Just the Facts and Nothing But

Posted on Huffington Post by
Larry K. (elfish)



Cliven Bundy Facts:

I. He and his Family has never owned the Disputed Land.

1. Bundy Claims his family has owned the land since 1877, before the BLM existed and before grazing permits were required.

2. However, Clark County property records show Bundy bought the 160 acre ranch in 1948 and included no rights to BLM land.

The Bundys didn't start grazing on the land until 1954.

3. The land is part of the Las Vegas Grazing District, established under the Taylor Grazing Act on Nov. 3, 1936. This was 10 years before the Bundys owned the land.

4. The BLM was founded in 1946, two years before they bought the land.

II. $16 Million Profits From Federal Land.

Why can't Bundy use his 160 acres for grazing?

Answer: money. Bundy is using Federal Land to graze cattle because he wants more cows and 160 acres isn't big enough to handle all the cows he wants. With Federal Land, he can have more cows and make more money.

Nevada land only supports one cow per 20 acres so he can only graze about 8 cows on his land. But using Federal Land, Bundy is grazing an extra 3,387 head of cattle. (We know this because Bundy owns $1.1 million in grazing fees over a 20 year period. So $1.35 per cow per month works out to 3,395 cows.)

Net Profit per cow is running about $250. That means Bundy is making an extra $848,765 a year by using Federal Land. Even if he paid the government grazing fee, his profit would still be $818,765.

Over the 20 years of the dispute, Bundy has made $16 million.

III. Ranch Welfare. Bundy has received $8.2 million in services from the Tax Payers.

1. Bundy Refuses to pay $1.35 per head, per month to graze his cattle on Federal Land saying the land belongs to the states.

2. If the land in question were state land, Nevada charges $15.50, so instead of owing $1.1 million to the Federal Government, Bundy would owe Nevada $12.6 million. Private land runs $14.50 and $20 per head, so private costs would be between $11.8 and $16.3 million.

3. Even if it was State Land, Bundy couldn't graze it, because the Nevada withdrew all grazing rights in the area in 1993.

4. The government spends millions maintaining the land and keeping it suitable for grazing. The Government routinely kills predators, removes trees to create more grazing land, drills wells, builds dams, controls weeds spread by cattle, fights fires and builds roads to access the land. The Government Accounting Office, it cost the government $8.10 per head to maintain the land. That means that, Bundy is receiving $8.2 million in services courtesy of the Tax Payers.

Larry please don't sue me. People need to see this.