So what?

The  usual suspects  have their collective panties compacted into a wad of immense proportions because the Bear Ears Monument in Utah is being shrunk by 2 million acres, or roughly 85%,  AND because the land removed  contains gas  and oil deposits which Utah will be able to lease out for funds to help its public schools.

Do remember that this nature preserve was so designated in December of 2016 by Barack Obama’s order.  It was no accident that the monument included the valuable oil and gas acreage.   Bear Ears is in a county where the federal government controls 92% of the land.   San Juan County is rural and mostly poor,  in part because Democratic presidents don’t think they should enjoy the benefits of private property.   Bill Clinton designated Grand Staircase-Escalante,  which is not very far away from Bear Ears,  in 1996.

Neither of these two presidents cared that they were hurting the people of Utah.  Placing potentially productive lands out of local reach was a feature,  not a bug.  After all,  we were going to become as green as any Third World country,  weren’t we?

None of the federal agencies do a very good job of managing the lands they are charged with protecting.   Few of those who live nearby think the designations have been an improvement.  Most of them know they’ve been stomped into the dirt by the feds and they don’t like it.   Cliven Bundy proved  that screwing around with a bunch of rural folks who mostly ranch and take care of themselves and mind their own business is neither profitable nor smart.   I suspect it has begun to occur to progressives that there are many more such stubborn, independent people who actually believe in the Constitution and in real American values.

Giving the oil and gas lands back to the citizens of Utah is the only right thing to do, and why not give them the land which will actually help them?   The proper response is either a shrug or a round of applause…