Clinton-like land grab

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=20021784&title=utah-politicians-outraged-at-push-to-make-arizona-strip-national-monument&s_cid=featured-2

Quote :

A push by environmental groups for a possible national monument designation along the Arizona Strip is provoking outrage among Utah politicians who say it will kill ranching jobs, permanently extinguish any uranium mining in the area and possibly derail the Lake Powell pipeline.

The proposal would allow for a seamless connection between Grand Staircase-Escalante and the Vermillion Cliffs national monuments, which the groups said would be important in fostering the protection of critical wildlife corridors.

I read the KSL article and the one in the Deseret news. I loved when Orrin Hatch said ALL Utahns were against this proposal. He certainly does not represent my views. Also, many of the reader comments were blasting Obama for this even though at this point it is just a proposal submitted to the regional BLM office. And finally, what is so horrible about discussing further protections for this area? It is not a 'land grab'. It would still remain in the public domain. Silly Utah politicians crying about federal land grabs when they are the ones who want to seize public lands to lease to the highest bidder. These guys would be tickled to see mining and drilling in every sensitive habitat area in the state (or in this case, an adjoining state where they have money interests).

Currently, I can camp on the Kaibab and shoot my guns and have a generally great time away from everyone. Once some great area like that gets made into a nat'l monument, the freedom ends and the masses show up from all points on the globe. Gates are erected. Roads are closed. Visitor's centers are built and it becomes just another tourist trap.
We don't need any more nat'l parks or monuments. Keep access to all our open spaces (nat'l forest and BLM land) for all Americans until the people of the separate states to determine how best to use that land.