[AAABEST]

ping

[AAABEST]

Eco-wars ping.

[alaskanfan]

The situation here in South Florida has reached the critical stage. As a result of government's misguided project to "restore" the Everglades, people all over south Florida are having their land taken and their ability to earn a living ruined.

Welcome to the club!!! And a big thanx to the environmentalists.

[Free the USA]

Index Bump

[widowithfoursons]

This is why I will no longer own property (because I won't/can't really own it)? Forget the American dream in this respect. I guess buy gold???

[Damocles]

Land Grab BUMP!

[galt-jw]

this is what statism is like. Stop telling yourself that you are free. Be brave, and look objectively at the state of liberty in the US today. Slowly, over decades, in a manner that by its nature prevents current generations from knowing of past liberties lost, this situation has encroached upon us.

If avowed conservatives won't grasp this, then they are merely statists themselves.

[Got a right to Life? . . Huh?]

Federal agencies are making a habit out of ignoring the constitution. They know that the "Fair Takings" clause in the 5th amendment of the constitution is rendered meaningless if the federal government refuses to abide by it. Federal agencies know that the litigation necessary to obtain compensation for private property takings is too complex, expensive, and time consuming for the vast majority of America's citizens.

Federal officials swear an oath to uphold the constitution of the United States. When an sworn public service employee blatantly violates their oath of office, they should be removed as fast as legally possible.

[taxed2death]

While I am against any Federal grabbing of private land, I'm always amazed at people who choose to build their homes in a flood plain.

[Red Jones]

I am sickened by this type of thing and it really is happening all over. The media just doesn't report it. Our people and their rights don't even matter to our government.

[Pontiac]

This kind of Ecoterrorism will be attempted all over the country. Groups are active all over the country. Here in Ohio there is a group who’s goal is to restore a good portion of Northern Ohio, some of the best farmland in the US to swampland. I copied a small part of there website below. As you can see they are using the power of the state to assist them. Because they are very active politically they have shaped tax laws to their benefit and are using the tax law to take farmland and idle it in the name of “open spaces and wild life conservation. Remember when you do your Ohio taxes not to check the box marked Donate to Wild Life Conservation.

http://www.wcnet.org/~bsc/

Northwest Ohio was once called the Great Black Swamp. This expanse of wetlands and woodlands stretched from Ft. Wayne, Indiana to Findlay, Ohio. Beneath a dense canopy of oaks lived a rich diversity of plants and animals. When settlers discovered the agricultural value of the soil, they cleared and drained much of the swamp for farming.

What We Do

How we preserve natural spaces:

Advise farmers and landowners regarding the techniques and estate-planning benefits of land preservation.

Act as a permanent guardian for the land's conservation values, backed by the office of the Ohio Secretary of State.

Monitor easements on an annual basis to assure terms of the easement are upheld. Scheduled visits with the landowner for review of the easement.

Educate future landowner(s) of the terms of the easement.

Secure and enforce conservation easements.

Acquiring-through donation or purchase-natural or agricultural land that is left undeveloped.

Work with local and state officials in the coordination of conservation efforts.

Educating the public about the need for and the benefit of land management and preservation.

[AnalogReigns]

Virtually all of Florida is so low as to be called a flood plain, by those of us who live in more curvaceous terrain. Agriculture all over the USA is without a doubt THE most government subsidized, socialistic part of our economy. This is probably due to the boom-bust nature of farming....dependence on weather, flood control, large price fluctuations, etc. When it comes to flood control--the government is almost always heavily involved...from the beginning. Parts of Florida would be uninhabitable swamps, but for drainage of those swamps and extensive flood control began generations ago, by of course the government....

I for one am reserving judgment on this one. South Florida, if I'm not mistaken, is the heart of one of the most notorious pork-barrel agriculture supports in the nation, namely the subsidies and protectionism given to sugar-cane plantations. Cane sugar would be something like half the price it is in the stores but for government intervention.

We've only heard one side of this argument....so even though the Army Corps of Engineers is often wrong, I simply cannot take sides.