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MOST URGENT: Mt Jefferson Slated for Immediate Closure!!

←snow∞motion→

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Please don't hesitate on sending us messages! If people get upset then they shouldn't be riding...

If it wasn't for the PM then I would have never seen this thread and I am glad I did!

I agree, I didn't know until I got the email. Then I called both Senators for Wyoming, but then looked it up and I think it's crashed anyways.

Oh well, kind of like a fire bucket brigade right?
 

CatWoman

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Still doesn't hurt to let them know your feelings. I'm sure this will come up again....let's make our elected officials think about what we, the voters, want!
 

christopher

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http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9K5BA5O0&show_article=1

(AP) - Democrats controlling the Senate have abandoned a 1,924-page catchall spending measure that's laced with homestate pet projects known as earmarks and that would have provided another $158 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nevada Democrat Harry Reid gave up on the nearly $1.3 trillion bill after several Republicans who had been thinking of voting for the bill pulled back their support.

GOP leader Mitch McConnell threw his weight against the bill in recent days, saying it was in his words "unbelievable" that Democrats would try to muscle through in just a few days legislation that usually takes months to debate.
Reid said he would work with McConnell to produce a short-term funding bill to keep the government running into early next year.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP)—The top Senate Republican has offered a one-page bill to prevent a government shutdown on Saturday as an alternative to a 1,924-page catchall spending measure offered by Democrats.

Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell says it's unbelievable that Democrats want to pass the measure in just a few days as Christmas approaches. He says Congress should pass a less costly bill next year—when Republicans will have more leverage.

McConnell had earlier quietly backed the effort to produce the nearly $1.3 trillion bill, but he's now trying to kill it. McConnell also obtained $85 million in so-called earmarks for Kentucky.

Democrats say they'll take up the bill later Thursday. It bankrolls every Cabinet agency for the budget year that started Oct. 1.
 
D

Daniel Boondocker

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Dec 1, 2007
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http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9K5BA5O0&show_article=1


Democrats say they'll take up the bill later Thursday.

What is up with these earmarks. Whether they drop this earmark for now or not, you know there are those that will never give up on this closure of Mt Jefferson. How many times has it been now? One closure seems to follow another, and they don't seem to stop. Now they are trying to hide it as an earmark in another oversized bill disguised by a vital issue that must be addressed. Apparently we are not speaking up enough. I am all for protecting the environment in a reasonable manner as I am sure all of you are, but the closures seem to be obviously and overly one sided. They seem to have clearly gone too far already. Seriously, where all we all going to ride and how crowed will it get, causing another excuse to close another area. Where will it stop? I can't see an end. I'm not suggesting that we over-react and be radical ourselves. Just saying that I myself haven't done enough of my part to speak up for myself and feel more of a need to financially support the coalitions more consistently. I have been supportive in the past when these issues surface, but whenever I look away they sneak up on me again. Seems pretty obvious I need to be more consistent in my support and in making my voice heard. Thank for the reminder.
 

Dogmeat

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WIN FOR US!!!!

At least for now!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/16/government.spending/index.html?hpt=T2

Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina has said he might ask that the bill be read aloud.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Republican senators claim 'victory,' angering Democrats
NEW: McCaskill calls for an end to political gamesmanship
Reid says he will work with Republicans on a short-term spending measure
The current authorization for government funding is set to expire this weekend
Washington (CNN) -- In a dramatic twist played out on the floor of the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid conceded Thursday night he lacked the votes to bring up a $1.1 trillion spending bill designed to fund the federal government for the rest of the current fiscal year.

Reid, D-Nevada, accused Republicans of withdrawing previously pledged support for the bill, and said he would work with the Senate Republican leader to draft a short-term spending measure that would keep the government running beyond Saturday, when the current spending authorization resolution expires.

"A number of Republican senators told me they'd like to see this pass, but they can't support it," Reid said, adding that nine GOP senators who previously told him they backed the bill had changed their stance.

The shift announced by Reid culminated a Republican effort to kill the spending bill and likely put off major spending decisions for the rest of fiscal year 2011 until a more conservative Congress convenes in January.

The House of Representatives has passed a resolution that authorizes spending at the same level as last year until September 30, when fiscal year 2011 ends. The Senate spending bill, drafted by Democrats and Republicans on the Appropriations Committee, was a more flexible appropriation measure that would have given government departments more leeway in how they spend their budgets.

Earlier Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for the Senate to pass the spending bill because it would allow his department to meet changing priorities in the current year.

Republicans, however, complained the Senate bill would have continued excessive government spending including $8 billion in earmarks, or provisions requested by individual legislators.

"Once the new Congress is sworn in, we'll have a chance to pass a less expensive bill free of this kind of wasteful spending," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said Thursday. "Until then we need to step back and respect the will of the voters."

In addition, all 12 Republican senators-elect sent a letter to McConnell and Reid, saying they are "united in opposition to the current effort in Congress to pass yet another unseen bill, loaded with wasteful spending."

Two Republican senators, John McCain of Arizona and newcomer Mark Kirk of Illinois, proclaimed victory on the Senate floor shortly after Reid's announcement, drawing angry responses from Democrats.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, accused McConnell of unfairly characterizing the spending bill as a Democratic proposal when it was compiled by senators from both parties on the Appropriations Committee. McCaskill also criticized McCain and Kirk for their victory proclamation.

"If we want to work together, we've got to stop trying to score cheap political points," McCaskill said, adding: "We probably both (Democrats and Republicans) need to work a little harder at trying not to score cheap political points, as the Minority Leader (McConnell) did on the floor a few minutes ago."

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, earlier called the GOP hypocritical, noting that a large number of the earmarks in the bill had been previously requested by Republican members. Durbin also said the legislation had been set at $1.1 trillion in order to satisfy McConnell's demands.

This is "the very same number" the Republican leader insisted upon, Durbin said.

Reid said, if you looked up hypocrisy in the dictionary, "under that would be people who ask for earmarks but vote against" in the final bill. Republicans "hate to vote for them but love to get them," he added.

Reid framed the dispute over earmarks as one tied to the government's separation of powers, and said he didn't understand why self-proclaimed conservatives would oppose the practice.

Taking away earmarks is "a way for the executive branch of government to steal" congressional powers, he said. "I do not want to give up more power to the White House, whether it's George Bush or Barack Obama."

The rise of the conservative Tea Party movement influenced what happened on the issue. South Carolina GOP Sen. Jim DeMint, a leading voice of the Tea Party movement, had threatened to force the almost 2,000-page bill to be read out loud before it could be debated.

Reading the bill was expected to take more than two days, endangering progress on other issues as the lame-duck session headed to conclusion.

Spending authorization bills are necessary to keep the government running, and the current resolution expires on December 18. Both chambers will have to approve a common approach to prevent the government from shutting down after that date.

President Barack Obama had requested almost $1.14 trillion in spending for the 2011 fiscal year, which began October 1 and ends on September 30, 2011.

The resolution passed by the House is $1.089 trillion -- $45.9 billion less, according to House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wisconsin.

Good news, at least for now.
 
K
May 18, 2009
3
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3
I'm so happy i actually took the time to look at your email (snowest update). I began frantically finding info of my senators, posting on facebook, etc, etc. My facebook friends will think I'm nuts as it appears it's already been shelved (i panicked and failed to read the entire thread). Thank god. I'm still callling my senators tomorrow morning. here is a link to stop the bill on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-...-Payer-Rip-off-Land-Grab-bill/126263204103730

I'm from baltimore but own/live in Driggs, Idaho during the winter (4)months to snowmobile and snowboard. We see more and more wilderness signs go up every year. Many date back to a land grab in 1984, but the maps still aren't updated. I can't tell how ridiculous some of it is. They'll cut off one area (where we've never seen a wild footprint) only to make us enter from another area where were dodging moose and other wildlife. It's insane.

I drive the two hours to visit island park and west yellowstone several times every year. This closure would crush the island park winter economy.

thanks for the email update. i have no problem with these updates. I will check them everytime from now on.
 

christopher

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The sad part is, there is almost NO CHANCE at all of his backing off.
If not now, then he will try and try and try again!

We might have won this one battle, but the war WILL RAGE ON.
 

←snow∞motion→

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I agree, our best defense in this war is to support organizations like SAWS, BRC, and ARRA. They are instrumental in exposing these sneaky, under the table, games that politicians and environmentalists play by.

Support them at a minimum with numbers, but if possible financially. They are battling extremely well funded outfits, and often have very little financial reserves to work with. Another thing would be to support companies that support sledding like KLIM, HMK, 509, Habervision, and etc.

It's actually pretty easy to research where companies money goes when investigating a purchase, and we as sledders need to avoid the ones trying to close us down, and give FULL support to those that aren't.

I'll get off my soapbox now, keep up the good work Christopher keeping us informed.
 

←snow∞motion→

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The only way to stop them is to VOTE!

Yeah sort of, the key is voting TOGETHER.

I have no control over that chucklehead Tester or what he does in office, I only can vote for my state. What I can do is keep people in office in my state that are pro-balanced land use, which hopefully trickles into national land use issues.

But if we all vote this way, the states issues will meld into the national ones and hopefully the benefit everyone.
 
S
Mar 9, 2010
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Is this about politics or sledding or am i missing something i need more details maybe i didnt read close enough but i didnt see anything about cutting off motorized vehicles in the winter i read over pretty quick though PLEASE fill me in with details and not the political democrat republican BS :face-icon-small-con:face-icon-small-con:face-icon-small-con
 

CatWoman

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Is this about politics or sledding or am i missing something i need more details maybe i didnt read close enough but i didnt see anything about cutting off motorized vehicles in the winter i read over pretty quick though PLEASE fill me in with details and not the political democrat republican BS :face-icon-small-con:face-icon-small-con:face-icon-small-con

It's about attaching a wilderness package shutting down Mt Jefferson and other areas to the spending bill they are trying to get passed before the end of the year.

So YES...this is VERY much about sledding, and not wanting to lose more PUBLIC land/riding areas.
 

pureadrenaline

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From Congress.org
http://capwiz.com/ovarian/callalert/index.tt?alertid=20842521

This is what makes our fight so hard, they put closing OUR land in with cancer research. Naturally if people hear just about the positives they will blindly follow. I am all for doing what we can to hopefully find a cure for cancer, but the fact that they put hundreds of laws and regulations into one bill and make it all or nothing is appauling... I understand that voting on every single concern takes a lot of time, but isn't this what WE pay them for?

It should NOT be like this, its time to trim some dead weight and take our country back!
 
J

jbsleds

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2009
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Outstanding attitude and action!

Just got off the phone with my local senator he is going to do some checking on it he said there is so much crap in that bill he has not read it all yet. He is going to call the big guy Chuck Grassley and have a talk with him. He dosent think it will pass but he will check in to it. Hopefully us Iowa guys can help
Josh Miller

Thumbs up to the man from Iowa for recognizing that this isn't just an Idaho issue and for taking action! Even though at this point it sounds like the legislation has been stopped, it will take that kind of continued support to prevent future attempts. Let us know when you're out this way, we'll buy you lunch!
 
P
Jun 30, 2008
7
1
3
They should not be allowed to have more than one issue in a bill at a time...this bargaining chip stuff is b.s.!! No one is hurting anything riding out there...there is plent of space for everyone. These high dollar, special interest groups are just greedy a-holes that don't think of anything but themselves and unfortunately MOST, not all, politicians are just those that take their own self-indulgence to the next step.
 

03RMK800

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Went ahead and called to get the word out that appropriations bills are not the appropriate way to establish wilderness or pass other legislation that can't pass on its own.

Yes, the proposals will come back, but perhaps in a forum that can look at the specifics, instead of a forum where the financial expediency (not shutting down the government) will be the central question.

I am wondering what will Montanans think of Tester in 2012? As a Coloradan, I have little room to talk, though. The Colorado independents (actually a majority of voters) are independent in too many directions, so they can't run a candidate. The Colorado Republican party is the gang that can't shoot straight, under the control of factions not appealing to a majority of even declared Republicans. The result is that Colorado has inflicted the country with the current Secretary of the Interior and his brother, and our senators.
 
S
Nov 26, 2007
264
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18
ND
So did I read fox news right that dingy harry pulled the legislation and is going to work on something different? they said that he wanted to work on a short term budget fix and that huge bill that he pulled is what the land grab was tied to.

In no way am I saying that this fight is over just maybe isn't at point blank range for the time being.
 
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