Seward's Folly Small Government Alaskans (Representatives, party, elect, federal government)

[ovcatto]

I was watching Ken Burn's PBS series on the National Parks. During one segment it showed the initial opposition of the citizens of Seward Alaska protesting the expansion of the Kenai Fjords National Park. The film showed the precursor of the teaparty movement, protesters with placards denouncing big government, violation of the 10th Amendment etc. arguing that the government's efforts to preserve the lands bought and paid for by the Federal government was an usurpation of state's rights.

And we wonder why people say American's don't get irony.

[jtur88]

You are quite right, the land properly belongs to the federal government. However, neighbors always have a right to protest land use in their neighborhood, whomever it is owned by. If the federal government proposes to use the land in a way that is objectionable or harmful to the interests of the neighbors, they have a right to express their opposition to that land use. They may or may not be able to persuade a court to deny certain land use, but they have a right to litigate.

[GregW]

The same people will vociferously protest if the government decides to impose zoning regulations on their private property. We all have a say in what happens to government land through our representatives. Too bad if some self centered tiny population is unhappy with the decision. They are not the tail that wags the Federal Dog. That right is reserved for the upper 0.1% of our population through the corrupt electoral system.