Grazing on State trust land.

Living here in north Phoenix we have quite a bit of state trust land in the area and near our home, like the large section just south of us between Joy Ranch and Cloud from 7th street to 7th avenue. This time of year after the winter rains and the temps start their climb the desert turns very green with different grasses and plant life. Living in the area for 5 years or so now we're used to seeing hundreds of sheep, yes hundreds of sheep grazing on this large section of state trust land. Other times there are cattle grazing on the same land and on other sections just like it all around the area. There's are few square mile section north and south of Carefree Hwy just south of us and we always see cattle and sheep eating to their hearts content, gorging themselves like pigs in slop.

Now up until a few days ago I thought nothing of this, as a matter of fact it's nothing to see folks pull along side the fences and take pictures of the sheep and pick out the black ones. Hey what the heck, these ranchers might as well take advantage of the grazing other wise it will just turn brown and die out and possibly become a fire hazard come the hot summer months. No problem right, just get with someone from the state and get permission to graze your stock and that's that everyone is happy.............................not me anymore!

I heard from a unnamed source from the Federal Agriculture department that these rancher not only are and have permission to graze on these state trust lands, but the government in turn pays them to do so! Yes, pays them to graze for free on our state trust land, fatten up your cattle and other stock and save a bundle on feed for a few weeks to a month and we'll pay you to boot! When I say we'll pay you, you know that's me and you in our tax dollars! Oh yes, their helping us out with keeping the brush down in fire season, you know thinning out the brush to prevent fires, by all means let's give them free grazing and pay them as well. Who are the morons that think up this shit, yep the same bunch of elected idiots that pass legislation against the will and the obvious majority of their constituents.

It's my belief if we were to offer free grazing on state trust land to the ranchers either on a first come first serve basis or a lottery other something similar they would jump at it even without getting what's probably hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Holy cow next thing you know someone in government is going to come up with the idea of paying farmers not to grow crops on their land, wouldn't that be a kick in the ass! Or better yet, lets pay the poor folks not to work.................... hell the American tax payer can handle it, they don't put up a stink so what the hell.