‘Occupier’ enables a living on federal land
The Columbian of Vancouver, Wash. 9 hrs ago
... Eric Perramond of Colorado College said after conducting a poll of citizens in Western states: “Charges of government overreach from the ideological fringes are making headlines, but in reality most Westerners in this poll favor greater protection and sensible use of the open lands and national treasures that define the region” ...
... syndicated columnist Froma Harrop wrote during the occupation ... “A federal retreat from the rural West would spell economic disaster. In Harney County, government paychecks account for 60 percent of earned income.”
The rural West, which evokes images of rugged, individualistic cowboys and ranchers who blanch at the notion of big government, in truth is dependent upon federal cooperation. And using the land as a political football in an argument over states’ rights or individual rights will not suddenly turn arid brush into fertile farm land or abundant grazing territory ...
http://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/editorials/occupier-enables-a-living-on-federal-land/article_6d79f40c-f2f2-11e5-bd52-975092940fc0.html