Selling National Forest land to a church

[popeyespappy]

There’s a bill floating around congress, H.R. 1008 The Benton MacKaye Cherokee National Forest Land Consolidation Act, that would sell about 60 acres of the Cherokee National Forest to Towee Falls Baptist Church. If passed into law the proceeds from the sale would be used by the forest service to buy nearby slightly larger parcel of property for addition to the national forest. The purchase price would be set according to a market value determined by an appraisal arranged by the forrest service and paid for by the church.

I don’t have a problem with the proposal, but I have an interest in the church as my Mom’s family has been attending church at Towee Falls for 7 generations now. They need some space to expand the cemetery which is getting rather full. I was wondering though what some of you might think about selling government property to a church.

[Chuck]

I can hold my nose and grudgingly accept the congress passing a bill which puts a part of national forest up for sale to the highest bidder from the general public, and it turns out that a Baptist church is the winning bidder.

I am vorciferously against the the congress passing a bill to sell a part of a national forest to a basptist church.

[Minimalist]

Quote:I am vorciferously against the the congress passing a bill to sell a part of a national forest to a basptist church.

But its for a cemetery. If they bury them all now I could go for it!

[popeyespappy]

(1st December 2011 00:49)Chuck Wrote:  I can hold my nose and grudgingly accept the congress passing a bill which puts a part of national forest up for sale to the highest bidder from the general public, and it turns out that a Baptist church is the winning bidder.

I am vorciferously against the the congress passing a bill to sell a part of a national forest to a basptist church.

LoL. Well Chuck, that plan is as likely to backfire as not. Acreage in that part of the county isn’t worth all that much to begin with. My great aunt’s farm is right down the road. It is a much nicer piece of property and has been on the market for 3 years now with no takers. The property in question isn’t exactly desirable as it is pretty steeply sloped. If it sat on the market for a year or two they might get $1200-1500 an acre for it. That kind of price is assured by selling it to the church. At auction they’d be lucky to get half that.

Anyway, that’s what I was wondering. If there would be objections just because it was a church.

---

(1st December 2011 01:25)Minimalist Wrote:  But its for a cemetery. If they bury them all now I could go for it!

Burial in the cemetery is free....

[Minimalist]

Quote:Burial in the cemetery is free....

Then let's not wait until they die!

[reverendjeremiah]

Why not...they sell 3 foot square patches of land under a cross in order to get around having religious symbols on public land...why not sell our national forests to the religious...hell, why not sell Yosemite park to the highest bidder as well.

[popeyespappy]

(1st December 2011 03:29)reverendjeremiah Wrote:  Why not...they sell 3 foot square patches of land under a cross in order to get around having religious symbols on public land...why not sell our national forests to the religious...hell, why not sell Yosemite park to the highest bidder as well.

I’d like to know what it is that you think is so bad about this proposal Rev? If the bill passes the Cherokee National Forest will end up being bigger than it was to start with. The proceeds from this sale will be used to purchase a bigger piece of the same type of property. Why is that bad?

[reverendjeremiah]

#1 - I am opposed to selling public land.
#2 - I dispise and distrust the church
#3 - My voice and vote really doesnt count for shit anyways in this matter...Im not some moneyed corporate owner or lobbyist.

[Rhythm]

If the church is the highest bidder that's fine. If not, there's an issue. Chuck hit it on the head.

[Doubting Thomas]

Yeah the government should give everyone a chance to buy it. Setting it aside just for a church violates the Establishment Clause. If nobody else were interested in buying it, then I don't care. But they should at least give someone else a chance.