Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

The greatest polluter in the world is the government on the federal, state and local level. The largest, most decrepit, and misused parcels of land are those owned by and managed by the federal government. Allowing the federal government to not only assume environmental responsibility, but to be the legislator and enforcer of those laws is like having the fox in charge of the hen house.

One of the largest problems for the lands misuse is the sovereign immunity granted to government officials. The government not only has no interest in maintaining environmental sustainability, but has no repercussions for its mismanagement and/or pollution. Eliminating sovereign immunity is the first step to a cleaner environment.

It is proven that private ownership is the answer to well maintained land use and environment. Private ownership has an interest in maintaining a sustainable environment for the maximization of long term yield and profitability. While the government can simply toss the misused land aside and move on, the private citizen's misuse of property would result in bankruptcy through losses in business and/or civil suits in the court of law, which would inevitably remove the offending land owner. Therefore individual empowerment and ownership is the answer to sound sustainability and environmental policy.

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