A lot of the land is valuable and we spend billions a year “upkeeping” it via BLM, USFS, etc. Since we own the land it is either entirely off limits to mining, oil companies, developers, or homesteaders or access is severely restricted. Wilderness areas is a favorite and expanding option as are administrative diktat and national monument. There are very valuable mineral lands in Nevada that are off limits because of their proximity to wilderness areas, death valley, etc. The areas that are option are a huge hassle to mine or pump despite a private entity owning the mineral rights.
The country would also be better off if all forest lands were sold and responsible forest management was implemented. We have huge, record forest fires in the southwest due to the forest service acting in the interests of environazis and not thinning the forest where the forest companies used to in order to prevent such fires. In the few instances where thinning is allowed on a small, “trial” basis on the NM/AZ border the forest service pays the company to thin rather than make it a part of larger bid that would bring the forest service money. It’s sick that fire prevention efforts have been co-opted by the environazis.
The world is full of people wanting a free ride, those days are over get a job and buy yourself a place to live, and stop trying to steal out of the other mans bowl of rice.
While national park land is closed to mining and drilling, BLM land is where most of the mining in the west happens. It is also where much of the cattle grazing in the west happens.
“It’s sick that fire prevention efforts have been co-opted by the environazis.”
You can drive through sections of the national forests that are just blackened stumps and nothing has grown back for 50 years because the fires were so super hot it sterilized the soil.
Most of “that land” has usage control treaties that were signed with the United Nations. Too late to get it back now.