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NPS Retirees Say House Legislation Would Gut Antiquities Act, Lead To More Hunting In National Parks

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Legislation currently pending in the U.S. Senate would, if allowed to become law, gut the Antiquities Act that so many presidents have used to preserve and protect valuable landscapes and historical settings, according to the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees.

The measure is being considered as an amendment to the Farm Bill on the Senate floor and should be opposed by anyone who cares about the special places that are part of the National Park System, according to the Park Service retirees.

The bill's language would gut the Antiquities Act, which was used by past presidents to set aside places such as Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Olympic, Carlsbad Caverns and Acadia national parks.

“Some of this nation’s most loved parks were first set aside and protected as national monuments and were later legislated by the Congress into national parks," said Maureen Finnerty, chair of the Coalition's Executive Council. "The modification to the Antiquities Act would require that any presidential proclamation be approved by the governor and the legislature in the state in which the potential monument would be established. Such a requirement would essentially render the Antiquities Act meaningless as such accord rarely exists.

"Moreover, the president can only employ the provisions of the Act on lands already owned by the people of the United States. It cannot be used on state or privately-owned lands," she added.

Additionally, the group says, H.R. 4089 could open up many areas of the National Park System to hunting, trapping, and recreational shooting. Most national park sites are closed to such activities in the interests of public safety, visitor enjoyment and resource protection. The House defeated an amendment to the bill that would have specifically excluded all the 397 units of the National Park System from these activities, which are already legal and appropriate on millions of acres of other public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

“NPS has long governed units of the National Park System based on the principle that hunting, trapping, collecting specimens and other uses that extract natural resources from park area ecosystems are not allowed, unless Congress has clearly authorized such activities," said former Glacier Bay National Park Superintendent Cherry Payne, a member of the Coalition's Executive Council. "This longstanding principle has been confirmed by the courts.

"H.R 4089 would eliminate this principle because it would recognize that hunting, trapping, fishing and collecting are to be affirmatively supported and facilitated on all federal lands," she added. "As a result, H.R. 4089 would stand NPS management policy on its head, creating a presumption that consumptive uses are the norm, and must be allowed unless expressly prohibited.”

Comments

Lee - I too am worried about the future and if we keep on our current path, we won't be looking back in 50 years, it will be in 15 or even five. We can't keep spending money just because it makes us feel good. If we do, we will look like Greece and see how well they have protected their antiquities.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/26/greece-acropolis-debt-crisis...

The best way to protect our Parks is to have a strong economy that can generate the funds to protect them. We won't get there by over taxing and over regulating.


Our current economic policies bear little resemblances to those of Greece. Which is why we're not in the same economic condition as Greece.


bear little resemblances to those of Greece.

I strongly disagree. We aren't there yet but that is exactly where we are headed. Overwhelming debt and an entitlement society.


Insofar as any of this relates to the parks . . .

What constitutes overtaxation?

Tax rates hit a 30-year low under Obama (See CBO report.)

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/07/11/514384/taxes-30-year-low-obama/

What constitutes overregulation?

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20121025/OPINION/310250001/Campaign-fact-check-Regulation-under-Obama

And a good article from Forbes (!) on the importance of strong regulation.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancaldbeck/2012/10/09/why-we-agree-with-romney-and-obama-stronger-regulations-make-sense-especially-for-crowdfunding/


Not all of us think we are "overtaxed and over regulated." In fact, it may actually be the other way around. Is it possible that many of our national problems are caused by greed and dishonesty? I, for one, believe it to be so.


Is it possible that many of our national problems are caused by greed and dishonesty?

Nope - But jealousy and sloth are certainly candidates. Our economy cannot thrive when federal income taxes are 25% of GDP (especially when half the people aren't paying any). Obviously you are a fan of "big government". Our country was founded on and thrived on the principle of limited government. Unfortunately since the New Deal we have slipped farther and farther away from that principle and the nation has suffered for it. Its no wonder Obama doesn't believe in American exceptionalizm. Our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves seeing how far we have come from their vision.


No, I'm not necessarily a fan of big government. But like most other Americans, even those who rail against taxes, I do enjoy a comfortable and safe life. The problem arises because we Americans enjoy many government provided services but become slothful when we have to pay for them. I have yet to see anyone who yells about excessive taxation provide a listing of the things they will personally be willing to do without if necessary to cut our rates of taxation.

And, yes, greed certainly plays a much larger part in our problems than you seem willing to admit. I'm retired and have a total monthly income after taxes of just about $1400. Yet my "effective tax rate" when I paid my income taxes was 14.8% while Mitt Romney's was 14.3%. Not much of a difference, admittedly, but were I back to teaching my tax rate would have been somewhere around 28%. Something is wrong there.

I doubt that our founding fathers really would be rolling over. Instead, I think they'd be quite proud that their work has provided us with a democratic form of republic in which all citizens have the opportunity to select our government leaders. We have the taxes we have because our leadership has carried out the wishes of the majority of us.

There are, if you will take the time to look thoughtfully at the big picture, very few slothful Americans. But there are very many who are greedy and will go to almost any length to feed their greed. If there is anything that would make our founders roll in their graves, it would be the obscene amounts of money being spent to bend and twist what they worked so hard to accomplish into a machine to feed the greed of those few who now try to impose themselves on the rest of us.

Your comments about the New Deal and Obama in your post above expose your buy-in to the talking points, outright lies, and scare tactics of people who are unfortunately able to delude too many Americans. Remember that most of us who are now labeled as "liberals" are really conservative citizens who simply refuse to let anyone fool us.


Here's a very interesting table of statistics. I haven't had a chance to study it carefully yet, but will toss it out here for anyone who may be interested.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=205

And also from the Tax Policy Center of the Brookings Institute, there is this:

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=901527

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that none of us can -- or should -- rely on only one source of information for our opinions. We need to make an effort to read and examine carefully info from as many sources as possible. It's difficult, but if we make the effort to obtain accurate information, we'd all be much better off.


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