News-Record.com

You are a young man and evidently know only what you hear from your parents or adults around you. I can understand your lack of historical knowledge of this issue because it certainly is not taught in schools today as is most other history unless it is revisionist type. '
I am going to attempt to educate you a bit young man and then you can educate the uneducated adults around you concerning the Forest Land Sales.

First of all lets get one thing straight about your first sentence. George Bush is not selling the forest lands in WNC or anywhere. George Bush does not carry out sales for the USDA or Forestry Service. The President has merely done what all Presidents before him, since Teddy Roosevelt(and we will get back to him shortly) has done and that is to extend the Rural Schools Program where forest land is sold to support certain schools.

Now, lets correct your last paragraph before we go into more history. The Rural Schools Program and selling forest land has absolutely nothing to do with NCLB. You can inform your parents of this since they are probably the ones who misinformed you on this subject.

Many states, especially those in the west were concerned about losing revenue to support schools when the U.S. Forest Service was formed and much land was placed into National Parks.To calm their fears and those of their representatives in Congress, President Roosevelt proposed a compact with the forest counties. In exchange for forgoing privatization, the new U.S Forest Service would manage the land so as to generate a sustainable flow of forest products and would then share 25 percent of the proceeds with the forest counties to fund roads and schools. The counties agreed and Congress codified the agreement in 1908.

Through the years man changes have been made to the laws concerning the management of forest lands but the compact formed in 1908 has continued much as it was written then. It is not a permanent type compact so must be renewed periodically.

This, young man, is what is being done this year. George Bush is not selling forest land, he is merely renewing the compact to allow the selling of lands just as has been done since 1908.

I hope you have learned a lesson in history today young man and I also hope that you have learned that you should do a bit of homework before you write letters to the editor on subjects that you don't know anything about. By doing you homework first and then expressing an opinion about the subject will earn you much more respect. It kind of like jumping into the middle of a pond and not knowing how to swim. I am glad however that you took time to write a letter even if the information was wrong for it has given you an opportunity to become better educated.

Oh and don't worry, the forest land that you are use to go camping on at Ridgecrest, it is not in danger. It is in more danger from those who manage the conference center since they have been selling lands that were set aside by the original founders for recreation use in order to satisfy someone's greed. Enjoy Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, I did for many years and lived on the conference grounds for several years as did my parents.

mrproduce,

Thanks again for providing some historical context for this issue. I was ignorant on the subject myself but have learned plenty on this message board.

I'm not going as far as to say that I like this program. But at least you've cleared up the notion that Bush is responsible for all bad things. Hard to imagine he was around in 1908.

Yellowdog, here is more on this subject: http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:g34nciJsuu4J:www.sierrainstitute.us/CHAPTER_1.doc.pdf+Secure+Rural+School+and+Community+Self-Determination+program,+&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=5

I believe it can be viewed in HTML or PDF.

You may not like the program much Yellowdog but if you ever lived in a county like Pope County Illinois where 90% of the county is owned by the Feds and the State Forestry programs you certainly would appreciate it. There is no tax base there to even support the schools since the Mica mines closed. I remember times when school teachers lived on only what the state paid for salary and there was no county money to provide for anything within the school system. They actually depended on the community to keep the schools open until the money from the Rural Schools program was received. That was during a time when the program again was being questioned and Congress was slow to pass the measure. It was tough times for those folks living there and it still is.

Thanks for the link. If we all checked our facts a little better before leaping emotionally then many of these issues wouldn't be issues at all.

Yep, that about sums it up Yellowdog. I just hope the young man reads his on-line letter and can learn a bit from all of this. His parents, who evidently have repeated this kind of misinformation in front of the young man need to do a bit of reading on the subject also.

Yellowdog, note also that the link is sponsored by the Sierria Institute which is hardly a pro-deforestation group. The first chapter of their study give a history , albeit short of the program. The also go into how there could be some improvements in the program which I actually see no problem with at this time. I haven't had the opportunity to completely study their recommendations since there are many links at the end of their study which will take weeks to actually study. So,with that said folks can't go claiming I am just spouting the administration's agenda.

MrP. your years of experience and useful info are appreciated. Problem is whatever you say is confined to this blog and any other means you have to educate people. You have educated me on this issue at least.

The MSM headlines will still read "George W. Bush is selling national forest land for development"

I wonder where this youngster got his info. Maybe from his parents, likely from his teachers.

PS: I drove through the Asheville area this afternoon and was thinking about you. Spending the night in the Knoxville area for a business meeting tomorrow.