Liberty Matters News Service
March 19, 2003
A
small, but vocal group of Chinese legislators are clamoring for secure
property rights and the rule of law.
Meeting in the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, “a group
of 30 legislators called for a constitutional amendment that would
protect and encourage private businesses by making private property
‘sacrosanct and inviolable’.”
The lack of property rights is causing businesses to invest
overseas rather than risk confiscation by greedy government officials.
The capitalist influence in China is growing, although there are
currently only 133 private enterprise advocates in a field of 3,000
delegates to the National People’s Congress.
Lou Zhongfu, a self-made millionaire, said, “The government’s
functions have to change. It
mustn’t dominate and control the market.
A private economy needs rule of law, not commands.”
There is no hope for property rights legislation this session,
but delegates believe a constitutional amendment will be passed in a
couple of years.
Capitalists
in Chinese Legislature Speak Out for Property Rights
ANWR
Amendment Gains Support
“In
the last few months alone, our oil imports from Iraq have doubled,”
said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), arguing for acceptance of an amendment
to the budget resolution that would permit drilling for oil in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Republicans
currently have 49 votes and are working feverishly to convince holdouts
to go along. Sen. Russ
Feingold (D-WI), tried to strip the drilling amendment in order to have
a clear shot at filibustering it to death, but the maneuver failed.
Feingold denounced the amendment as a sneaky way to ruin a
pristine landscape saying, “…[I]f we don’t protect it [ANWR], we
jeopardize both the plan itself and all its scenic and habitat values,
and we threaten existing wilderness previously protected by Congress.”
Speaking for the plan, Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK), said, “drilling
would create thousands of jobs and reduce the nation’s dependence on
foreign oil.”
Both
Sides Confident as Senate Nears Vote on Alaska Drilling
Bush Gains Ground on Winning Oil-Drilling
Measure in Congress
The
Many Faces of Bruce Babbitt
Former
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is working the other side of the fence
by helping to broker a land exchange between wealthy developer Donald
Diamond and the federal government. Diamond has promised to buy approximately 4,300 acres of
private land scattered inside the Ironwood National Monument located in
Arizona to turn over to the Bureau of Land Management in exchange for
21,000 acres of BLM land near the town of Florence in two counties –
Pinal and Pima. Environmentalists
say they won’t support the swap, saying the Pinal County land is prime
pygmy owl habitat. Christina
McVie of Desert Watch, said she opposes the exchange because the BLM
land “…supports a real ecosystem function and the loss of the area
or compromise of it could have a domino effect.”
The deal-makers haven’t allowed the public access to their
meetings, but Babbitt plans to get approval of the land exchange through
federal legislation, because “he believes that to be the ultimate
public process.” That’s
ironic. While Secretary of
Interior, Babbitt consistently avoided his proposals from being voted on
by Congress, and instead attempted to change law by implementing new
regulations.
U.S.-Private
Swap of Land?
Babbitt
Calls for Socialization of Resources
Another
day, another face for Bruce. In
an address to attendees of the University of Montana’s Public Land Law
Conference, former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt called for an end to
multiple uses of the nation’s public lands.
Babbitt said that the era of mining, grazing and logging is over
and advocated a “conservation-based community commons,” where
conservation of resources reigns. “I
am here to say the presumption that grazing is the dominant use of our
public lands is the artifact of a distant past and must be replaced.”
He blasted logging as an inappropriate use of the nation’s
forests. “The Forest
Service came up with a concept called multiple use to justify the
logging of any landscape.” The
slogan, “Land of Many Uses,” was actually “Land of Too Many
Uses,” he said. Babbitt
told the audience that national forests are the dominant public use. “The community has the first priority for wilderness, for
water, for the integrity of these beautiful forests.
If we could protect the remaining old growth forests, it would be
a start toward protecting the integrity of creation.” In short, Babbitt advocates socialism to lock up our natural
resources.
Babbitt: Time's Ripe
for Reform
General
Motors is giving itself a pat on the back for their partnership with The
Nature Conservancy, an affiliation going back to 1994.
The giant auto maker has donated $10 million in hard cash and
numerous “trucks” to the cause over the years.
GM officials proudly proclaim that TNC’s land grabbing
practices promote healthy economies and healthy environments by
generating “innovative initiatives within local communities that
preserve our landscapes, help local economies and save precious places
around the world.” GM has
also donated $10 million to restore and protect 30,000 acres of
“endangered” rain forests in Brazil.
Additionally, GM officials have allowed their employees to donate
a portion of their hard-earned wages to TNC.
Since 1998, $395,000 has gone to TNC from the pockets of GM
employees. Incidentally, GM
Chairman, Jack Smith sits on the Conservancy’s international Board of
Governors and co-chairs its billion-dollar Campaign for Conservation.
Is a boycott of GM trucks in the near future?
The
Nature Conservancy & General Motors