[OldSaltUSN]

"Warlord Bundy only owns 180 acres, the rest of it is federal land which he leases, but doesn't pay the leasing fees. " - Ben Ficklin

So, we know your bias. Why don't you educate yourself a bit. It's not as simple as "Bundy is a deadbeat".

"Grab a Cup of Coffee – Because This is Soup-to-Nuts"

[Ben Ficklin]

Thanks for the link but it says nothing about Taylor Grazing Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, Public Rangeland Improvement Act, Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, Wilderness Act, Endangered Species Act, Wild Horse and Burro Act, and many others.

All these things combine and we know that the number of grazing leases and acres grazed has been reduced thru the years, but Congress has a right and duty to do this.

OTOH, there are a lot more recreational sites on the public lands. Lots more coal and natural gas being produced. More Scenic rivers, more endangered species, higher levels of protection to the lands, more wilderness, to name a few.

As for the Hammonds, their issue is/was relatively minor in that it revolved around recreational rights. Grazing lease holders are not granted recreational rights and in the case of the Hammonds, they had no recreation rights on the federal lands adjoining the land they actually owned and the reason they set the fires was to cover up that they had been poaching on these federal lands.

BTW, here is an interesting factoid: In the recent Paul Ryan Budget that Congress passed and Obama signed, Congress extended the Land and Water Conservation Fund for 5 years. It is the money in this fund that the land agencies use when they buy land from a private owner, such as the Hammonds.