Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Who will own our ponds if the EPA gets its way?

The EPA plans to expand its mandate far beyond regulation of "navigable waters" next month. If they get their way, those of us building ponds on what we thought was our property may get a very unpleasant surprise one day.

Who are we to change the ecosystem by building a dam? What gives us the right to feed fish, don't we know this practice may pollute the water? What do you mean by using chemicals to reduce weeds, or introducing non-native species like tilapia?

Pondmeisters, this is very serious. I intend to contact my Senator and Congressman about this matter. Hope you will research it yourselves and take action.

http://www.redstate.com/diary/iowacaucus...vigable-waters/

Not a whole lot new about their goals. Yes, I have contacted my Senator and Representative.

They are after the water, then they will be after the dirt.

At what point do u stand and bare arms for your constitutional rights?
They are trying to Nationalize your water, which may someday be more valuable than gold or oil. When is enough, enough? Isn't Nationalizing the way countries turned to be "like Cuba"? Or is it by Executive orders these days?
Tracy

I am very active in my local Township politics protecting the rights of landowners, animal owners, gun owners, individual freedom. No law should ever be passed that cannot explicitly demonstrate how it makes someone more free without taking away the freedoms of another that are guaranteed by the Constitution . One person's rights end where another's begins, the Golden Rule.

This being said, I make guns, my kids are in the oil fields, my government doesn't care much for my family because of what we do. Many on this forum will not care much for me because of the things my family members and I do. I, however, will defend the rights of those here with property when your pond does not connect to a waterway and I have no caveats. I would even defend a pond owners personal freedoms if your pond does connect to a waterway leaving your land so long as you do nothing to infringe on the rights of your downstream neighbors. It's hard to find people who will as strongly defend my rights, specifically mentioned in the Bill of Rights, as ferociously as I will defend theirs.

Make no bones about it, we are having a cultural war in this country. Many forums don't allow talk of politics, they don't want to alienate those infringers who may frequent their sites. They don't allow it, until it is their Ox being gored. Well Pond Meisters, your Ox is roped up, tied to the altar, and ready to be sacrificed to the God of community good at the expense of personal liberty.


First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

This is a great poem, I would argue that the infringers among us do a great job speaking out for the first two groups in the poem. Those who believe in personal liberty however, do an absolutely TERRIBLE job speaking out for freedom.

Rant for the day over.

It is possible to fight these things without violence, but it does take effort. I think there are many on this forum that are like-minded with you, but there are realities. This issue needs to be fought with civil action. On that note, can anyone point to an organization that is gathering signatures to fight this legislation?

Farm Bureau.

I've said it for the past several years - the forum could serve as a voice to try and get the ball rolling on national issues. There are other publications whose membership universe would be similarly affected by certain issues and may be open to merging power and increasing the volume of the voice. A call to the editor of Acreage Life and similar groups would answer that question pretty quickly. Never know, maybe Tractor Supply stores nationwide would be willing to place some literature at their checkout stands. I bet that segment would eat this stuff up. I've offered to help get this rolling in the past, offer still stands.

Tim, I don't own a gun, but I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. If we the people don't hang together, then we will hang separately. I'm for doing it through civic action, such as pressing our Congressmen and Senators. If we push them hard enough, maybe something can be done, such as passage of Rand Paul's legislation to forbid this power grab.

TJ, I hope Pond Boss can link up with other fishing, farming, and cattle raising groups to oppose this regulation. It isn't even a law, because the law passed by Congress specifically limited the EPA's power to navigable waters. Private property rights would take a huge hit if they get away with this.

Mark, I went to that site.

It says that 262 House members, including 30 Democrats, voted to block EPA water regulations.

I assume(yeah, I know) that it is now in the Senate.

This has been an ongoing battle for a few years at least. First we had the Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2012, following year was Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2013. I assume this year will be Act of 2015. I hope Congress actually passes something this time so the EPA stops pulling this stuff every year. Maybe with a Republican Congress something will happen but I am not holding my breath, I hear POTUS has his veto pen at the ready.

You think this epa bill keeps coming up, LMarseOFF! The batfe continues to threaten businesses, that depend on the 2nd Amendment, with their very business lives every year! We now have this bogus agency, illegal under Article I Section VIII, trying to outlaw some common 5.56 ammunition. They are doing this based on the premise that there are now pistols that can use this ammunition thus making all green tip ammo illegal. If this completely idiotic thinking can be used, you can create a pistol for any FMJ round and make it illegal across the market for any rifle.

-I have a pond, I'm willing to fight for private property owners.
-I have a gun business and am willing to fight for 2nd Amendment rights.
-I have no farm animals and have been fighting for farm use rights in our township for 6 months. We won! We can now have farm animals on 1 acre of agriculturally zoned land.
-I have no business sign but am fighting for businesses that do and depend on them.
-I have no commercial vehicle and am fighting for businesses that are being harassed by the MDOT.

My point is, I fight against every single trespass on private property ownership. If my neighbors can't expect me to fight for them when their ox is being gored then I can't expect them to fight for me when mine is. This mentality, I've found, is rare but not in my neighborhood.

We have a generation of people, no a basic human belief that we need to be regulated. We should NEVER regulate unless someone is trespassing against someone else and still never if the regulation is against our Constitution. This thinking is now dead in this country, at least in any meaningful numbers of people that will matter.

What to do? I'm become extremely vocal in my beliefs, not caring about the fragile sensibilities of the infringers. I fight local, I fight very hard. Get involved in your local government, you cannot believe how some of these savages crap all over your basic human freedoms. Tell them they are savages, insult them, shame them, fire them! We are doing just that in my Township. We are winning and will win more come the 2016 elections.

When this type of attitude starts local, it spreads global. We all need to know that there are more people like us out there who love freedom. Believe me, I was amazed, there are! Write your politicians, talk in the bars, talk in the restaurants, don't hire those that believe in infringing and don't patronize businesses that believe in it either.

First they ignore you,
then they laugh at you,
then they fight you,
then you win.

Right now our township is in phase three, they are fighting us. They did plenty of ignoring and laughing when we started though

When you were fighting the farm issue, did you invoke or implement the Michigan Right To Farm Act?

Townships are just silly with all these "zoned community rules".

No, we did invoke the lawyers of the Farm Bureau. The right to farm act does not cover a non commercial farm so us folk who just grow our own food are left out. No matter, we whipped em.

I'll have to see if any amendments were instituted, but only a few years ago all you had to prove is a sale of $1.00, and you can tell them to kiss your butt!

Sell yourself something for a dollar that came off your place, or to someone else and record it.

I'll look up changes, but the supreme court already ruled on this and smoked townships making their own rules.

We looked at trying to find the State law on our side. What we ultimately decided was that we, the people, didn't want to have to prove anything. There are many that don't even know what the MFTFA is, those people would be taken advantage of if pressed by the savage infringers on a Township board.

On another note, ready for this? Our board tried to make GAAMPS a mandatory regulation against even Commercial farmers! Yah, we clubbed these dumb @sses with their own appendages.

May 15th: House Passes Act to Stop WOTUS Rule
The House passed H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Act of 2015, by a vote of 261-155 yesterday. This bill would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers to stop moving forward with the proposed “Waters of the United States” rule.

Thanks for posting ewest, I was not sure where things were with this as I had not herd recently. Power hungry, money grabbing, Socialist. etc.

OK, it looks like we land owners who worked to get where we are, came out on top for now.

Thanks again

Tracy

yes thanks ewest for the great news

Thanks, ewest. Though this still has to pass the Senate and survive a possible presidential veto, I think.

In other words, it ain't over yet.

Sadly Tracy, there are very few of "us" who think like that anymore. The majority of Americans have become so passive towards new laws and regulations, that the mention of revolt, especially that involving firearms or violence, immediately earns you the title of radical, anti-government, etc.

America will inevitably face the same demise as every other country, because people will continue to let things slowly slip away. New laws and regulations will continue to be enacted, until one day we're all standing in line to receive our government-approved rations, healthcare, equal pay, etc.

The original idea of America was awesome. But unfortunately, we've reached the tipping point where the number of people who "want for it" outnumber the people who "work for it." That, in addition to the ever-growing number of groups and individuals on both sides of the political isle who think they have the right to tell another group or individual how to live their lives. All societies have a lifespan. Thanks to technology and the demand for instant gratification, ours is hurdling towards the sunset.

That's just my two pennies.

*Climbs down off high horse.*

And it all happened on OUR watch.

Maybe I'm just too much of an optimist, and maybe I spent too many years negotiating with government groups.

Remember, this is not yet a done deal. I strongly believe, even with the deadlocks we regularly see in DC, this situation will resolve itself. The final decision will not totally appease anyone, but it will be workable for most.