AZ bill to change public land ownership HB2210

[ThomC]

Actually it is the developers (money/land grabbers) that want to build houses in/ on the hills/ mountains so we will look like Kalifornia. Fires, mudslides and overpopulation. It is easier for the money/ land grabbers to buy a local politician.

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

I can't speak to this as an expert but I have talked to and listened to experts on this and they all agree state control of federal lands is bad.

Just the wildfires alone would reck the budget and the state would be selling land off. I hope one of the groups we support like bcha, rmef, jump on this asap.

We really need to figure out how to have and electoral college type deal for these measures, I'm tired of city dwellers deciding laws and policy. The crap hole population centers of the country and states do no good at all for the majority.

[Red Sparky]

The problem with this is look at the past track records of the states selling land. Nevada where this started has already sold off about 98% of their state land. NM is also selling land but not as bad. It is usually in the states constitution and documentations when they were admitted into the Union that any land that doesn't make money for the state should be sold off. What is going to be the argument if they get control of the federal lands, sell it all off and still have no money? The problem is to elect people who know how to balance a checkbook. You don't spend more than you make. That is not the case with elected officials. They spend, spend, spend.

 

Here is my solution to this stupidity. Here NV you are buying 70,798,080 acres at $1,000/ acres for a total of $70.8 billion. Here AZ you are buying 72, 953,600 acres for a total of $73 billion. Here NM you are buying 77,816,960 acres for a total of $77.8 billion. Once you pay that money and all title is transferred you are booted out of the United States, all federal money will be taken away. NM and AZ will have to secure their borders from Mexico by themselves because border patrol will be moved to the US border. Which is now TX,CO, CA and all states bordering NV. All citizens of that state can either move or renounce their US citizenship. Then let's see how long the state last on it's own.

[audsley]

Much truth has been spoken by various people here, but Thom C hit it dead center. They want to make the lands we hunt and recreate on available to developers and land speculators. And why not? Some of the legislators pushing this idea are in the real estate/development business themselves, the people who develop and sell real estate are far more politically active than the recreating public, and they contribute more money to campaigns. Should anyone be surprised we're getting pushed aside?

 

Private interests and the politicians who carry water for them have been trying to do this for the past century. Every few years they make another charge at it, and each time it fails. But they only need to succeed once.

 

Their biggest weapon is the myth that Arizona and other Western states would be better off financially if all the national forests, BLM lands and wildlife refuges belonged to the state. That claim does not survive close inspection. I know because I've studied it thoroughly.

 

If the land grabbers succeed, many of our hunting areas will be sold off to private developers. Until it's sold, we can expect to pay high fees (similar to Indian reservations and private ranches in Texas and elsewhere) to hunt on lands we pay nothing to hunt on now. The average guy will be priced out of hunting.

 

Here in the West we have something special that people from elsewhere envy. It will be lost if we don't fight to protect it.

 

One of the co-sponsors of this bill, a Tucson Republican, once told me that most people don't care about hunting. He's right, unfortunately. Which means those of us who do care need to fight just that much harder.

[Red Sparky]

Not only hunters but we need to get everybody who recreates involved. Mountain bikers, rock climbers, hikers, bird watchers, campers, etc.. Anybody that does anything in the outdoors needs to be involved in this. As hunters we have more experience in fights like these so we need to lead them in these fights.