By Joyce Morrison (admin@illinoisleader.com)

OPINION -- A news brief depicting how child predators lure children by asking them to help find a lost kitty or puppy reminded me of how we in America have become. Children love animals and their emotions take over and they don’t think about the harm that awaits them.

We are like children as we naively follow those who tell us all nature is endangered and we must save the animals. Or they tell us we are losing all the beauty and resources and they must be preserved for the children.

But the truth is, if everything is preserved as environmentalists demand, it will be closed off from your children and they will never enjoy the vast beauty and wildlife of America. They will struggle when America’s abundant resources are no longer available for them to build a home, drive a car or provide heat and electricity to meet their needs.

Land that is taken out of use for perpetuity is taken from your children and they may never know the joy of owning and using the land and being good stewards as God intended.

Like the child predators, land predators know how to trigger the human emotion for response. We willingly give control of our property and our lives as we blindly follow our emotions. But in the end, we will lose.

Grants have become an irresistible lure. Money in itself is not evil but our sin nature desires free money. and with its promise, caution is thrown to the wind.

When the land predators present programs, they use doublespeak and dangle the come on grants. They fail to ask Paul Harvey for the rest of the story.

There are hundreds of land grab projects now underway in America where predators are trying to lure land from the property owner to be placed under government or environmental control. An example of how this works is a scenic byway in our area that has received several million dollars for projects along an approximate 30 mile stretch. The money is restricted as to how it can be used, so much of the money will go for limited projects.

The scenic byway people approached our county board with the promise of grant money. They excitedly signed the papers giving away the land rights of those who live along the byway, disregarding a petition in opposition and the protests of the taxpayers.

Recently kiosks were erected - which are interpretive signs - with little wood shingled roofs. Four kiosks were built within a short distance of each other at the cost of about $23,000 a piece. $115,000 will be paid for two large signs marking the entrance and exit of the byway.

Isn't it interesting that it takes a sign to tell you when you are entering and leaving a "scenic area"? The scenic area was "scenic" before it was designated, but it takes $115,000 signs and $23,000 kiosks to tell you that what you just saw was "scenic."

As Derry Brownfield of the Common Sense Coalition nationwide radio broadcast would say that is "ignorance gone to seed."

The scenic byway grants will only pay for 80 percent of the kiosk and sign costs, so the local government has to pick up the remaining 20 percent unless they find another source to cover the remaining cost.

The grant also covers 80 percent for the building of public restrooms but the grant does not cover costs of keeping it stocked with toilet paper and keeping the area clean, nor does it cover damage maintenance and cost of extra policing.

There are five visitor centers along this 30 mile stretch - all with public restrooms - and currently a half million dollar "little parkette" and more restrooms are on the drawing board.

While you are struggling to pay your taxes, there is no shortage of money (or restrooms) for these land predator "programs."

Part of the sales pitch is the boost in the economy with increased business that will come. No off site signs are permitted along the byway, so if your business is not located along the road, you are out of luck.

The design guidelines originally required all fences to be earth tone. Limited mowing would be permitted along the roadside.

So, you ask, what about Bambi and the other animals that run across the road? They will be run over because drivers can’t see them for the weeds along the roadside. So much for their concern for the animals.

No telecommunication towers, utility lines or home satellite dishes are to be seen from the byway. They want no businesses such as filling stations, quarries, auto salvage or any business that would appear unsightly and the design guidelines target such eyesores as being screened or removed.

Approximately 100 new stakeholders were introduced in this Scenic Byway’s Corridor Management Plan. One hundred government agencies and environmental organizations are now stakeholders to determine the use of private property, yet they have never made one mortgage payment or paid any taxes.

The Scenic Byway consists of six intrinsic values in a viewshed that extends as far as the eye can see - and the adjacent area.

Any guess what this does to the value of private land? You will, no doubt, have at least one intrinsic value on your property. Try to make changes and see who will be at your door telling you "this is not permitted."

We need to grow up, become informed and be mature enough not to fall for the land predator’s lure of endangered species and wetlands.

When they come to your county board or city council with their sales pitch of "have I got a deal for you, " your local elected authorities should be wise enough to say "No thanks, we are not giving our taxpayers' land away."

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