Saturday, February 18, 2006

Grazing Fees

Does anyone else find it ironic that public lands are being offered for sale (the majority of which are coming from our northern California forests like the Lassen, Plumas and Klamath), while the administration simultaneously lowers grazing fees for ranchers using public land? Ostensibly the sale of public lands is to offset the loss of funding for the rural counties program from the president’s budget. Why not raise the money through an increase in grazing fees? Oh, that’s right, I remember now….it is their God-given right to run cattle free of significant cost or environmental regulation. Lower class taxpayers who fund the burden of ranching costs don't have the same rights. Silly me...I forgot.