Quote:
Originally Posted by jplinville
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I can certainly understand and sympathize with the argument, but I see it as more of an excuse rather than a reason.
If he was so incensed with the federal government stewarding the land and charging grazing fees, why did the family pay them for so long?
Nevada became a state in 1864.... that's 150 years ago. It seems like they might have found the time to lodge a complaint before now....
My understanding is that the family was fine and dandy with the arrangement until BLM modified the grazing permit to accommodate the desert tortoises which live in that area. That was when Bundy quit paying. That was when he should have pursued his argument regarding the 'Enclave Clause'.... Not after 20 years of continuing to operate a commercial herd on public lands without making a single payment. That is theft of public money in my book.
Had he wished to give his constitutional argument some validity, he would have paid the grazing fees to the State of Nevada....
Unless something else comes out, I can't see him as anything but an opportunistic scofflaw who has been abusing the public trust for decades.