By Erik Molvar as published on The Hill
Welfare Ranching is EXACTLY that!!!
Recently, the Hage family of central Nevada has become the poster boy for ranchers supposedly victimized by federal law enforcement. But far from being victims of a repressive federal bureaucracy, the Hage family demonstrates the vulnerability of our western public lands to the livestock industry.
The Hage family have played significant role in the “Sagebrush Rebellion,” a political movement aimed at utilizing western public lands for the benefit of the livestock industry.
The Hage family cattle were impounded in 1991 for repeatedly trespassing and overgrazing on Forest Service lands. That year, Wayne Hage Sr. sued the federal government for suspending his grazing lease, arguing that he had purchased the local water rights and therefore possessed a sort of squatter’s right to graze on neighboring public lands.
Wayne Hage Jr. picked up where his father left off…
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Exposing the Big Game 
Public Lands livestock grazing has destroyed riparian habitat throughout the West, turning much of what was wild into a Domestic Feed Lot–all at the expense of taxpayers.
And, it gets worse: each year, millions of coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, prairie dogs, wolves, bears, wild horses, and other native wild species are exterminated, all to appease these public lands moochers, paid for by us taxpayers. Besides cheap grazing fees, and a myriad of other more hidden subsidies, livestock grazers have controlled most of the political process in The West, and even in D.C.
Finally, the word about these subsidized, destructive, spoiled ranchers is out. The livestock industry opposes all endangered species and other wildlife protections. Just look at what has happened to wolf reintroduction. There will be NO PEACE OR JUSTICE FOR THE WILD, until these moochers are removed from public lands, period.
If ranchers want to continue grazing, they need to do it on their private land. ALL public lands ranching is destructive, and it needs to end–now, if we are to save remaining wild lands and wild lives.
If there was not such a (mindless) demand for eating beef, these ranchers would not have as much power as they do. The government gives them every break under the sun precisely because they provide beef to Americans, the majority of whom eat it. If people really care about saving wildlife as they claim they do, then they can at least cut down on the amount of beef they buy. They can also demand that their representatives in Washington do more for wildlife, and give less breaks to ranchers and energy producers. But for now, I only hear crickets.
THESE ARE INDIGENOUS LANDS NOT RANCHERS LANDS.
I WANT TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THESE RANCHER’S WHO THINK THESE LANDS ARE THEIRS… SINCE WHEN DUDES?