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Date published: 3/12/2006
Imagine the Cape Hatteras National Seashore dotted with beach houses. Or the George Washington National Forest as a ski resort or, worse, clear-cut. Sound far-fetched? Maybe not. The U.S. government is planning the sale of public land to the private sector to help fund the government's budget ["U.S. to sell $1 billion worth of public land," Feb. 11]. Washington is proposing a sale of 309,000 acres of national forest for spending money. My question is, what are our taxes for? It is not the first time the government has tried this. The Feb. 11 article mentioned that one proposal to sell land for mining and another to sell off 15 national parks failed last year. Thankfully, we have public land on which to go camp, hike, hunt, fish, sunbathe, and watch eagles. If this land is sold and privatized, its intrinsic natural value to the people of the U.S. is gone forever. If anything, the government should purchase more land to protect. Crow's Nest is a shining example of land in need of protection by the government. Streamlining and consolidation are ways I hope to see Washington find spending money, not selling national parks or forests. If the sell-off of public land is the path the U.S. is taking to generate government funding, it's a risky road of precedent that is being paved. We have until late March to comment. My letter is already in the mail. Catherine K. CheekSpotsylvania
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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