Maurice Hinchey: “life is certainly full of inconsistencies, and nowhere is that more evident than on the floor of the House of…”

“life is certainly full of inconsistencies, and nowhere is that more evident than on the floor of the House of Representatives today. We have before us something called the rule on the National Monument Fairness Act of 1997. Of course this act has nothing to do with fairness whatsoever. It has to do entirely and completely with trying to, in some misguided way, strike back at the administration for declaring a national monument in the Grand Staircase in Escalante in southern Utah, an act which, as a matter of fact, has been hailed by people all across the country, including many in Utah and many public officials in Utah. Why we are doing this is certainly beyond me, but inconsistent it certainly is. In introducing the rule on this act, the chairman of the Committee on Rules inveighed against the closed nature in which the President engaged in establishing this national monument while, in fact, that was not a closed process at all. It was a very open process and heralded in many places all across the country. What is closed, in fact, is this modified closed rule in which we are seeking to address this very important issue. Another inconsistency. Just recently, in a budget bill, we passed legislation which appropriated $5 million for the purchase of the Reagan ranch in California. Now, that may be a very good idea. I do not know. And I am sure most people do not know because there were no hearings. There was no open process.”