PRA to Senator Reid: Just Say No to Omnibus!
Dec 17, 2010
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has too much to do in too little time. At least, that’s the excuse he’s giving for possibly keeping the Senate in session through Christmas and ram-rodding multiple omnibus bills.
It is rumored that Senator Reid may consider, among other pieces of potentially controversial legislation, a public lands omnibus that would restrict physical property rights and increase government regulation of private property. Not only will an omnibus surely overstep the bounds of federal power once again, it will be impossible to know exactly what will be in the massive bill.
According to reports, the omnibus could include over 60 public land bills and at least 21 waterways and wildlife bills that would forbid any sort of development on large areas of land in the name of conservation. Also troubling is the inclusion of the
The federal government currently has control of over 650 million acres, much of which are in disarray due to maintenance backlogs and the inability for private citizens to regain control of those lands. A public lands omnibus would force American taxpayers to fund the purchase of land that could be better utilized in the private sector and must be opposed.