CARA Land Grab! Act Immediately!!!

SNEAK ATTACK TODAY!!!!!!!!!

Sometime on Wednesday, April 4!

The United States Senate TODAY will vote on an amendment to the Federal Budget Resolution to include the massive $45 billion land grab called "CARA."

CARA's actual name is the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. But a more accurate name for CARA is the Condemnation and Relocation Act. CARA provides over ONE BILLION dollars per year in a guaranteed trust fund to condemn private property!!!

CARA also provides another billion dollars per year to pork barrel spending projects, from new courthouses and highways in Louisiana to police officers for Eskimos in Alaska!

United States Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, whose state is the prime beneficiary of the pork spending, filed this amendment at the last minute, and it will be voted on sometime on Wednesday, April 4.

As you may recall, the CARA bill was defeated last year after a strong grassroots effort by so many of us who wanted to protect our private property and maintain access to federal lands. CARA would provide billions of dollars over fifteen years for government agents to condemn private property and then turn it over into wilderness - no access, no people.

The extreme environmentalists just love this bill!!! It accomplishes their goals:

FIRST - massive, unprecedented funding to condemn private property.

SECOND - shutting down recreational and commercial access to the federal lands by making more lands available for more wilderness designations like President Clinton has done.

The sweetener in the bill is the billion dollar per year trust fund of pork barrel spending projects that are spread around all fifty states, but primarily benefit Louisiana.

$300 million PER YEAR out of the billion per year in pork goes to ONE STATE - to Louisiana. So it is no surprise that Senator Landrieu has decided to tell property owners to take a hike and stuff her face with pork.

This is very bad news for landowners in all fifty states, and for taxpayers everywhere outside Louisiana.

**This amendment has appeared at the last minute - it will require your MAXIMUM EFFORT to defeat it!!!! PLEASE do everything you can!!!***

ACTION ITEM:

This is an amendment to include CARA in the federal budget guidelines. It is NOT a vote on CARA itself. However, if it is included in the budget plan, it gives CARA supporters a better shot at getting the actual CARA funding later this year.

So, today's vote is a VERY important "test vote" to see how much support there is for this massive unprecedented land grab.

CALL and FAX and EMAIL both of your SENATORS no matter who they are!!!!!

Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal or whoever!!! This is an all out blitz!!!!!

Please keep going ALL DAY and night on Wednesday - it is not clear when on Wednesday the amendment may be offered.

Tell BOTH of your Senators - VOTE NO on Senator Landrieu's CARA amendment to the budget resolution!!!

This is WHY both of your Senators should vote NO on the Landrieu CARA amendment to the budget resolution:

CARA provides over ONE BILLION dollars per year for state and federal government agents to condemn private land at their pleasure.

CARA creates a trust fund that guarantees funding at three BILLION dollars per year for fifteen years, a total for forty-five billion dollars. CARA will place land acquisition and pork barrel spending projects at a higher priority than defense spending!!!! Defense spending is NOT a trust fund, it is a part of the regular annual appropriations process.

Land grabs are NOT more important than national defense!!!

CARA damages small towns and rural constituencies. Its massive land acquisition shrinks the property tax base by turning over private land to government agencies. Small communities and counties whose residents depend on local services will be severely damaged by the loss of tax base and gradual the constriction of the community.

CARA threatens homeowners, mining claim owners, tree farmers, ranchers, farmers, realtors, homebuilders, small business owners and recreation advocates like hunters, fishermen, snowmobilers and off-highway vehicle users. You can't recreate where you can't go!!!

CARA means CONDEMNATION AND RELOCATION for thousands of landowners as government agents condemn private property over 15 years.

Call your Senator TODAY at (202) 224-3121. Email AND fax also.

Visit your Senator's state office if possible if it is near where you live.

The Landrieu CARA amendment to the budget resolution - VOTE NO!! NO CARA, NO LAND GRABS!

Forward this message to at least five other people - your whole list if possible.

Call at least five other people to get them to call.

Make photocopies of this message and hand them out.

Click here to send up to ten of your friends to our site so they can take action!

THIS IS AN ALL OUT CALL TO ACTION!!!!!