William Perry Pendley for BLM Director

The Left has released its dogs on Trump’s possible appointment of William Perry Pendley to head the BLM. They are wrong. Pendley is a good choice for BLM director, and precisely for the reasons that are criticized by the Left. The federal government owns far too much land and, as Pendley has advocated for years, most of it should be sold. This would bring needed revenue to the government for the sale price of the land and would reduce the huge expenses of managing the land. It would also increase the revenue to the local taxing jurisdictions. But the most important benefit is simply the recognition that private interests always manage real estate better than any government entity. For example, forest fires occur almost exclusively on government managed lands, not on the vast acres of privately managed forests.

Contrary to the allegations of the Left, the BLM lands were NOT intended to be retained in perpetuity and “managed” by the federal government. One indication of this fact is that the BLM was originally called the GLO, General Land Office. These lands were intended to be sold. Leftist bureaucrats always want to maintain and expand government power. Part of that goal was embodied in the name change of the GLO to the BLM.

Appointing Pendley to the BLM post is one small step in reducing the federal government overreach and in respecting the sovereign status of our western states.