That beguiling phrase is not the title of a song or a statement of faith, it is a phrase which may become a serious threat to all our rock hounding and collecting activities in the USA in the coming year.

The rump of the last Congress, in the days after the voting and before the holidays, late one night passed an appropriations bill 3,000 pages long. Apart from the necessary budgets for departments, in it were thousands of 'pork barrel' projects by which our Senators and Representative get Federal funds for projects in their districts, and then go home and trumpet what great representatives they are. Most of the bill is never read or discussed in either the Senate or the House- The bill was signed into law by President Bush a few days later, and in that bill, never read in Congress, never discussed, was the America the Beautiful bombshell.

In summary this is what the legislation does. Sometime in the next year or so it cancels the legislation which covers the Golden Age and Golden Access passes, once in a lifetime payments to allow Seniors into National Parks, US Forests and BLM land. In their place will be an 'America the Beautiful' card, whose estimated cost will be $100 per year, every year! Adults would need to buy such a card. This would allow the user access to all USFS and BLM lands for the purposes of recreation, and entry to National Parks which are not improved' and have no facilities. Failure to produce such a card on demand could result in a fine of up to $5,000 and 30 days in jail As the USFS and BLM do not have enough staff for enforcement and collection, they are allowed in the legislation to outsource these activities.

The threat to Gem and Mineral and Rock hounding clubs is clear, but we are not the only ones effected. Consider the impact on a church picnic into a USFS forest, and the need to ensure everyone has their pass. Perhaps the commercial collecting agents will turn their primary focus on rock hounds and the Godly, and leave hunters alone; who will
demand a pass from someone with a loaded rifle.

Like so many acronyms invented nowadays 'America the Beautiful' is meant to
mislead, 'America the Overtaxed' would be a better fit.

So what can we do about it? All may not be lost Other interested groups have
been protesting and it is having some effect A spokesman for the Parks Service has been
rapidly backtracking stating that the initial fee for Seniors will only be $10 and few of the
provisions will be implemented, so protest can make a difference. The States which will
be hit hardest, because they have the most USFS and BLM land, are those same 'red'
states which voted Republican last November, and in these partisan days, something may
yet be done. In November the late night deal was stitched together between a
Representative from Alaska and one from Ohio who has no public lands in his district. It
has created anger among numerous of their colleagues and there is talk of reversing this
legislation- Politicians listen to their voters, so the SCRIBE plan is to send as many letters
as we can to complain and ask whether they agree with legislation, and if not, what do
they intend to do about it To help we will draft a sample letter and ask you to ask all club
members to send four letters, one to each of your Senators, one to your Representative
and one to President Bush, and more to anyone you might think it worth influencing.

The following is a sample letter submitted by Peter Martin, S.C.R.I.B.E. President to the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies, suggesting all rock hounds and park   enthusiasts. Send to the President, your Senator and Representative.

Dear xxxxxx,
In the Appropriation Bill which was passed into law at the end of the last Congress in November, a section was inserted at the last moment as a late night deal between two Representatives. This section has a fundamental effect on access to Public Lands throughout the USA. This section was never introduced nor discussed on the floor of the House or Senate. The Legislation is HR3283 which cancels Golden Age and Golden Access passes and introduces a new pass; "America the Beautiful". It opens the doors for the National Parks, the USFS, and the BLM to introduce fees for many activities not previously charged, in many places where no fees had formally applied. It mandates draconian punishments for fee evasion. Although Agencies have since commented that they do not intent to instigate all the fees allowed, we are all aware that if it is allowed, in future it is likely to happen. The new law does not stop any of the activities which are at present permitted, including rock hounding, in which I am particularly interested, but it does permit stiff fees for doing so in many places where such activity has always been free of charge.

I strongly object to this legislation and to the corrupt manner in which it became law.

I ask you to act to reverse the legislation in full and guard against its reintroduction.

I would like your opinion as to whether passing far reaching legislation in the above manner fits your understanding of democracy in the United States at a time when we are lauding the ideas of freedom and democracy throughout the world..

Yours,
signature
address

PS: Read "America the Beautiful" article in the March issue of "The Voice" regarding additional ramifications of this new law. After reading the article please take time to write your