The Bureau of Large Mistakes (BLM)
I grew up in the Western United States, where the feddle
gummint owns most of the land. For example in Nevada, the Feds own 76% of the
state, while in Utah the number is 70%. Not all of that is controlled by the Bureau
of Land Management (or as I remember hearing in my youth, the Bureau of Large
Mistakes), but 29.9 million acres in Utah and 48.0 million acres in Nevada are “administered”
by them.
Is the BLM a good steward of the land? I don’t think so. It seems like it mostly preserves the land
from year to year for annual wildfires.
Also, do I need to mention the farce that is statehood for
these Western States when the Feds have never relinquished control of so much
land within their boundaries? Can you
imagine New York if the Feds owned 70% of it?
Or any other Eastern state for that matter? We are not on equal footing as states under
such conditions.
Before I propose my idea, I want to remind myself that you
can’t fight something with nothing. So, I am not fighting something (the BLM)
with nothing. I am fighting something (the BLM) with a better idea.
Here is my controversial proposal and idea, a two sentence law
that Congress (or Barry) could actually read and understand in just a few
seconds:
It is hereby enacted into
law that all BLM lands within the boundaries of the US revert to the counties
in which they are located as of January 1st, 2015 at 12:01 AM. The
BLM is hereby abolished.
This idea would decentralize the control over a substantial
portion of the continent. Can you
imagine the human flourishing that would accompany such a simple law? County government would decide what to do
with the land and I am sure that voters would have a great interest in helping commissioners
make those decisions. The voters would
have to give up their morbid fascination with Washington politics and get involved
locally, like I believe the Founders intended.
Ideas are dangerous, especially to those inside the 10
square miles on the Potomac.
