When Donald Trump became President, libertarians hoped that he would bring a hard-nosed business mentality to government. Trump has delivered by announcing his plans to sell off up to 90 percent of a national park in Utah, an unprecedented move nullifying a key achievement of his predecessor.
President Trump spoke in Salt Lake City, UT today to announce that he would be drastically reducing the 1.3 million acre Bears Ears National Monument down to 228,784 acres split between two separate areas. Bears Ears was declared a national monument by President Barack Obama in 2016, and this will be yet another example of Trump stomping out Obama’s legacy.
Additionally, Trump is planning to cut Utah’s 1.9 million acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 50 percent. This was created by President Bill Clinton in 1996, as Trump continues to chip away at the policies of Democratic presidents before him. It is obvious that a new Sheriff – a far more libertarian one – is in town.
“Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington,” Trump said. “They’re wrong. The families and communities of Utah know and love this land the best, and you know the best how to take care of your land.”
Leftists are predictably mad at this maneuver, spouting usual tired rhetoric about the environment, indigenous peoples, and corporate greed to oppose Trump’s privatization plans.
“Pres. Trump’s action in Utah sets a dangerous precedent that threatens environmental treasures everywhere. We must protect our natural heritage for future generations,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said in a tweet.
Classless protesters gathered outside of the Utah state capitol to hurl obscenities at the President. Legal battles are expected but the Trump administration is confident that they will win in the courts.
“I’m confident that we will prevail because it’s the right thing to do,” Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said.
Nice! More private land!
He is not a libertarian. He is just an old school democrat.
The sell off in a way is bad. It was never the federal government’s land to take, or sell.
They should not be allowed to sell that land. I applaud the decision to return it to the people of Utah but I don’t think their should be a sell involved. Just freaking give it back.
I think it is too much. Maybe 40% reduction
Give it back to Utah and let the people within that state decide what to do with it.
F the republicans traitors , they have no right to steal public lands and mine and drill them for their corporate donors
Yeah!
How that great republican health care working for you , the republicans love their free health insurance
What? Healthcare is brought to you by Obama and libs.
Stacey Harrod Barnhill it was a joke , the republicans ran on replacing it the first day in office with great free healthcare ? A year later all they have done is undermine it to make it worse and passed a big pay raise for their corporate donors
It’s not a sell-off. Just a de-designation as a monument. It’s not even a de-federalization.
Friggin fraud
Are the feds selling it off or just giving it back to the state of Utah to do as the state sees fit? That could be sell it off or making that land a state park, but choice would be to the state and it ELECED officials.
In the primaries, Cruz supported this and Trump opposed it.I’m glad to see this flip-flop from him.