June 16, 2018
We all know about the problem of people who expect handouts from the government because they are too lazy or incompetent to make it on their own. The Washington Post wrote about a cattle rancher in Oregon who fits this bill, but so badly represented the facts most readers probably did not understand what is at stake.
The piece is about two ranchers in Southeastern Oregon, Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven, who were convicted of committing arson on federal property. According to the article, they also threatened federal employees. Donald Trump is apparently considering granting the two men pardons.
The article asserts that the Hammonds “advocating public use of federal lands — especially for grazing of livestock.” This statement is self-contradictory. The Hammonds are advocating that they be able to use federal land for their private purpose — grazing of livestock — they are not arguing that it should be open to the public for general use.
Their use of the land for grazing will limit its use for other purposes and, of course everyone cannot use the land for grazing. This is a case where the Hammonds apparently feel the government owes them a handout in the form of free access to public land. The value of this handout almost certainly swamps the value of the benefits that a family might receive from food stamps, TANF, or other anti-poverty programs that set many people into a frenzy.
Addendum
BillB in the comments section informs us that these two ranchers have a history of making violent threats against federal employees and their families. They would seem to fit the definition of “terrorists,” the sort of characters conservatives usually talk about locking up for very long periods of time. It is striking that Donald Trump seems interested in pardoning them.
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