S O U N D O F F
December 18 , 2008
His action this past year raises concerns as to his potential Secretary of Interior performance.
First; he came inches (Or so I thought.) from including the word "Consumer" in the farm bill name. Because 66% of the budget goes to school lunch and food stamp programs, "Consumer Farm Bill" would be correct. Yet, when reminded at a farm bill hearing, his assistant Grant Leslie answered, "He's worried about the war in Iraq."
Within the week, Ken signed a nonsense letter to Rush Limbaugh; instead of re- naming the farm bill.
When Sarah Palin was announced as McCain's running mate, Ken said he'd never heard of her.
Even I knew of Sarah Palin (A governor who had to sue federal so Alaskans could do energy exploration) for near six months before then.
Was Ken ( A natural resources committee member.) being a smart aleck or stupid?
I pray that while Ken's at the DOI helm, he'll demand public debate before one more damning policy is made against America's resource providers!
Environmentalists including Steve McCormick (and his three billion dollar budget Nature Conservancy), an Earthjustice Attorney, Bruce Babbitt, Ingrid Newkirk, Jon Marvel, Al Gore and Wayne Pacelle should be required to stand before congress and debate such nonpartisan scientists, researchers and legal minds as Dr. Willie Soon, Attorneys Lawrence Kogan and Harriet Hageman and Ric Frost!
Because president elect Barack Obama wants "transparency," I'm sure if told of this idea, he'd embrace it!
Considering Obama votes came from land mass less than 900,000 acres, and McCain votes came from a land mass exceeding 2,000,000 acres, proves my earlier observation: Blue states represent urban and Red states rural. This highlights the alarming disconnect between rural and urban.
Yet urbanites who have zero knowledge about growing food, use money to grow an obese corrupt government that sits on food production and flattens it!
Last year more than 400,000 American children went " to bed hungry."
The before-mentioned environmentalists care less about feeding starving children and more about feeding their power and bank accounts.
They don't know they're bitting the hands that feed them either, or . . . they're cannibals. An odd position indeed, for the vegan Pacelle.
Who's going to stop them? You? Oprah Winfrey? President elect Barack Obama? Who?
Natural resource providers should be given more value than environmentalists.
Why?
Resource providers pay to use public/federal lands while putting them to greater good . . . through gathering resources necessary, and sustaining a healthy nation!
Environmentalists use public/federal lands free! They use the words public or federal in their prospectuses; get money from federal government, then lobby against it; shut down resource production to play on the land and water, and aren't held accountable for their damages.
Before one initiates a public/federal land action, they should be required to present their concept to Indigenous Resource Providers (One who's home and main source of income has been derived through resource production in that area for no less than 30 years.), and a vote taken.
Because Indigenous Resource Providers pay to use public/federal lands; they should be allowed -"One vote per baseline acre unit production"; Only "Interested public" residing in that area would get to vote . . .and on a one vote per resident basis.
The greater vote's desire would stand!
If Senator Salazar would listen equally to our resource providers, and those who intend to bring harm, he'd be a great Secretary of Interior; for I have confidence our Indigenous Resource Providers would prevail.
One newspaper publisher who read my take on Senator Salazar asked: "What do you think about the Iowa governor leading agriculture?" Regards... Following is my answer, and their requested "short version" of my write on Senator Salazar (Hopefully for publication.) Roni
I don't know Tom personally. He appears to be an amiable sort. Who we need as head of the USDA, is someone like - and forgive me here, but this is the most accurate description I can think of - Chuck Sylvester. Chuck understands... and has implemented... the WHOLE agricultural picture. From water, seed, harvest, livestock, ESA, lands, perceptions, budgets and on. Comparitively, Tom doesn't have an ag background. And is my main concern. We have enough elected and appointed officials who mandate policy - such as NAIS - who don't know the difference between NAIS and A.I'ing, and are therefore killing the US cattle industry. Additionally, they don't know the difference between organizations such as NCBA (Represents packers and controls the USDA.), and US Cattlemen's (Represents cow-calf producers.). Another advise I'd give to Governor Vilsack, is to pay close attention to guys like Rick Cables (Who by the way, would be an excellent choice for Forest Service Chief). Rick is the regional forest service director, and had anyone listened to him - as opposed to environmentalists, we would NOT be having the forest fire and pine bark beetle problems today. Fact My short view. Thank you for asking. I appreciate it! - Roni