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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!mcnc!idis!cadre!geb
From: geb@cadre.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Social Security
Message-ID: <157@cadre.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 13-Jan-85 11:28:36 EST
Article-I.D.: cadre.157
Posted: Sun Jan 13 11:28:36 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Jan-85 01:30:42 EST
References: <222@cmu-cs-cad.ARPA> <3244@alice.UUCP> <496@tpvax.fluke.UUCP>
Reply-To: geb@cadre.ARPA (Gordon E. Banks)
Organization: Decision Systems Lab., Univ. of Pgh.
Lines: 26
Summary: 


>> The whole thing would be financed by selling off all the land
>> that the Federal Government owns and has not developed.
>> It turns out that the two numbers just about match.
>

>Sell undeveloped Federal lands? You must be joking! I like the idea that
>some of this country is held in trust, that we don't have unfettered
>"development" of the continent. I like wild areas. You sell off all the
>land, and you're going to wind up with even more snowmobile parks and
>K-Marts. 
>
>    SPECIAL OFFER::  OWN A PIECE OF THE GRAND CANYON!
>
>I've heard a lot of hare-brained nonsense on this network, but this idea is
>just such a piece of horse pucky I can't believe it.

Well, I wouldn't support selling the Grand Canyon, but maybe a lot
of people don't realize that the federal government (bureau of land
management) owns about 80% of some states like Nevada, New Mexico,
etc.  Most of this isn't forest, recreational area, etc.  Just a
lot of land that fat-cat ranchers lease at bargain-basement prices
to run their cattle and sheep on.  Why should the government own all
of it?  Let the ranchers buy it (at market rates) instead of using it
almost free forever.