http://monumentsforall.org

Small Government or Big Exploitation?

July 10, 2017, was the final day for public comments on stripping national monument status from several public lands and marine areas.

DakotaPuma
Jul 10, 2017 · 2 min read

Frequently on the news I hear a conservative talking point that more or less goes, “How can we justify asking a hardworking, struggling taxpayer in one locality to pay taxes to fund some program focused on a completely different part of the country that won’t directly benefit that hardworking, struggling taxpayer?”

Perhaps it may be difficult to see why I should contribute taxes to fund a program several states away, but how then does one justify taking away a local resource that would benefit hardworking, struggling taxpayers who live right nearby? Maybe our wilderness can be exploited for mineral and agricultural resources, but this endeavor is likely to produce some jobs for only a generation while it leaves us with multigenerational diminished air quality, depleted aquifers, and poisoned water downstream. If we protect and conserve our wild areas, though, they will be a perpetual source of jobs for recreation and research. Our wild and unspoiled lands and marine monuments, as such, are a resource for the hardworking, struggling taxpayers who live in their vicinity. Don’t take this away from local citizens at the same time we are being told not to care about communities several states away.

Whether we exploit or conserve natural resources, both create a certain amount of employment. The option to exploit, however, excites the interests of Big Oil and Big Ag. Both are known to write big checks to political campaigns. In a healthy republic our representatives are meant to represent citizens.

— my public comment submitted to save our newest national monuments

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