
We’re headed for a future where only the wealthy can enjoy nature - tony_cannistra
http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/399340-were-headed-for-a-future-where-only-the-wealthy-can-enjoy-nature
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bleigh0
Made me think of this:

At any rate, spring is here, even in London N1, and they can't stop you
enjoying it. This is a satisfying reflection. How many a time have I stood
watching the toads mating, or a pair of hares having a boxing match in the
young corn, and thought of all the important persons who would stop me
enjoying this if they could. But luckily they can't. So long as you are not
actually ill, hungry, frightened or immured in a prison or a holiday camp,
spring is still spring. The atom bombs are piling up in the factories, the
police are prowling through the cities, the lies are streaming from the
loudspeakers, but the earth is still going round the sun, and neither the
dictators nor the bureaucrats, deeply as they disapprove of the process, are
able to prevent it.

—from 'Some Thoughts on the Common Toad' by George Orwell. Highly recommend.

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clevershot
Let’s build a VC backed AI enabled blockchain VR version of nature for the
poor. problem solved

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nickthemagicman
It's better than nature because you can have pokemon there.

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greggarious
Anyone who's worried only the wealthy will be able to enjoy nature hasn't been
to West Virginia.

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seattle_spring
I think "nature" in this article refers to actual natural treasures (Grand
Staircase, Yosemite, etc.), not just some random forest on some rolling hills.

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woodruffw
I don't think the Blue Ridge Mountains count as rolling hills, and I would
count them among our national treasures.

That being said, the fact is that WV's natural resources have been subjected
to some of the most profound (and least regulated) economic exploitation in
the country. So I don't think the GP's point is correct.

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thr0waway5678
It reads like "the Poors can live Outdoors!"* but I'm going to assume I'm
mistaken or that that couldn't possibly be a popular opinion on hn.

*this is a joke and if you want to argue that i'm implying that everyone in West Virginia is homeless, bless your heart

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pochamago
Aren't the areas Mike Lee is looking to sell already off limits to the public?
They're not national parks, so I don't really know how usage works

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yosefzeev
If the values are wrong, this follows.

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thr0waway5678
Hahaha comments agreeing with this sentiment are getting downvoted, and the
thread itself has been flagged.

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dang
We've banned this account for trolling. Please don't create accounts to break
the site guidelines with.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

~~~
tony_cannistra
was the article flagged because of comments or because of content? op, don't
want to step on toes.

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dang
Users flagged it, presumably because they didn't think it followed the site
guidelines. Hard to say if they were reacting to the article or the thread.
Divisive topics like this pretty much always turn into flamewars unless they
include significant new information for the mind to chew on.

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SpikeDad
And health care. And get elected in govt.

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tomohawk
These are long overdue reforms. The states east of the mississippi did not
have the lionshare of their land retained by the federal government when they
became states. West of the river is a different story. With the federal
government owning 2/3rds of the land in the west, things are way out of whack.

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jschwartzi
Are they? A huge portion of my state is federal or state park land, and people
flock to these places to get away from the cities and the suburbs. If Lee had
his way, the federal government could start selling lands in places like Mount
Rainier National Park or the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. These
areas host numerous trailheads, picnic areas, campgrounds, and the like.

I can't help but agree with the author of the article, that Lee just wants to
sell these lands off to rich people who will deny access. We have a long
history in Washington of exploring the Cascades and the Olympics and I want
that to continue for the foreseeable future. These lands are the birthright of
our children and we should steward them as such.

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Deadron
Having moved from the seattle area to the state of maryland, the lack of parks
and public land feels very depressing. You drive by giant majestic horse
pastures, but the parks are so small that you can still hear cars driving by.

