Posted on 12/15/2010 5:18:42 PM PST by Ron C.
Environmentalists hate sprawl — except when it comes to the size of their expansive pet legislation on Capitol Hill.
In a last-ditch lame duck push, eco-lobbyists have been furiously pressuring Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to pass a monstrous 327-page omnibus government lands bill crammed with more than 120 separate measures to lock up vast swaths of wilderness areas. Despite the time crunch, Senate Democrats in search of 60 votes are working behind the scenes to buy off green Republicans. House Democrats would then need a two-thirds majority to fast-track the bill to the White House before the GOP takes over on Jan. 5.
Yes, the hurdles are high. But with Reid and company now vowing to work straight through Christmas into the new year (when politicians know Americans are preoccupied with the holidays), anything is possible. The Constitution is no obstacle to these power grabbers. Neither is a ticking clock.
(Excerpt) Read more at michellemalkin.com ...
– A stalled land transfer and gravel mining ban in Reid’s home state of Nevada.
– The designation of the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness in Oregon as a federally protected wilderness where logging and road development would be prohibited.
– Multiple watershed and scenic river designations that limit economic activity and threaten private property rights.
– The creation of massive new national monument boundaries and wilderness areas along the southern border opposed by ranchers, farmers, local officials and citizens.
This insult to the American taxpayer should be STOPPED BY OUTRAGED AMERICANS!
Here's a bit more from the article.
One New Mexico activist, Marita Noon, said the federal plans to usurp nearly a half-million acres in her state would result in an “illegal immigrant superhighway” off-limits to border security enforcement. Security analyst Dana Joel Gattuso pointed to a recent General Accounting Office report on how environmental permitting rules and land-use regulations have hampered policing efforts at all but three stations along the border.
This jumbo green goodie bag would be a threat to financial security for untold numbers of workers in the demonized mining, logging and construction industries already reeling from economic hardship.
Call your reps and complain long and loudly... or forever zip your lip about being an 'activist.'
Bump
(2006, WP)
Congress will convene on Tuesday for what some fear will be the lamest of lame-duck sessions, and GOP leaders have decided to take a minimalist approach before turning over the reins of power to the Democrats. Rather than a final surge of legislative activity, Congress will probably wrap up things after a single, short week of work. They have even decided to punt decisions on annual government spending measures to the Democrats next year.
“There is a lot of battle fatigue among members, probably on both sides of the aisle,” said Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), usually a reliable conservative firebrand. “Contrary to popular belief, members of Congress are human beings. They have a certain shelf life and a certain amount of energy to be drawn on. We’re tired.”
Anguished over the Democrats’ victory on Nov. 7 and the tumult that has followed, GOP lawmakers want to get out of town. One senior Senate Republican aide called hopes for substantive legislation “delusional.”
Much of the problem is as prosaic as office space, GOP aides said. Lawmakers were forced to vacate their offices on Friday, and few of them want to hang around Washington with no place to sit. Retiring House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) got angry during a meeting of committee chairmen, demanding to know how he was supposed to complete work on the business tax extension bill without an office, according to one GOP aide present in the meeting.
The bill would create:
"... an “illegal immigrant superhighway” off-limits to border security enforcement. In New Mexico!
Arizona is the Mexican super-highway for drugs and illegals, now add another state!
When are we going to scream, ENOUGH!
How was 2006 like this, but 2010 is nothing but major THROATSHOVING JAMDOWNS?
lame Ducks should get the same treatment as lame Horses.
just sayin’.
Add this to the biggest lies: “Elections have consequences.”
Want to bet that Democrats won't be faced with such a problem THIS TIME?
The problem here is that Democrats are nasty, and will do ANYTHING to take a bigger bite out of the pocket-books of Americans. Republicans just aren't mean enough... unfortunately.
Yeah... this time we are still facing the consequences of the Obama election - and any consequences of the just past mid-term won't come into play until after this congress ends next year, with the defeated Dems finally going home after they've wreaked all the havoc they possibly could.
Can any of these actions be repealed when the new Congress is sworn in???
HA! TV stations/networks, etc., won’t let a Republican anywhere near a microphone or a camera - until the Dims wreak as much havoc as they possibly can!
Never. The roots of the Tree of Liberty died in the drought.
Repeal? LOL - when has that EVER been accomplished with any significance?
Sadly I think you're right...
Takingliberty.us
Watch it.
This is what they are doing.
Just one more America-destroying piece of crap legislation the Dimbulbs are going to try to jam through on their way out the door.
I’ve told people for YEARS this is how Reid works.
And when the NRA types and the RINO’s started whinging about how kicking out Reid might not be the best idea, I told them that this is the sort of thing that Reid does - in the late of night, he does land grabs and water grabs.
EVERY SESSION OF CONGRESS.
The RINO’s, of course, are perfectly happy with more land grabs.
Yup - I know... but, 90% of American’s haven’t a clue, and I doubt that if they did, they wouldn’t do anything other than head for the nearest bar or theater.
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