Federal Lands: How much could they be sold for -- and would it pay the national debt?

vanity

[BenLurkin]

If the budget would be balanced by selling off the huge swaths of Federal land -- why not do it?

[Dick Bachert]

CENTER>

The United States government has direct ownership of almost 650 million acres of land (2.63 million square kilometers) -- nearly 30% of its total territory. These federal lands are used as military bases or testing grounds, nature parks and reserves and Indian reservations, or are leased to the private sector for commercial exploitation (e.g. forestry, mining, agriculture). They are managed by different administrations, such as the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the US Department of Defense, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Bureau of Reclamation or the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The above map details the percentage of state territory owned by the federal government.

[sten]

the US has 2.27 billion acres in territory

if the fedgov owns 33% of it, that’d be about 750m acres

to pay the debt, each acre would have to sell for an average price of $23,333

so no...selling every acre of fedgov land would not cover the debt.

that should give you an idea how bad the problem is

[BenLurkin]

Thank you.

That’s kind of what I thought.

[c-b 1]

I don't think the Federal Government owns it, I am pretty sure the states own it.

I believe that the so called Federal Land is being used as collateral on the national debt.

[PieterCasparzen]

The Treasury can create money, so Federal debt can be paid any time we want to give the Federal Reserve banksters the boot.

[Mariner]

I can't imagine it's worth less than the $17tril owed.

It's 1/3 of the USA and much of it prime.

[eyeamok]

I’ll take a shot at the answer:

Under our current monetary system it is Impossible to Pay Off the Debt, let alone stop the debt from growing annually. All Federal reserve Notes and Credits have been LOANED into existence with Interest attached. If the National Debt were paid off tomorrow there would not be a single Dollar or Credit in Dollars in existence, all that is left is Coinage which is Issued. I doubt very seriously the masses are ready for 10 cent loaves of Bread again. And NO there is not enough Coinage to pay the INTEREST DUE, for that can only be Paid through the Blood and Sweat of Labor, by design. Welcome to serfdom.

[morphing libertarian]

Don’t think they could retire all debt, but put a dent in it.

Feds have done this since northwest territory was surveyed. Retired rev war debt.

Needs to be tied to balanced budget amendment

[johnnygeneric]

What I would like to know is this: How much of a state can the Federal Government own before the state is no longer a state? Seems to me 84% just about covers it. Nevada isn’t a state. It’s gone back to being a territory!

[SgtHooper]

Yes, sell it all. Then access will be non-existent. PERIOD. /s

Keep it the way it is and fix the dam scumbags in government and DC. Do not let private citizens, corporations, foreign entities buy and restrict access to our national parks, etc. Good grief! I can see the logging companies scraping the redwoods from the ground forever! This applies to any other natural resources as well.

[matt1234]

Good idea, but the sell-off should be linked to a balanced budget amendment...that constitutionally requires a balanced budget. (In fact, the USA historically made a lot of money selling off land, but this practice ended long ago, except on a comparatively tiny scale.)

[Georgia Girl 2]

Hitlery gave it to the Chi Coms for collateral on our loans.

[Kansas58]

HUH? The Feds control FAR too much real estate. There is a very good reason to sell a big chunk of it, and make it productive.

[crz]

I believe that Sen Coburn made a statement to the steps to be taken in that regards.

But, all they would need to do is go through their legislatures and claim that land per the US Constitution, Art 1 Sec 8 Clause 17, and declare that land theirs since the Federal agencies have failed in the management of the land and no longer hold the trust, of the state citizens, to manage that land.
I have to get out my law book on trusts again. But I do know this, that if a trust is mismanaged, those that manage that trust can be dismissed and the trust no longer is held.

[napscoordinator]

Give it back to the rightful owners.

Native Americans actually.

[napscoordinator]

Don’t do it because they’d just run it bac up again.

Well at least it would take awhile and instead of our kids and grandkids suffering with the debt, it would be our great great grandchildren at the least. I would like them to at least sell them as sponsorships where they can rename the area or item. It would be a great capitalistic choice.

[crz]

Ya I know. Them GD Yoopers again. LOL.

[crz]

You have a very valid point there. IMHO.

[napscoordinator]

I doubt very seriously the masses are ready for 10 cent loaves of Bread again.

Are you kidding? I am. 3.50 for a loaf of bread is outrageous. I am all for 35 cents for a gallon of gas too.

[eyeamok]

I am ready also, but the only way you can have a welfare state with lavish pensions for the ruling class is to have a Debt Based Monetary System and through the “Magic” of Fractional reserve Banking allow “Commercial Banks” to create Money out of thin air, and continually DEBASE the Nations Currency (inflation) until the Ponzi Scheme runs it’s course, we are very near the end of the game now, see it is always the MATH that wins, no matter what they say, Math just is.