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Savanah River lakes about to come under assault
In article ,
(Rich Stern) writes:
| You guys get free use of resources the rest of the country subsidizes,
| the quality is great, the cost is very low. Of course you don't
| complain. :-)
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| Explain again please why the taxpayers of Minnesota or Mississippi
| should pay money so that you folks can have lake cabins for almost free?
| And what about the folks in the area who didn't get in on the gravy?
| They are paying more taxes than they would if you guys had to pay market
| type taxes.
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| Just a contrary point of view. Same thing happened here in Minnesota
| with state land in the school trust that was supposed to be generating
| money for schools, but was being leased for cabins on lakes at way below
| market rates with no property tax on the land. Took a lawsuit to fix
| it.
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| del cecchi
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| Del, not quite as lopsided as you depict.
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| First of all, the lakes generate cheap, clean electricity. That limits
| pollution, which is good for everyone. And it keeps us from being in the
| market for electricity from other, more electrically challenged regions, which
| keeps national prices down.
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| Second, the lakes help prevent flooding, which keeps insurance costs low, and
| avoids "federal disaster area" costs like those racked up by the hudreds of
| millions of dollars in places the Midwest.
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| It's not like the school trust situation you depict. Nobody is leasing the COE
| managed land at below market rates. It's there for public use. It's unbuilt.
| If you ask nicely, the COE will let you maintain a 4 foot wide path across
| their land to the water. If you pay a permit fee, they'll let you have a dock
| on their waterline. If you pay a fee, they'll let you camp at one of their
| campgrounds. If you pay a fee, they'll let you launch from one of their boat
| ramps.
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| You are welcome anytime. Bring money for fees. 
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So if the COE only controls a little strip of land, what are they going to
transfer to the state? Sounded like a whole bunch of land surrounding the res.
was federal property. And it sounded like a bunch of folks getting a free ride,
from a tax standpoint. So how much land are we talking about here?
--
Del Cecchi
Personal Opinions Only
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