach Calef is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Cedar Rapids. He is a news editor of the Daily.