“There is no reason for the Federal Government to own all that land.”
An economic study from Utah in 2012 found that taking over land management would cost the state government a substantial sum: $275 million a year. The states don’t want it either. But these studies have established that there would be substantial administrative costs for states if they took over, not to mention the cost of protecting the land from people like Bundy who uses the land, makes his profit, but pays no fee like everyone else so the land will be protected and the water kept clean for use.
And the federal government transfers a lot of its leasing revenue back to states to compensate for the taxes the states might have collected if the land were in private hands. If they owned the land, the states would have to collect rents and administer permits themselves.
So it turns out that if the states owned it, the ranchers will just be angry at another level of government for basically the same reasons. And if you allow one rancher to freely graze on the land, everyone else will have to be allowed, and no revenue to protect the land and the people will be generated for cattle. And shortly people will start housing developments that will in time take over the grazing land. This is part of the squeezing problem for farmers and ranchers now...space to work. Look at what’s happened to almost all major airports over the years. I’m willing to bet that most of them started out in the open away from people. That got changed.
And, Bundy could have purchased land from the feds as they sell that land all the time. But why should he buy the cow when he gets the milk for free?
rwood
Do you really believe large tracts of federally managed land can be purchased by individuals?
You have zero idea what you are talking about...again. I live in a county where 95% of the land is poorly managed either by the BLM or the USFS. My ranch borders on BLM property and I have a state lease on a section.
I know of dozens of instances where there are boundary disputes between BLM, FS and private property owners, often where there were survey errors from the early 1900’s and resolving these minor disputes often take years to complete.
Locally, a FS lease holder of property containing a state historic site has been trying to complete a land exchange with the FS...he is trying to obtain title to 3-acres in exchange for 11-acres of land bordering a wild and scenic river. He wants to use his own funds to restore the 3-acre historic site...this simple transaction has been going on for 22-years with possible resolution next year...maybe?
You really are clueless on how things works out here.