One of the many reasons people in a given location come together and form a government is for protection; protection not only from outside attacks but also from predators within our society. This protection within society gives rise to the rule of law, and the regulators (armies, politicians, police, etc) that are rightfully expected to enforce the regulations. Of course, this protection that we rightfully expect our governments to provide comes at an expense, in the form of taxes. We also reasonably expect that expense (taxes) to be basically uniform across the adult population.
In the very recent past, some western politicians, seeking attention from a disgruntled public, have raised the idea of limiting federal government by taking federal lands, administered by the BLM, USFS, BIA, and other federal agencies, away from the national government and administering the lands by state control. While this may have some very short-term economic benefit to state governments, nothing could be in the worst interest of the citizens in particular and the various states economic condition in general.
Let’s examine a western-states specific item: Wildfires. These are generally fought with a combination of local, state and federal agencies. In 2013, there were 47,579 wildfires; the majority of those in the western states. The total area burned was 4.3 Million Acres! Sadly, that is not the worst of the news. The FEDERAL government spent a total of $1,740,934,000 (1.74 Billion, billion with a capital B dollars) in suppression (put out the fire) costs. As an average, that is $405 per acre. (Source: National Interagency Fire Center http://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_documents/SuppCosts.pdf)
This does NOT include the amount spent by any local or state agencies, nor does it include any remediation, property lost, or human costs. Forty-seven firefighters lost their lives in fire suppression efforts in the western United States in 2013. I thank them for their sacrifice; I have been on wildfire fire lines more times than I want to remember. If you have never been there, thank your lucky stars, but don’t discount those brave people in my presence. They are all volunteers for the duty; yes, they are paid for their efforts, but they are not forced to protect your property.
Here is the breakdown of wildfire acreage burned by state:
AK 1,316,876 AL 25,623 AR 14,733 AZ 105,281
CA 577,675 CO 195,145 CT 238 DE 17
FL 7,660 GA 6,736 HI 0 IA 14,704
ID 722,204 IL 55 IN 806 KS 7,137
ME 743 MI 940 MN 22,107 MO 1,660
MS 33 MT 124,209 NC 24,547 ND 16,116 NE 63 NH 137 NJ 1,430 NM 221,957
NV 162,907 NY 1,073 OH 152 OK 26,490
OR 350,786 PA 1,788 PR 4,716 RI 27
SC 7,082 SD 4,475 TN 7,080 TX 10,743
UT 70,282 VA 4,418 VT 281 WA 152,603
WI 8,577 WY 44,016
The states I have underlined are in one method or another asking/demanding the federal government relinquish control of federal lands to the states. So my question is, how will the states make up this additional expense to their budgets/and or cut other costs to cover the suppression costs? Here is the per-state cost. (All figures in this article are based on the 2013 wildfires, which was the third most costly in the last 20 years.)
Arizona will need another $ 42,638,805
Idaho will require another $292,492,620
Montana will need another $ 50,304,645
New Mexico needs another $ 89,892,585
Nevada will require another $ 65,977,335
Texas will require another $ 424,035
Utah will need another $ 28,464,210
Wyoming needs another $ 17,826,480
Not so Grand of A Total!! $ 588,020,715
(Breakdown by state source: (http://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/intelligence/2013_Statssumm/fires_acres13.pdf))
In plain English, the eight states that want to take state control of federal land will reduce the federal wildfire cost by 33.78%. That is a win-win for the feds (which these states dislike), a win-win for the states, but a lose-lose-lose-lose for the people living in those eight states. Yes, you the taxpayers will lose “4 ways from Sunday”, as mother used to say.
Here’s why:
The amount of federal taxes each of us pays is equal across the country: if you make X amount, you pay Y amount in taxes. The federal tax rate does not change if you have 1+ million acres on fire (Alaska) or only 27 (Rhode Island). Your federal taxes are NOT going down.( Feds win; people in the eight states lose.)
The drop of 33.78% in expenses on the federal level will allow the various federal agencies to increase the amount that is allocated to various branches, without a tax increase. (Feds win; people in the eight states lose.)
Your state taxes will increase to cover the costs of fighting wildfires, as all state governments are required to operate on a break-even or better basis. (States wins, people lose.)
If there are higher than predicted fire costs, your state tax rate will go up again to cover the expense; and once state rates go up, they don’t ever go back down. (States wins, people lose.)
That’s right, readers. In the case of wildfire control and costs in the budgets, if the states take control of the federally-administrated lands in each state, the feds win twice, the states win twice, and WE, the people, lose, four times.
And you want to vote these “State Control” politicians back into office? Against the better judgment of your own wallet?I don’t think so. Your comments and thoughts are all welcome! Agree with me, or disagree, let me know what you think!