Liberty Matters News Service

9/27/99

Opposition to CARA Growing

Babbitt Pushing Young’s Bill

Deadlines to mark-up H.R. 701 have come and gone for the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) of 1999. Word leaked out several weeks ago that a mark-up was to occur on September 22nd, but was scratched when Don Young still didn’t have enough Republican support on his own committee and negotiations to come up with a compromise bill failed. However, insiders speculate that the next attempt will be October 6th or any time after that until Congress adjourns in late October or mid November. It has been reported that Tom DeLay and Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House, will not permit Don Young to bring up his bill with 18 of the 24 Republicans on his own committee in opposition. Young and others have been diligently working on a compromise bill behind the scenes with dozens of members, but no word on what those efforts have produced. Also, last week the White House held a closed-door session with the leaders of 25 environmental groups to discuss building support for the House and Senate bills. John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff, announced that Secretary Babbitt will hold a series of public meetings around the country to promote the idea. Pressure must be kept on members of Congress to not pass this dangerous bill. Creating an off-budget billion dollar a year trust fund to buy private property will destroy this country. CARA legitimizes the Wildlands Project being pushed by environmental organizations and implemented by our federal agencies without congressional approval or oversight. CARA, in any form, must not pass. Call your congressman and those listed on our faxback document with your views. They need to hear your opposition to keep them from giving in to the pressure. Faxback Doc. 439

Legislation to Curb Executive Orders Introduced

Recently Congressmen Ron Paul (R-TX) and Jack Metcalf (R-WA) introduced HR 2655, The Separation of Powers Restoration Act. The purpose of the bill is to clarify the uses of Executive Orders and curb the abuses of this vehicle by the Executive Branch. It was filed to counter the Clinton administration’s use of EO’s as a way to promote actions and policies that would not make it through the legislative process. The declaration of the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument and the American Heritage Rivers Initiative are blatant examples. This bill goes a long way to not only address these types of abuses, but in a number of instances repeals them. A Supreme Court Judge once noted " The Doctrine of Separation of Powers was adopted by the founders not to promote efficiency but to preclude the exercise of arbitrary power." Faxback Doc. 440

UN Vows to Ignore National Sovereignty

Last week at the opening of the UN General Assembly, Secretary General Kofi Annan told the opening session that "traditional considerations of national sovereignty will no longer be taken into account." The stand was issued in the context of humanitarian intervention. Annan went on to say "massive and systematic violations of human rights, wherever they take place should not be allowed to stand." It should be noted that under UN theory, "biodiversity" destruction can and is defined as a violation of human rights. A number of nations objected to the position, the United States was not one of them. The One World Government marches on. Faxback Doc. 441

Babbitt Caught Again

Prior to Bruce Babbitt’s cabinet appointment as Interior Secretary in the Clinton administration, he was a consultant to the Canyon Forest Village, a large development project near the Grand Canyon. The project needs the approval of the Agriculture Department to go forward. Although Babbitt claims he has "never voiced an opinion to any official or the Forest Service" about whether the development project should be approved, the Washington Times reports finding e-mail messages between Forest Service officials that say different. The messages state that Babbitt requested to be informed of the development’s progress "every step of the way."