Two Pronged attack on Property Rights!!! Alert from American Land Rights Association

3/18/03

from American Land Rights Assoc.

Congress is moving ahead FAST with two major attacks against private
property rights. BOTH of the bills listed below will be moving through
Congress over the next two weeks. YOUR HELP is needed to counteract the
greedy land trusts and greedy congressmen whose top interests are fleecing
the taxpayer and taking your land.


FIRST PRONG OF THE ATTACK:

Tax Favoritism for the Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy and the other multi-billion dollar land trusts are
licking their chops at the TAX FAVORITISM that was inserted into legislation
for them.

S. 476 -- NOTE: NEW BILL NUMBER -- S. 476 -- S. 476

S.476, Sections 106 and 107! The bill number was changed when it was
approved in committee - it is now S. 476.

***** This bill could move to the Senate floor for a vote by the full
Senate at ANY TIME in the next two weeks!!!! *****

It was approved by the Senate Finance Committee in February. It is a 25%
tax cut on capital gains of land sales - but only if the land is sold to an
environmental group or to a government agency! Private parties, or
non-environmentalist charities such as churches, orphanages, private schools
and social service centers are left in the dust! AND it includes sales of
WATER RIGHTS!

S. 476 is the "Faith Based Initiative" and is supposed to help
religious-based organizations to help people - but Sections 106 and 107 work
AGAINST charities for the benefit of multi-billion dollar land trusts!

It will take more land off the tax rolls, damaging the tax base of rural
communities in public lands dominated regions of the country. And this
proposed tax advantage does not apply to churches, orphanages, private
schools, social service centers or other non-profit charities when
purchasing land! ONLY land trusts and government agencies! WORST OF ALL -
even though it is technically a tax break for the SELLER of the land, all it
will benefit is the BUYER!

HERE is why: the land trusts can and will reduce their offers for land
purchase. They will have up to a 25% advantage when bidding versus private
parties, because of the tax benefit to the seller. So the seller will get a
smaller sale price, reducing his tax benefit, while the land trust spends
less money. AND that is assuming that there is even a private bidder, once
the Big Green Machine has worked over the landowner with threats from the
Endangered Species Act and other laws.

ACTION ITEM: - SHINE THE LIGHT on this attack on private property rights
AND water rights. The entire bill deals with a variety of tax deductions not
related to land. It is just Sections 106 and 107 of S. 476 which has the
free hand- out for the Nature Conservancy. TELL your Senator and Congressmen
to take out Sections 106 and 107 from S.476! Defend private property
rights - land trusts should not get special tax breaks that churches,
orphanages, private schools and social service centers DO NOT get in the
"Faith Based Initiative!"



SECOND PRONG OF THE ATTACK:

The "Energy Bill" is a disaster!!!!!!

INCREDIBLY, the "CARA" (Condemnation and Relocation Act) legislation is
rearing its ugly head once again! CARA is a massive, unprecedented land
acquisition and condemnation trust fund, which also includes billions in
grant money to leftwing environmental and animal rights groups.

First introduced in 1998, it was defeated in the 105th Congress (1997-98),
106th (1999-2000) and 107th (2001-2002) Congresses due to exceptional
efforts from grassroots property rights and taxpayer advocacy organizations.

And, once again it is Congressman Willy Tauzin of Louisiana who is
sponsoring the CARA Land Grab. Tauzin is leading the attack against fiscal
responsibility and property rights. He is cutting a deal with the
environmentalists, so he can funnel a load of your tax dollars back to his
political cronies in Louisiana.

HERE IT IS: The enviros get their money to condemn land and taxpayer
grants to run their organizations. And Tauzin gets cash shoveled into
Louisiana.

Tauzin is Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, and is the most
important single person in putting together the "Energy Bill," which is
supposed to promote more oil and gas exploration, help promote nuclear
energy, and do other good things. However, Tauzin plans on hijacking the
bill for his own interests.

Tauzin will not introduce CARA as a separate bill. No public debate, no
hearings, no separate votes on CARA - forget it - he knows that he will be
buried under an avalanche of opposition. He plans to attach it as an
amendment to the Energy Bill behind closed doors as it moves through
Congress. This is completely irresponsible!

America is under attack from terrorists and needs to increase domestic
energy production to make us less dependent on foreign oil. For example,
the millions of barrels of oil underneath the Alaska National Wildlife
Reserve (ANWR) should be made available for environmentally responsible
extraction.

But Rep. Tauzin's main concern is lining the pockets of his cronies in
Louisiana with cash. American energy independence? More oil, gas, and
nuclear power production? Forget about it - it all takes a back seat to
GREED. Tauzin is willing to put America's energy future at risk. He is
attempting to cut a deal with the environmentalists so that they get bought
off with cash in exchange for a special pot of money - up to $300 million
PER YEAR - for Louisiana. He is risking defeat of the entire energy bill -
and American energy independence - for GREED.

ACTION ITEM: Tell your Congressman and your Senators - stay the course -
keep the energy in the energy bill - more oil, gas and other energy
production for America. DO NOT let the energy bill get hijacked with
Congressman Tauzin's CARA Land Grab!


-----1. Call both your Senators and your Congressman immediately.
You may call any Senator or Representative at the Capitol Switchboard at
(202) 224-3121. YOU CAN USE TWO TEMPORARY TOLL FREE NUMBERS. THEY
ARE: (800) 648-3516 or (877) 762-8762. When the switchboard answers, ask
for your Senator or Representative's office. Then ask for the staff person
who covers S.476 (Faith Based Initiative), tax issues or natural resource
issues . . . or each of them. Ask also for the staff person who is handling
the Energy Bill. There is no number yet for the Energy Bill. We have
copies of the draft.

-----2. Send a fax objecting to this special secret deal for the Nature
Conservancy to both your Senators plus your Representative. If you do not
have their fax number, call the toll free number above to get it from your
Senator or Representative.

-----3. Send a fax objecting to including any CARA type land acquisition
funding in the Energy Bill.

-----4. Send a letter to them at the following addresses: (Keep in mind
that for urgent issues such as these, letters will not get there for more
than a week Fax is your quickest option. E-mail is good but it won't be
read quickly either because of the volume. )

Honorable _________ US Senate, Washington, DC 20510.
Honorable _________ US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 10515

----4. Tell your local newspaper about this special interest secret
attack on private property.

Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA. 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973 - E-mail: alra@landrights.org
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE- Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-210-2357 - Fax: 202-543-7126 - E-mail: landrightsnet@aol.com