DEMINT: White House land grab

Democrat Presidents love to pay off their enviro-marxist allies by confiscating private property and taking it out of productive use:

"A secret administration memo has surfaced revealing plans for the federal government to seize more than 10 million acres from Montana to New Mexico, halting job- creating activities like ranching, forestry, mining and energy development. Worse, this land grab would dry up tax revenue that's essential for funding schools, firehouses and community centers...

It says all kinds of animals would be better off by doing so, like the coyotes, badgers, grouse, chickens and lizards. But giving the chickens more room to roost is no reason for the government to override states' rights...

Using the Antiquities Act, President Carter locked up more land than any other president had before him, taking more than 50 million acres in Alaska despite strong opposition from the state.

One of the monuments President Clinton created was the Grande Staircase-Escalante in Utah, where 135,000 acres of land were leased for oil and gas and about 65,000 barrels of oil were produced each year from five active wells. But, President Clinton put an end to developing those resources.

President Obama could do the same in other energy-rich places unless Congress takes action. At least 13.5 million acres are already on his Department of Interior's real estate shopping list...

This is a nationwide problem. The government currently owns 650 million acres, or 29 percent of the nation's total land..."MORE at the Washington Times

Idling almost a third of a nations land and its resources for dubious environmental purposes is not only economic suicide but is a gross violation of private property rights. But the statists don't believe that any property is or should be private since it produces private wealth and independence that reduces state power. Environmental concerns are merely a vehicle for the larger purpose of more government control of the nation's economy.

Lawsuit accuses Obama administration of failing to protect Florida panther

SARASOTA — A coalition of environmental and civic groups sued the Obama administration Thursday over its refusal to declare 1.3 million acres as critical habitat for the endangered Florida panther...Panthers once roamed the Southeast, but now about 100 panthers remain in the wild, prowling the swamps and forests south of the Caloosahatchee River in South Florida.

...In 2002 a group of panther and habitat mapping experts recommended the federal agency declare the area where the panthers now live as critical habitat. Doing so would subject any plans to alter that habitat — by development, farming or mining — to increased scrutiny and additional requirements to make up for the loss of land.

Instead the agency is now working with a separate coalition of environmental groups and major landowners to craft a cooperative plan to protect some habitat while still allowing development

...The lawsuit seeks enhanced protection of more than 3 million acres in fast-growing Collier, Lee and Hendry counties.

This is how radical environmentalists essentially steal property from individuals through government force by prohibiting its use. In this case, the Eco-Marxists seek to provide 30,000 acres per Panther of others land without paying one dime for it. This destroys wealth while increasing the cost of available land remaining.

No honest cost-benefit analysis can make this insanity pencil out. But it doesn't have to apparently, when you're hiding your uncompromising anti-private property agenda behind a furry feline. That agenda is vividly revealed in this unreasonable litigation.

Mother nature kills off dozens of species of flora and fauna every day. In fact, over 90% of all species that have existed are now extinct due to natural causes. Of course, there are many ways to preserve the Florida Panther without throwing a monkey wrench into private property rights. But the Panther is secondary to the fanatical nihilism of the enviros.

'Airstream Ranch' along I-4 does not violate law, judges rule

A small victory for private property rights:

TAMPA — Love it or hate it, the Winnebago-sized installation known as the "Airstream Ranch" is legal, a three-judge panel has ruled.

This week's decision reverses a $100-per-day fine on Frank and Dorothy Bates, who put up the shiny row of silver RVs in 2007. Hillsborough County officials can appeal, but Bates plans to keep the trailers buried nose-first in view of drivers whizzing through Dover on Interstate 4.

Got that? This is along I-4! I don't know if it's art or not, but it certainly breaks up the monotony of driving to Orlando. The taxpayers of Hillsbourough must be pleased as punch that their money has been wasted on this lawsuit.

"The attraction has drawn tourists from as far away as Japan, was the backdrop for a fashion shoot and has been featured in a country music video. Two people asked about marrying there."

Prediction: In twenty or thirty years someone else will own the property and new busybodies will try to prevent them from taking it down because it's "historically significant".

King County executive fool wants greener development

The latest assault on private property rights using the Global Warming Hoax as justification comes from the Seattle area. The County Exec., Ron Sims is proposing the consideration of "greenhouse gas" emissions when approving new development. He says: "We want to make sure it's market-defensible, it's legally defensible and it's based on the science. Well, it's certainly not market defensible since all regulation distorts markets whether you admit or not. Legal it may be in the eyes of a like minded judge who thinks the constitution grants rights to government rather than individuals. But science? Hell, it's barely a theory! A theory that proponents have declared is immune from testing or contradictory evidence. That's science?