Anyone else (possibly) getting a mandatory vacation come Tuesday?

[KrazyHorse]

How is it that in a country like the USA the Feds own so much land in only some States?

Draw a plot of US federal government power over time and on the x axis put in the dates of statehood. That is your answer.

[regexcellent]

There is absolutely no conceivable good reason why 90% of Nevada should be federally owned and protected land. Like, who the **** cares about that much land? You'll never see all of it in a lifetime. We have too many goddamn parks.

[giblets]

Draw a plot of US federal government power over time and on the x axis put in the dates of statehood. That is your answer.

Are you sure that it's not because no one wanted to buy worthless land in places like Nevada?

[Uncle Sparky]

There is absolutely no conceivable good reason why 90% of Nevada should be federally owned and protected land. Like, who the **** cares about that much land? You'll never see all of it in a lifetime. We have too many goddamn parks.

If they only owned a small bit of Nevada, everyone would know where they hide the aliens and UFOs.

[MrFun]

I'm glad there are federally-owned reserves and parks.

It would be boring to let corporations bulldoze everything that has to do with nature, just to create malls and amusement parks surrounded by acres of flat, boring concrete parking lots.

And as for the millions of acres of forest protected. You do know that plants produce oxygen? That stuff that you breathe in?
And let's not forget that although humans do not live in most of those protected forests, hundreds of different species of plants and animals live in them.

[MrFun]

I don't want to see an artificially-developed AT&T Canyon filled with wireless communications towers.

I want to see the Grand Canyon, in its natural glory and splendor; unspoiled.

[notyoueither]

Draw a plot of US federal government power over time and on the x axis put in the dates of statehood. That is your answer.

Yeah, but in Canada that evolved.

The Feds eventually handed over the best bits to AB and SK (mineral rights).

[notyoueither]

Are you sure that it's not because no one wanted to buy worthless land in places like Nevada?

Then hand it over to the State.

[giblets]

I'm glad there are federally-owned reserves and parks.

It would be boring to let corporations bulldoze everything that has to do with nature, just to create malls and amusement parks surrounded by acres of flat, boring concrete parking lots.

And as for the millions of acres of forest protected. You do know that plants produce oxygen? That stuff that you breathe in?
And let's not forget that although humans do not live in most of those protected forests, hundreds of different species of plants and animals live in them.

Good thinking. Surely Wyoming would be filled with parking lots and malls if the federally owned lands were sold off. The lack of potential customers in rural Wyoming would only be a minor setback.

[giblets]

I don't want to see an artificially-developed AT&T Canyon filled with wireless communications towers.

I want to see the Grand Canyon, in its natural glory and splendor; unspoiled.

My guess is you'll never actually see the Grand Canyon in your lifetime.

[MrFun]

My guess is you'll never actually see the Grand Canyon in your lifetime.

Why not?

That's one of the things Neal and I want to do.

[KrazyHorse]

Are you sure that it's not because no one wanted to buy worthless land in places like Nevada?

Anything has a use at a price.

[Captain ******* Kirk]

Draw a plot of US federal government power over time and on the x axis put in the dates of statehood. That is your answer.

This. The fact that the federal government owns 20% of the land in Hawaii is particularly obscene.

[DaShi]

Where do you think they put all the furloughed workers?

Or maybe that was just the GSA.

[The Mad Monk]

Ham handedness writ small: when we visited Mount St Helens in 1993, we were forbidden by law to pick up any pumice.