The Selfish are Blocking Mining in Idaho

A fellow told me he’s a conservative on most issues, but a liberal when it comes to land.  He sent me the comment in a message this week.  It wasn’t a recent on-air subject, but it has come up in the past.  He was talking about growing demands that federal bureaucrats 2,000 miles away relinquish control over two-thirds of the Idaho map as if a guy in Washington is smarter and purer than the driven snow.  The arguments against the change center on access to land for hunting and fishing.  In other words, I got mine, I’m not interested in yours!

You Need to Take One for the Team

I bring this up because of recent disputes over mining in Idaho, and curtailed access to some tracts of land.  Why mine in the outback?  Because one mining engineer told me Idaho is mineral-rich, with enough underground to pay off the national debt.  And because we’re at the mercy of the Chinese when it comes to what are known as rare earth minerals.  Which aren’t so rare, if you actually dig them out of your own soil.  The minerals power economies, household gadgets, and military hardware.  Debt payment and national defense are both pretty good reasons for mining.

Your Country Needs You to Make a Sacrifice

That brings me to my point for writing.  Can you imagine someone during World War Two whining because they couldn’t hunt or fish on a military base?  The Greatest Generation survived the Great Depression and then lived four years with rationing, limited travel, and security measures not known before the conflict.  Because losing wasn’t an option, and you would risk that today for a cooler filled with trout?