Rep. Jason Chaffetz visits Emery County

By PHIL FAUVER staff writer

US Representative Jason Chaffetz stopped by Emery County on his way to Green River and Moab to meet with County Commissioner James Nelson, Senator David Hinkins, Emery County Republican Party Chairman Bill Dellos and a small crowd of people at the San Rafael Museum.
This was a fact finding tour by Jason Chaffetz to learn the topics most people in Emery County were concerned about.
Farmers and ranchers were concerned about the overgrazing by horses and burros on land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management in violation of BLM management rules. It was pointed out the BLM is paying a few people to feed the burros at a rate of $3 a day per burro.
The Endangered Species Act is used more and more by the government to take over private and public land. We have turtles, plants, fish, burros, antelope, sage grouse and prairie dogs to mention a few species that are used as an excuse to limit land use.
The attempt by the BLM to take over the Bundy Ranch cattle and ship them to Utah for sale was discussed. Senator Harry Reid allegedly may have been involved with helping the Chinese obtain Nevada land to build a solar farm. The BLM spent more than $500,000 on the Bundy Ranch issue which still isn’t resolved.
Count My Vote verses the Caucus system was discussed. The cost of getting signatures by candidates for state and federal offices would be prohibitive. It is estimated that it would cost a candidate about $10 dollars per signature. A state senator would have to get more than 2,000 signatures to be on the Primary Ballot. Only the very wealthy would be able to afford getting the necessary signatures for state and federal offices. The Caucus system is the less expensive way of getting a candidates name on the ballot.
Twenty billion dollars has been appropriated by the administration for and not yet spent in Afghanistan. This money could be put to better use domestically.
The massive debt problem by the Federal Government and how to pay off the debt was a concern. The budget proposed by the President received two votes. Even Nancy Pelosi voted against that budget.
The delay in the permit for the second Huntington debris basin by the Army Corp Of Engineers, is frustrating residents and officials in Emery County. The first debris basin is complete and working.
The House of Representatives is looking into the IRS involvement in the politics of targeting more than 300 Tea Party applications that ended up on the desk of one of the two political appointees. The Department of Justice appointed, as the lead investigator of the IRS, a person that contributed the maximum amount to President Obama’s election. The auditors of the IRS are receiving $60 billion in bonuses this year. Ninety thousand people currently work for the IRS.
Rep. Chaffetz mentioned the USA cannot get into outer space anymore without relying on the Russians because of cuts in the NASA budget. At the moment our military is superior to others. The US Navy has 60 percent of the US fleet deployed in the Pacific the rest are deployed in the Atlantic which indicates where the most threats come from.
Other topics discussed were about how Russia and China are attempting to expand their territorial control over areas not before controlled by them.
The infestation of Quagga Mussels at Lake Powell and the potential of contaminating other Utah bodies of water was a concern.
Rep. Chaffetz said he has introduced a bill to decentralize the government agencies throughout the USA. This would help the government agencies become more familiar with what goes on outside Washington DC.