MRJ please point me too the data that proves the federal,state or local Gov owns 80% of all land holdings in the US?
It certainly seems reasonable to sell off at least 10 to 20 percent of the government owned land to private individuals because such ownership will produce a great amount of business activity which will generate money in the private sector AND more of that hated income tax!
So know we want to take federal ground and sell it to private sector? What you would gain on the smallest % on Fed income tax you would be paying much higher for on property taxes and school taxes. What do you think would be done with a large% of this ground? Housing developments, people buying dirt cheap selling 10 years later and making 200-300% markups on. What do we tell all the taxpayers that have been paying on this ground for the last 50+ years? Thanks for your contribution an making the buyer a rich man/woman? Tell me how you have a section or many sections of BLM ground landlocked around a farm/ranch who gains the most from that sale and who would not be bidding on many sections of this type of ground in this scenario? What would be market price for such landlocked ground? What could be gained selling out those sections along with the farm/ranch to outside interest in commercial hunting?
However, people should pay the costs with entrance fees, and privatization of amenities in those parks. Many people do not have the opportunity to enjoy those places, so should not be burdened with the associated costs of government ownership with so little cost to those visiting and using the places.
It doesn't cost to go to MT Rushmore? Badlands? Devils tower? The grand canyon? It adds up in numbers of visitors and these are national treasures which need to be protected by all of us, we have the option of visiting these places or not, not to mention how much money is spent at the local levels from these tourist who do come and visit? Raising the enterance fees by having local control would not only hinder attendance but also drop the revenue for private business and the states in sales tax revenue as well.
BTW, how many of you enjoy using hiways, water and sewer systems, hunting on CRP land, cooperative electric and phone systems, and more? Those all do or did, enjoy subsidies at some point in their history. NO ONE in the USA is un-benefitted by government subsidies.
We all enjoy these things because we all pay for them thru our state and federal taxes.
Maybe it is time to stop blaming farmers for all of it. Of course those subsidies are not FOR farmers, they are to keep food costs low for VOTERS, aka consumers.
I don't blame farmers as the subsides do keep our food cost low, because without it higher food cost means more open markets and outside interest getting involved in that aspect of our lives as well. Here is the scenario I see that may throw a wrench in our food prices, we will drop subsides at some point are the claims, alot think ethonol production will help many aspects and probably will, but if we keep building ethonol plants at increasing rates what does that do to food production crops? I would think we will see increases in price on many food items that directly compete with grains that will be turned into fuel.We can only grow so much of each crop correct? Then I see foregin markets comming into play in the US on the food end and hope the ethonol BOOM last for along time, as once we have the door open to lessen rising food prices our compition will be here for a very long time.