clearwater150
Member
- Messages
- 75
I felt gut shot when I read in the Lewiston Morning Tribune that Gov Otter and Congressman Labrador plan to privatize our public lands and/or transfer them to the state. Congressman Labrador announced he is working on Federal legislation to sell our public lands off to make money. I personally spent about $2700 bucks on gas, hotels, food and in-field repairs to my hunting stuff this fall! My son and grand son come from out of state every year and my son-in-law comes up from Southern Idaho. It would be a safe bet to say that, together, we spent over $5000 bucks this fall...and that is not counting my new bow ($900), clothing and the other hunting related stuff I spend money on throughout the year! This is money that goes directly into the Idaho economy! I see RED when politicians don't count our sportsman dollar as a real dollar! Gov. Otter and Congressman Labrador went on and on about timber harvest and oil and gas leasing as though dollars that land in the pockets of big business are the only 'real dollars' worth considering! Not one word about quality of life or hunting opportunity or how recreation contributes to our economy! Even the livestock industry came out opposed to this. Turns out they don't trust Big Business to protect their grazing privileges! Even a spokesman for Timber Industry panned the plan....but I admit it...I am not good at spotting a wolf in sheep's clothing in this world of spin/politics. If our Big Business lobby, i.e Idaho Govt., pulls this off you can be sure it will spread to other Western States. Yeah, turn the public lands over to Big Timber and Oil and Gas. Up here in the Panhandle we get road city, trashy clear cuts and dirty water from timber industry. Who is speaking up for us sportsmen? Any one else feel the way I do? Any one else skeptical about our big game habitat being protected if Big Business gets their hands on it?