This just in from Mike Hardiman and the American Land Rights
Association:
Congress is gearing up to vote on a very dangerous bill next month. The
National Heritage Areas Act (HR 2388), sponsored by liberal Republican
Rep. Joel Hefley (CO) and liberal Democrat Rep. Nick Rahall (WV), would do
for land grabs what the assembly line did for automobiles.
The Heritage Areas Act proposes to extend federal control over local
land use in exchange for federal grant money going to local communities.
Politicians see it as a pork barrel spending program to benefit their
districts. However, with the federal money comes federal land use
requirements, duplicity and land seizure, as is happening right now in
several counties in West Virginia—Heritage Areas!
There is NO notification to landowners when their property comes within
the boundaries of a Heritage Area - you just find out when you try to get
a road fixed, install a swimming pool, re-gravel your driveway or repair
your fences.
HR 2388 claims to be a program for local communities to encourage the
promotion of economic development and tourism. However, communities are in
for a rude surprise, because here is what is NOT in the Heritage Areas
Act: the words "economic development" or "tourism."
EXAMPLE: Here is an example of how the National Park Service hides its
intentions from local landowners, uses them to gain funds and then dumps
them when it no longer needs them. All in the name of a National Heritage
Area, of course.
The people of Hinton, West Virginia wanted funds to repair a local
road. They lobbied their legislators for several years, and finally gained
funding.
AFTER they got the federal funds, the National Park Service announced
that because it was a Heritage Area, the money would be used to create a
Scenic Parkway, and dozens of people's properties would be condemned and
they would be forced out of their homes! These are the very same innocent
citizens who lobbied for the road repairs in the first place!!! Check it
out at http://www.newriverfriends.org/
This bill creates a "Heritage Area" program that will be run
by the National Park
Service—this is the same agency that, among other things:
1. allows forest fires to run wild;
2. condemns private property whenever possible;
3. and claims huge areas as endangered species habitat so it can
eliminate commercial and recreational use of public lands, from four wheel
drive use to mining.
The National Park Service also has a five BILLION dollar maintenance
backlog—everything from potholes in roads to overflowing sewer systems
fouling the rivers. And yet this agency is constantly grabbing for new
land and power, when it plainly cannot handle the empire it already
controls.
Here are four reasons to oppose HR 2388:
1. it is federal land use zoning;
2. it is run by the anti-property owner National Park Service;
3. it will damage economic development; and
4. it doesn't let people know what is going on, until it is too late!
The Heritage Areas Act was passed by the House Resources Committee in
May of 2002. It will likely come up for a vote before the entire House
sometime in July. Therefore, we have no time to lose!
**Action to Take**
1. Call your Congressman and tell him to vote NO on the Heritage Areas
Act! House Switchboard: (202) 225-3121.
2. Click here
to send this APC Action Alert to up to TEN of your friends!
Faith-Based Initiative Already
Backfiring
We can’t say it enough: once private charities/organizations accept
public funds, they lose their autonomy—they no longer control their own
affairs. That is the dirty little secret behind President Bush’s
"faith-based initiative." The President may have the best of
intentions, however, the reality is that politicians will attempt to use
the faith-based initiative to manipulate private organizations and pay-off
special interests. Indeed, the liberals have already struck.
The "CARE Act of 2002" (S. 1924) is the Senate version of
President Bush’s faith-based initiative and it just recently passed the
Senate finance committee. In the bill is a provision that provides a 25%
discount on the capital gains tax for property owners who sell their land
to environmental groups or the government, rather than to private parties.
Hence, liberals are using the faith-based initiative to raise funds for
radical environmental organizations, and to lock-up more land from public
use.
**Action to Take**
1. Call both of your Senators and urge them to remove this coercive
"tax credit" from the CARE Act. Senate Switchboard: (202)
224-3121.
2. Click here
to send this APC Action Alert to up to TEN of your friends!
Come Hear Tom DeWeese Speak!
Tom DeWeese will be delivering a speech for the Institute on the
Constitution Lecture Series on July 3rd. The two-hour program
will begin at 7:00pm and will be held in the meeting hall of the law
offices of Peroutka and Peroutka, 8028 Richie Highway, Suite 315,
Pasadena, Maryland. There is no charge for the program, so bring your
friends and come hear Tom discuss property rights! For more information,
or directions, call (410) 760-7590, or call APC at (540) 341-8911. Hope
many can attend!
*Note: 2002 has shaped up to be a vital year. Good patriots are
defending liberty on many different fronts. We want to make APC’s Action
Alert System the most effective in the nation. If you know of activists
who should be receiving these alerts—especially those with distribution
lists of their own—please have them contact us via feedback form
or fax us at: (540) 341-8917. Thank you.
