I read in the USA Today that the government had approved a 125,000 acre expansion of Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park back in 2004, after hearing testimony from paleontologists and archaeologists. The area home to 220 million years of natural history, and centuries-old pueblo ruins.

Total cost of the land is estimated at 20 million. Since 2004, the government has offered no money to the ranchers. The ranchers are now starting to put For Sale signs up on their property.

I can see it now - The skelatel remains of Triassic Period dinosaurs forever buried under a layers of concrete and asphalt. A WalMart, McDonalds and Home Depot replacing the ancient ruins of the pueblos. Graffiti replacing the petroglyphs.

A mere 20 million of government funding could turn this around. Whether it will appear before it's too late, if at all, is another story.

Just how much is this damn war costing us?