Trump - Who should own America? The Feds or the States
From a Field and Stream Interview last week (Jan 22, 2016):
Interviewer: I’d like to talk about public land. Seventy percent of hunters in the West hunt on public lands managed by the federal government. Right now, there’s a lot of discussion about the federal government transferring those lands to states and the divesting of that land. Is that something you would support as President?
Donald Trump: I don’t like the idea because I want to keep the lands great, and you don’t know what the state is going to do. I mean, are they going to sell if they get into a little bit of trouble? And I don’t think it’s something that should be sold. We have to be great stewards of this land. This is magnificent land. And we have to be great stewards of this land. And the hunters do such a great job—I mean, the hunters and the fishermen and all of the different people that use that land. So I’ve been hearing more and more about that.
Interviewer: I’d like to talk about public land. Seventy percent of hunters in the West hunt on public lands managed by the federal government. Right now, there’s a lot of discussion about the federal government transferring those lands to states and the divesting of that land. Is that something you would support as President?
Donald Trump: I don’t like the idea because I want to keep the lands great, and you don’t know what the state is going to do. I mean, are they going to sell if they get into a little bit of trouble? And I don’t think it’s something that should be sold. We have to be great stewards of this land. This is magnificent land. And we have to be great stewards of this land. And the hunters do such a great job—I mean, the hunters and the fishermen and all of the different people that use that land. So I’ve been hearing more and more about that.
Previous comments... You are currently on page 7.
When he says "you don't know what the state is going to do" he means that the closer control gets to the individual the more likely it is that he isn't going to like the outcome. Of course, taking a realistic look at the truly staggering amount of unfunded pension liaiblities that are facing governments at all levels over the next few decades, they probably would sell off all the land. If that were actually used to pay off the unfunded liabilities [and they learned not to give away more of other people's money] the end result would be great. Not likely to happen, but hey in the Gulch we dream big!
There are areas that should be preserved in the federal land, but there are areas that should be used, harvested and developed as well. The question is who decides what lands should be used in which ways.
The right answer is "the people," not the state or the fed. An Oklamhoma land rush should take place with the land and people could then develop it preserve it, whatever they like.
Personally I would take my 4 wheeler and head out to a remote area I know on the fed land that has several little known slot canyons that are great. If I won that land I would put in a little resort place and give people maps for where the cool slot canyons are and have horses for people to ride.... It would be great.
Answer: Individuals.
FFA: Yes, you do.