Utah People, thoughts on this?

[KingOfTagSoup]

My friends from Utah, not sure if there's already a thread on this but your state is suing BLM for control of 18.5 million acres? They say it's to better manage and protect resources but I suspect that's code for "develop the living heck out of it so we can make money"? Thoughts? @Big Fin what do you think?

Utah files lawsuit to reclaim public land held under federal jurisdiction // GOHUNT. The Hunting Company

Landmark lawsuit targets 18.5 million acres managed by BLM

www.gohunt.com

 

[Big Fin]

My friends from Utah, not sure if there's already a thread on this but your state is suing BLM for control of 18.5 million acres? They say it's to better manage and protect resources but I suspect that's code for "develop the living heck out of it so we can make money"? Thoughts? @Big Fin what do you think?

Utah files lawsuit to reclaim public land held under federal jurisdiction // GOHUNT. The Hunting Company

Landmark lawsuit targets 18.5 million acres managed by BLM

www.gohunt.com

I did a podcast on it that will release on October 6th.

Summary - Another poorly disguised effort to get rid of public lands, albeit in a new tactic that's not been tried before.

The greatest accumulation of undistributed wealth on the planet is the public lands of the United States. So long as such immense wealth exists, the hucksters and swindlers will never give up their efforts to privatize that wealth for their personal benefit or the benefit of their friends.

 

[Wildabeest]

It’s crazy how much marketing and advertising the state is doing on this as well - using our tax dollars to lie to us. Basically they are trying to convince people that they are “protecting” the land from some evil foe. Hopefully people realize who that evil foe really is.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

I would bet my next paycheck that those 18.5 million acres would be parceled off and filled with strip malls, resorts, etc if the state took control of them

 

[Wildabeest]

I would bet my next paycheck that those 18.5 million acres would be parceled off and filled with strip malls, resorts, etc if the state took control of them

Most of those acres aren’t really ideal for that. Better bet is they are auctioned off for political contributions to extractive industries.

 

[elkantlers]

I would bet my next paycheck that those 18.5 million acres would be parceled off and filled with strip malls, resorts, etc if the state took control of them

They have other plans for them.

 

[TheTone]

I would bet my next paycheck that those 18.5 million acres would be parceled off and filled with strip malls, resorts, etc if the state took control of them

I’d bet they would become big private hunting ranches before they see that type of development. The only other development I can see is million dollar houses. It definitely won’t be used for any sort of lower/middle class housing crunch Utah claims to be concerned about

 

[CPAjeff]

All in the name of the mighty dollar! What a joke!

 

[belshawelk]

I do a lot of business in Utah and know it well. Its my largest market for my industry. Utah is one of the few states that is rarely ever affected by economy downturns. The main reason is they keep the money within the state. Most manufacturing comes from the local contractors.

Here is my point: They have tons of money. But they do not have tons of land. The are having huge population booms from both organic growth ( big families are still preferred ) and outside growth. You can now drive from Ogden to Provo and its one big city. St. George has out of control growth. The housing market is crazy with big money. With that being said, they need land for growth, not hunting.

 

[peterk1234]

The uber wealthy are the single largest destructive force in this country. I will refrain from recommending the solution.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

I do a lot of business in Utah and know it well. Its my largest market for my industry. Utah is one of the few states that is rarely ever affected by economy downturns. The main reason is they keep the money within the state. Most manufacturing comes from the local contractors.

Here is my point: They have tons of money. But they do not have tons of land. The are having huge population booms from both organic growth ( big families are still preferred ) and outside growth. You can now drive from Ogden to Provo and its one big city. St. George has out of control growth. The housing market is crazy with big money. With that being said, they need land for growth, not hunting.

Which is precisely my fear. This bears serious watching because if they pull this off it will be one of the greatest threats to our public lands we've ever seen.

 

[utah400elk]

I kind of agree to threats to our public lands but…if they pull this off these will not be our public lands. Utah will undoubtedly sell the land. I lived there for over 20 years. IMO, there really isn’t a question of if but rather when.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

I kind of agree to threats to our public lands but…if they pull this off these will not be our public lands. Utah will undoubtedly sell the land. I lived there for over 20 years. IMO, there really isn’t a question of if but rather when.

That's kinda what I mean. This is kind of parallel to the Colorado ballot initiative in that if they succeed, other states will take notice and probably make similar efforts

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

I did a podcast on it that will release on October 6th.

Summary - Another poorly disguised effort to get rid of public lands, albeit in a new tactic that's not been tried before.

The greatest accumulation of undistributed wealth on the planet is the public lands of the United States. So long as such immense wealth exists, the hucksters and swindlers will never give up their efforts to privatize that wealth for their personal benefit or the benefit of their friends.

Looking forward to this episode

 

[Big Fin]

And before us Montana folks get all self-righteous about the misguided politicians in Utah, I suggest we re-read Page 13 of the Montana Republican Party Platform, adopted June 29, 2024.

Link here - https://mtgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024_Party_Platform.pdf

Cut and Paste for those not inclined to read the document.

 

[Chama Grande]

The other day I heard an ad break on the Dispatch Podcast from the State of Utah about the suit and it just floored me. Sarah Isgur said they were going to cover it from a legal standpoint sometime soon, but since they are taking advertising dollars for it, I'm less that sure it will be as balanced or nuanced as I'm hoping. Looking forward to the HT pod

 

[nrpate05]

For those of you who can't wait til 10/6 for Randy's Podcast and like to listen to wonky policy/law stuff, check out the Your Mountain podcast episode on this topic. I'm not sure their website is up to date, but you can listen to it on spotify. Gives a good perspective on the legal angle the state is trying to pursue.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

And before us Montana folks get all self-righteous about the misguided politicians in Utah, I suggest we re-read Page 13 of the Montana Republican Party Platform, adopted June 29, 2024.

Link here - https://mtgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024_Party_Platform.pdf

Cut and Paste for those not inclined to read the document.
View attachment 342554

As a consistent 'red' voter this is the one thing that drives me nuts. Is the Federal government a monster that needs serious reforms and shrinkage? Yes. But having and keeping these federal public lands is good for all citizens and our politicians don't seem to quite understand that.

 

[Pucky Freak]

And before us Montana folks get all self-righteous about the misguided politicians in Utah, I suggest we re-read Page 13 of the Montana Republican Party Platform, adopted June 29, 2024.

Link here - https://mtgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024_Party_Platform.pdf

Cut and Paste for those not inclined to read the document.
View attachment 342554

I assume the authors know that APR is not a federal government initiative, but intentionally label it as such in order to mislead voters and raise funds (p. 14, 2nd to last paragraph).

 

[Big Fin]

I assume the authors know that APR is not a federal government initiative, but intentionally label it as such in order to mislead voters and raise funds (p. 14, 2nd to last paragraph).

Yes, they know. But, combining two boogey men is always better.