Posted on 07/27/2011 4:38:42 AM PDT by don-o
This data was originally published in Stanford Magazine. It demonstrates what percentage of the land in each state is owned directly by the federal government.
I realize this data is dated, but I want to see some discussion of the United States as a land owner. Is this what we really want / need?
Hi don-o,
I realize my notions are somewhat archaic, but I’d love to see the guv raise a little cash by selling via another homestead act, of some sort. Excluding sales to corporations wishing to buy the country (or most of it), of course. I find no good reason for the government to justify owning so much land.
What in the hell difference does it make to you, much of that land a lizard would not live on and the rest is public parks and national forest. Another nut wanting something for nothing.
All you need to know is “They” control almost ALL of the Green River Formation under Colorado, Utah and Wyoming and its 1.1 to 1.3 TRILLION barrels of recoverable oil!
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.
I live in NJ. In our municipality, ONE THIRD of the land is owned by either the municipality, the county, the state and the federal governments. These are seperate parcels of land and are not co-owned.
Much of the land is held in trust for Indians and the Feds have no right to sell.
Other areas are virtually worthless and have no commercial value.
Aside from National Parks and other property that has national interest, much of the land could be turned over to the states except the states do not want the expense of maintaining and administering it.
Wow. What's your problem? You must not be aware how the government seizes land so mining and oil operations are forbidden. Ever hear of ANWR? Selling land to Americans and American corporations would spur economic activity and raise money to pay off federal debt. Or had you also not heard about the Federal debt?
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Don't forget this when the Fed tells you that they can't pay back the Social Security that you paid in!
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I realize this data is dated, but I want to see some discussion of the United States as a land owner. Is this what we really want / need?
I have always said that these blocks of land, often extremely valuable land is being held as collateral and will eventually be surrendered to the debt holders - the privately held Federal Reserve, China, and others in on the scam.
Eventually the debt "crisis" (don't let a crisis go to waste) will be used to force Americans to decide whether the FedGov should sell off the lands to China and others, or if they should loot the private 401k plans to underwrite the government. I'm afraid the answer will most likely be "both".
We The People have been conditioned to think that there is no government waste, that every dollar spent is absolutely mandatory, that every government agent is born of heavenly angels with the best of intents - and this debt problem suddenly came out of no where and will destroy the country right now unless we sell out to our enemies and loot the wealth of the few remaining Producers.
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.
The American government is just another mafia gang out to enrich themselves and their buddies. That’s all.
There is no such thing as ‘private’ anything in America. There is no such thing as ‘freedom’ anymore.
There is no such thing as a ‘private business’. Unless you buy from who they tell you, hire who they tell you, sell to who they tell you at the price they tell you, and the most important thing of all, unless you give them their self determined ‘cut of the take’, the gov will shut you down and take what they want.
There is no ‘private’ ownership of land or anything at all in America. Everything owned in America is rented year to year from the government. Try missing a couple of rent payments to the government and see what happens. They will foreclose and come take everything you have and sell it. And, if you happen to be sitting on some property they (or their buddies) want, they just ‘take it’ in any case.
We are all just puny serfs laboring to support the outrageous hundreds of millions dollar salaries and lifestyles of our feudal lords and their friends. The so called ‘public serpents’ are now our masters and our oppressors.
You’re right. The federal government can’t justify owning that much real estate while being unable to pay it’s bills. Some land should be sold to pay down the debt. There is also the principle of federalism in which the states should be in control of most activities within their borders. This can’t happen where the feds own the majority of the land.
The west doesn’t have water. Water...Estimates vary, but each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day. We have 8 or 9 million ILLEGALS living in the west. Let’s say they only use 40 gallons a day that is 8,000,000 X 40 gallons X 365 days. That’s a lot of gallons that we could direct elsewhere!
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.
Other than National Parks and federal government locations all of this should be deeded back to the states.
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