Hacker News Reader

Comment by gonational | Hacker News Reader

Some guy Craig may soon have a 10 year mineral rights lease on some small lot in Utah…

The author of this ad “is a founder of the grassroots climate campaign”, doesn’t even mention the size of this “large swath”, so I’m left to wonder if it is even similar in size to the 1,100 acre example he gives, which itself would be 0.002% of Utah; that’s not a large swath. I have multiple friends with larger farms than this in a single town.

If I stake a claim to pan for gold in Montana, I wonder if he will write an article about me.

View on HN

If this happens I do hope he includes another riveting interview where you say "no comment" several different ways.

Further, the author wants us to be outraged of "how entirely simple and legal this is".

However, why should the Federal government get this land at all? We used to have allodial title many years ago...but then it became common-law precedent that we effectively "rent" our land from the government and pay perpetual property taxes for that right.

The lack of allodial title is what ultimately creates an inescapable "head tax" on every citizen.

Unless “we” are the people who were here before the Europeans came in looking for plunder and land, why should “we” lay claim to it at all?

How far back do we go? First humans were african? Earth is theirs?

The author also talks about how land (actually mineral rights, but who's keeping track?) can be had for a few dollars which implies that the government is giving away land essentially for free to oil companies. Sure it could be, but pretty much all mineral rights that sell for the minimum bid will have no oil or value. The majority of bids that will actually be drilled on with likely sell for a very large amount. Only useless land is going to be sold for nothing act auction.

sigh Such a shame that the author decided to use deceptive tactics which really water down what the message should be: that the government should preserve the land and not sell mineral rights unless there's a very compelling reason. I mean, here I am defending the government when I agree with the overall sentiment that nature should be preserved!

You are correct. In my experience, government lots that go for the minimum bid at auction are VERY wildcat in nature. Federal mineral rights with proven reserves can go for thousands of dollars an acre at auction.

It’s like a weird kind of long-form submarine campaign ad with a click bait title.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com