|
‘Sagebrush Rebels’ ride again – August 8, 2009
Should anyone care that the federal government claims ownership to 65 percent of the land west of Denver, Colorado and less than two percent of the land east of Denver?
Every American citizen should care, particularly with the Obama administration centralizing more government control inside the Washington, D.C. beltway and exerting greater pressure outside, especially on the American West.
In an expression of solidarity, like the Obama-inspired Tea Parties, thousands of Utahns will be gathering at the Utah State Capitol under the banner “Take back Utah” on Saturday, August 8 and rallying to maintain our Constitutional rights of access to the lands within our borders. Farm Bureau members are encouraged to participate.
Today, just like the Jimmy Carter days of the1970s, distrust and disagreement over state vs. federal powers are fueling a firestorm of Western rebellion. The last straw in 1976 was passage of the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA) that dictated the federal lands of the American West must be held in perpetual trust by the federal government. Alas, the “Sagebrush Rebellion” was born.
Westerners understand the foundation principle of socialism is government owning the resources for production and distributing the benefits “according to ability and need.” We also know the lands of the American West are rich with resources and should belong to the states and to their citizens.
This new age of federalism is weakening America’s foundation for freedom– the competitive free enterprise system. Utah Farm Bureau delegates in November reaffirmed a commitment to a competitive business environment while opposing socialistic and communistic economic systems.
A rudimentary study of history will show that one of the fundamental principles resolved more than 200 years ago by the Founders in the U.S. Constitution was the important question of equality among the states. Called the “Equal Footing Doctrine,” this principle calls for all states to enter the Union equal in their sovereign power.
Is the Founder’s vision of equality among the states only meant for the states east of Colorado? The federal government today owns 98 percent of Alaska, 86 percent of Nevada, 66 percent of Utah, 64 percent of Idaho, 53 percent of Oregon and 48 percent of Wyoming.
The U.S. Constitution sets limits how the federal government might purchase land “by consent of the Legislature of the State” and for what purposes including “Forts, Arsenals, dock-Yards and other needful buildings” in Article I, Section 8. Further, the 10th Amendment declares that the powers not explicitly granted to the federal government within the U.S. Constitution are retained by the states and the American people.
The original ‘Sagebrush Rebels’ came from both political parties. In 1981, Republican President Ronald Reagan declared himself a ‘Sagebrush Rebel’ pointing out that the federal bureaucrats “can’t figure out if they’re landlord or king.” Democrat Colorado Governor Richard Lamm noted “the vast federal land holdings mean we cannot control our own destiny.”
As a participant in the Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s, I feel August 8, 2009 is a good day to kick-off “Sagebrush Rebellion II.” Distrust and disagreement over federal land management policies has really never gone away.
As Westerners, let’s all recognize that newly appointed Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s immediately set out to establish his authority over Utah public lands. His rescission of oil and gas leases on 77 BLM parcels and pulling back numerous parcels previously cleared for oil shale research and development was with the explicit blessing of President Obama. These federal government actions against Utah’s future are as illegal as Tim DeChristopher’s monkey wrenching the 2008 BLM oil lease auction.
Secretary Salazar’s initial heavy-handed management style is a warning shot that got the attention of the Utah Farm Bureau, Utah’s Public Lands Multiple Use Coalition, State Representative Mike Noel and all rural citizens. The federal government is in the process of imposing new, more restrictive land use regulations, curtailing grazing rights, closing historic RS 2477 rights-of-way granted by Congress, and adding bureaucratic impediments to Congressionally-mandated multiple use.
These land resources generate millions of dollars to educate Utah school children. These lands offer jobs and economic opportunity for our children and grandchildren. Utah is unfairly subjected to the political whims of politicians. We in Utah and in the American West deserve greater opportunity for self determination.
As Westerners, we may not always agree on the issues as they relate to the public lands. But for the most part, we do agree that the future of the West should not be dictated by outsiders who do not understand our culture, our history or our dreams.
|
