Great outdoors looks to be turning into
a great sellout
BY LARRY WILBECK
Monday, Jan 29, 2007 - 09:41:27 am CST
Perhaps like me, more and more sportsmen are
having trouble getting access to hunting and
fishing property because of leasing or
outright purchase of recreational property
by corporations. I see by advertisements
that Cabela's is in this business.
Obviously it's legal, but for the amount of
tax breaks, incentives, etc., that Cabela's
receives, why are they doing this? Strange
way to reward modest-income citizens who
have purchased Cabela's goods and made up
for Cabela's tax deferments with increases
in their own taxes. You would think that
Cabela's would be buying recreational
property for public use as a way of keeping
sportsmen of modest means in the game.
Many of my fellow sportsmen must think that
"socializing the risks and privatizing the
rewards" is a good thing. Interesting to me
to see how we vote ourselves and values into
extinction.
Case in point: Recipients of the farm
subsidies can lease out their ground to
outfitters or corporate types, they
themselves beneficiaries of tax write-offs
and incentives.
For example, one of the biggest if not the
biggest recipient of farm subsidies in a
neighboring county of mine (Nuckolls) has
leased his ground to outfitters for years.
You would think that even though it is
legal, he would be embarrassed to do
something like that. Greed must be called
business nowadays.
Perhaps you think I want something for
nothing? In 2005 the 3rd Congressional
District where I live received $992 million
in farm subsidies, $6.8 billion over a
10-year period. You can apply figures such
as these to other districts and neighboring
states as well.
We urban sportsmen deserve access. You sure
don't have to allow hunting or fishing just
because you receive subsidies, but those of
you who receive these subsidies shouldn't be
allowed to charge for hunting and fishing
access or lease out your property for such
purposes. Imagine how many people pay
through the nose to hunt South Dakota's 2
million acres of the Conservation Reserve
Program, and land improvements f | | |