Did your mom throw away your comic books that included Amazing Stories 15 or Detective Comics' original run? Then you know what it's like to have lost a valuable resource; one that should have been there for you when needed, and is simply gone.
Researchers know this feeling all too well. In ancient times the Library at Alexandria was lost. During the American Civil War, State buildings were burned to the ground. In recent years, New Orleans lost county deed records to Katrina and lack of foresight to back them up.
I recall the first time I went to research title in Oakland at the Alameda County Recorders Office. Upon seeing the illegible state of some microfilm, I asked if it was possible to review the original book records somewhere, only to be told that the books were all cross shredded after being scanned to microfilm many years ago. The look on my face was one of sheer horror. Tax-payer assets destroyed following a low-res black and white imaging? Really? Yep, really.
The current federal round of records being destroyed at the federal archives is nigh tantamount to such horrors as nature and enemy nations have inflicted upon us. Again, in this case, we do it to ourselves. Old federal court case files are being digitally scanned; not all the documents, filings, and pages, but a select few. The rest is being tossed in the trash. Well, shredded first to comply with privacy laws, then taken for recycling at the authorized facility of the winning bidder.
The reason for this is to save taxpayers money. Yep, burning libraries, razing parks and tearing down monuments has the same effect: fewer things to upkeep and maintain, but nobody's recommending that as an option.
In many instances, private nonprofit agencies have stepped in to save and preserve records. In my home town, the local historical society and museum have opted to preserve the old tax / assessors rolls on the original microfilm for the pre-1979 years, all the way back to 1856. They have limited archive hours a few days a week, but this is better than no access at all.
Would nobody step forward and do this for the People of America? Not even our enemies?
Lack of foresight, even when looking back on history, is a serious flaw in our national character. This sort of myopic decision making is tantamount to book burning, and during recession times the number of new, private sector jobs that could have been created is simply another lost opportunity in the annals of history to be filed, forgotten and shredded again some day.