[steve in DC]

"...at least the Nature Conservancy is on the right track in that they buy property with private funds for their own purposes- nothing more American then that.

I don't have any problem with the Nature Conservancy buying property and turning it into greenways, bug preserves or anything else.

As you point out, private money certainly permits people to do what they wish with their property (in some cases ;^) .

I would feel much better about the Nature Conservancy if they weren't using my tax dollars to further their ends.

You have to look at the broad pattern to see my problem with this. The Nature Conservancy buys a farm or estate in Southern Maryland, for instance, to keep the property from being developed. They pay $5 million. They then encumber the property from development and flip the property to the Feds as a "park" or "open space" and the feds pay them back their $5 million plus some.

Then they do the same thing, with the same dollars, somewhere else. Again, and again and again.

Buying with private funds, with the intent to own is one thing. In the case of the Nature Conservancy, 'flipping" these properties to the feds, after they have been encumbered, in my view, demonstrates a much too cozy relationship between this organization and our masters...er...public servants. Their "private" money, in effect, is never "spent".

[Austin Willard Wright]

It is far worse than than that! See 34.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Please go here and read and come back and tell why the Nature Conservancy is not a MONSTER of the highest evil.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Oh-sorry-you get it. Excuse former post to you, Steve in DC. Dogbyte - are you defending TNC? Or just attacking the writer of the article exposing the cosey relationship between CBS and TNC? Of course we knew that the environazi's call the plays for the presstitutes. That is nothing new. Naming names is a bit new.

Finding out the truth regarding the monstrosity that is The Nature Conservancy is something the spinmeisters running their show just don't like. Too bad.

[hattend]

You have to look at the broad pattern to see my problem with this. The Nature Conservancy buys a farm or estate in Southern Maryland, for instance, to keep the property from being developed. They pay $5 million. They then encumber the property from development and flip the property to the Feds as a "park" or "open space" and the feds pay them back their $5 million plus some.

Then they do the same thing, with the same dollars, somewhere else. Again, and again and again.

They launder the land for the feds like fences launder money for crooks.

Hmmm...feds withhold water from farms, The Nature Conservancy comes in, buys the land for 10 cents on the dollar, then sells the land to the feds at 30 cents on the dollar. Everybody is happy, except the farmer.

Feds get the land, that would be political suicide to just take, for 1/3 price and TNC makes 200% profit.

(The above may never happen, but is possible, right?)