Editorial: Don’t let ranchers fleece the taxpayers

Friday, Aug. 3, 2001 | 9:32 a.m.

Sadly, it appears that the so-called "Sagebrush Rebellion" is rearing its ugly head once again in Nevada. This time those prodding the "rebellion" are two ranchers who refuse to pay grazing fees to the federal government. We're not talking about chump change, either. The Bureau of Land Management says that John Vogt of Lida owes $300,000 in fees and penalties for illegal grazing on federal land and Ben Colvin of Goldfield owes $70,000. The two have refused to pay their fees to graze on public land since 1995, so in response the BLM has impounded about 200 of their cattle.

The BLM's action is understandable. After all, these are lands that the federal government is responsible to protect on the public's behalf. For that matter, critics of the federal government's grazing program have long argued that not only are the fees too low, but also that over-grazing hurts the environment. The duo's defiance isn't winning them many points with other ranchers, either. As the New York Times reported Thursday, the Nevada Cattlemen's Association says the grazing-fee system usually works well. And ranchers interviewed at the Fallon Livestock Yard, which is where the cattle are being held until the government decides whether to auction them, weren't sympathetic. They have to pay the fees, the ranchers noted, so they don't see why Vogt and Colvin should get special treatment.

The inanity of the argument put forth by the supporters of Vogt and Colvin -- that the federal government doesn't have jurisdiction over the land -- is similar to another crowd that says the federal government has no right to impose federal income taxes. Instead of garnering support for their cause, the overwhelming majority of the public will see the ranchers are just trying to dodge the fees that everyone else has to pay.