PLD: Ranchers And Empire In The American West

by The Ludwig von Mises Institute 

This column by Ryan W. McMaken originally appeared on the Ludwig von Mises Institute website on April 14, 2014.

The militarized siege of a cattle ranch near Bunkerville, Nev., drew national attention as dozens of federal agents, armed with machine guns, sniper rifles, helicopters and more descended on the ranch to seize cattle and people and generally to show everyone who’s boss.

The conservative press has framed the story in a variety of ways, casting the story both as matter of outright federal seizure of private land and as an absurd environmental crusade to save a tortoise from extinction.

The reality looks to be a little murkier, however, as is often the case when dealing with land ownership in the American West. Back in September, the Las Vegas Sun reported on the Bundy family and noted that troubles began 20 years ago when the family’s patriarch unilaterally determined that he would no longer pay the Bureau of Land Management use fees that have long been required to graze on federal lands. The exact legal and historical details of the Bundy family’s case will emerge slowly over time, but even if the family is completely in the wrong legally (which it probably is), it’s safe to say that taxpayer dollars might be better spent on things other than a shock and awe campaign waged against a tiny ranch in the middle of a Nevada desert. Nonetheless, this is just the latest dispute in a long history of ranchers jockeying with the Federal government over land use permits and land use regulations.

Continue reading more:  http://personalliberty.com/ranchers-empire-american-west/