Cliven Bundy and the Environment

For those of you who aren't familiar with the story, Clive Bundy has been grazing his cattle on Federal land for years and paying a monthly fee for it ($1350). Well, in 1993, he decided he was tired of paying for the rights, but continued allowing his cattle to roam on federal land. I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, I have to pay to get into some federal parks, so for him to pay to graze his cattle on federal park land seems fair. However, his family has been grazing on that land since before the Federal government staked a claim to it, and I do get into some federal parks for free. So, I am fine with letting him continue to graze there for free.

However, here is where I think this story is completely ridiculous. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and apparently several environmental groups say that the Federal government has a right to cease Mr. Bundy's cows because by continuing to graze on the land without paying the grazing fees, he is causing the Mojave Desert Tortiose to go extinct.

Say what?!?!? How is paying a fee to the government for his cattle to graze there saving this tortoise? The BLM has a more than $1 billion dollar budget (about $100,000 per employee) and also happens to be one of the biggest income generators for the Federal government. They have a few buildings and some roads to maintain, but mostly they watch parkland, do research, and answer visitor questions. No, those $5 billion in funds it raises do not go to protecting tortoises. They go to funding the federal government with about 40% returned to the states in the form of federal aid for things like roads and education. The rest is lost in that wasteful machine that runs this country. Of course, we all know how making more roads or better roads that allow drivers to travel faster will help save tortoises.

The BLM's precursors were established at nearly the same time as our country to give land away to people and settle untamed land. In the 1930's that goal shifted to preserving public lands. This was in part because people were killing each other for rights to graze on land (or drill for oil or whatever). So, it was right of the government to step in and say, "No, everyone has a right to graze on this land since none of you want to claim it and pay taxes on it." But charging ranchers a fee is something relatively new to the process and kind of ridiculous since they have been doing it for free for years. It's like saying, "Okay, since you don't want to claim this land and pay taxes on it, we are going to make you pay taxes on it and not let you claim it."

Don't think this is about endangered species. It's about Washington trying to figure out a way to raise more money for itself. As far as I am concerned, Washington has already wasted enough of it and doesn't need any more.