George Miller: “as Members are now aware, we have just experienced two very close votes on whether or not the Federal Government ought…”

“as Members are now aware, we have just experienced two very close votes on whether or not the Federal Government ought to continue to subsidize grazing on Federal lands that are owned by the public, and continue that subsidy in a completely arbitrary fashion. The question in the two previous amendments, first of all, was whether or not the Federal land grazers ought to pay at least those prices that are charged for rental of that land and the grazing of that land that the States charged for comparable lands within their borders, and in a very, very narrow margin, apparently the House decided that was not the case. In the second amendment, the decision was whether or not, if we are going to subsidize these people in an arbitrary fashion to the tune of some $30 million a year that this program loses, should we subsidize also some of the largest corporations in this country, and should we also subsidize some the richest people in this country. On a much narrower vote the decision was somehow, unbelievably so, that yes, we could continue to pour taxpayer dollars to the richest corporations and the richest individuals.”