Once again, the corporate-loving Republicans running our state government prove they cannot be trusted. This time it's Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson who doesn't think Texas needs to abide by agreements it has made.
Recently, several conservation groups, including the Richard King Mellon Foundation, purchased 9,000 acres of land and gave it to the state of Texas. It was their hope the land would be used by the public for hunting and other recreational purposes. In the past, the Mellon Foundation has given over 40,000 acres to the people of Texas.
When the 9,000 acres, located near Big Bend National Park, was donated, it was with the understanding that the land would be offered to the Parks and Wildlife Department or the National Park Service, and could not be sold without the permission of the Mellon Foundation.
So, what do our Republican state leaders do? They put the land up for sale. They have accepted six sealed bids, and will announce the winning bid next month. They have decided the land would be better used by some corporate entity than by the citizens of Texas.
Commissioner Patterson said that Parks and Wildlife and the National Park Service turned down the gift of land, and the Land Commission could not afford to keep it. I wonder just how much it would cost the Land Commission to hold on to this FREE land -- next to nothing I suspect. And why were the Parks and Wildlife people willing to turn it down? After years of being underfunded, I imagine they were afraid their funds would be cut again if they crossed the big-boys in Austin.
It's not like a bunch of expensive upgrades were immediately needed on this land. It could have been kept just as it is until its best use for the citizens of Texas was decided upon. But that's not how Republicans think. The only useful thing they can see is money, and evidently some of their corporate buddies saw a way to make some money off this land.
The Mellon Foundation has told the state it does not want the land sold, and if it is, they will never make another land donation to the state. I don't blame them after the way they were betrayed this time. Why should they ever trust our state government again?
Commissioner Patterson says now that the land belongs to Texas, he doesn't think anyone can legally prevent the sale. Maybe he is right about the legality, but what about the ethics and morality? What about keeping your word when you make an agreement?
Like most Texans, I was brought up to believe a man is only as good as his word. I think the same is true of governments. A government that doesn't feel the need to keep its agreements, cannot be trusted in any matter.
It is obvious that we cannot trust the Republicans currently running our state government. It is time to replace them.
Recently, several conservation groups, including the Richard King Mellon Foundation, purchased 9,000 acres of land and gave it to the state of Texas. It was their hope the land would be used by the public for hunting and other recreational purposes. In the past, the Mellon Foundation has given over 40,000 acres to the people of Texas.
When the 9,000 acres, located near Big Bend National Park, was donated, it was with the understanding that the land would be offered to the Parks and Wildlife Department or the National Park Service, and could not be sold without the permission of the Mellon Foundation.
So, what do our Republican state leaders do? They put the land up for sale. They have accepted six sealed bids, and will announce the winning bid next month. They have decided the land would be better used by some corporate entity than by the citizens of Texas.
Commissioner Patterson said that Parks and Wildlife and the National Park Service turned down the gift of land, and the Land Commission could not afford to keep it. I wonder just how much it would cost the Land Commission to hold on to this FREE land -- next to nothing I suspect. And why were the Parks and Wildlife people willing to turn it down? After years of being underfunded, I imagine they were afraid their funds would be cut again if they crossed the big-boys in Austin.
It's not like a bunch of expensive upgrades were immediately needed on this land. It could have been kept just as it is until its best use for the citizens of Texas was decided upon. But that's not how Republicans think. The only useful thing they can see is money, and evidently some of their corporate buddies saw a way to make some money off this land.
The Mellon Foundation has told the state it does not want the land sold, and if it is, they will never make another land donation to the state. I don't blame them after the way they were betrayed this time. Why should they ever trust our state government again?
Commissioner Patterson says now that the land belongs to Texas, he doesn't think anyone can legally prevent the sale. Maybe he is right about the legality, but what about the ethics and morality? What about keeping your word when you make an agreement?
Like most Texans, I was brought up to believe a man is only as good as his word. I think the same is true of governments. A government that doesn't feel the need to keep its agreements, cannot be trusted in any matter.
It is obvious that we cannot trust the Republicans currently running our state government. It is time to replace them.
No comments:
Post a Comment
ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED. And neither will racist,homophobic, or misogynistic comments. I do not mind if you disagree, but make your case in a decent manner.