Land access

Texas came into the union as a sovereign nation, with a lot of debt, which it paid by selling land, a lot of it. There's never been a lot of public land in North Texas, it's always been somebody else's as long as any of us have been alive.

This is probably why everyone I know really wants that 40 acres in the country, and is spending way too much time at work chasing that always out of reach dream. If it's not yours, you can't touch grass.

I grew up in Canada, which has provincial and federal timberland and lakes for miles around, with minimal rules about use. We can't ever have that here, but I would like to see land access for normal people increase wherever we can.

Also! Not everyone is a hiker, or a bird watcher, or a marathon runner. (Definitely not me.) The environment is a consideration, but so is giving people a way to enjoy nature, legally and conveniently, the way they want. Off-road vehicles like 4x4s and SxS and ATVs and dirt bikes need somewhere to go, too. Also, we're never going to make gun culture about community and skill if there's nowhere to legally target shoot or hunt unless you're filthy rich. What we're seeing is the opposite, we lost one dirt bike park in our area already in 2022. 

I don't know how we can incentivize privately held land to open to the public, but I think the State should encourage that. Financing, taxes, and insurance deals generally make things happen though. I think it's a conversation the State should have, how to make it possible for all Texans to enjoy the outdoors - and how we actually want to, not how politicians think we want to.

Is it obvious my Jeep is covered in Rednecks with Paychecks and Off-Road Park stickers? If you want to know what weird thing this politician is into, this is my personal passion.