In recent years, a framework of technological billionaires has become obsessed with a deeply unconventional idea: the creation of new, privately owned cities. Dubbed The “Freedom Cities” movementSupporters say they would like to create new special development zones in the United States that would allow to build such cities. In these zones, private investors were able to write their own laws and establish their own government structures. According to the supporters of this project, such communities would be corporately controlled and would not involve traditional bureaucracy. Of course, to do all this, developers will need a lot of land.
The “Freedom City” movement found his legislative champion in the form of Mike Lee, a deeply out-of-touch, politically unbridled senator from Utah. In recent months, Lee has introduced supply to Trump’s “one big beautiful bill”, which would bring Tech Billionaires’ dream one step closer to reality: Lee’s bill would have offered 1.2 million acres of federal land to be sold by the Office of Country Management and then developed for the purposes of “affordable housing. Much of that land, some of which sit adjacent to some of the nation’s most popular national parks, would be purchased from 11 western states.
Perhaps aware of how unpopular his proposals were, Lee tried to pierce the policy without any public comment. US progress notice that Lee’s bill called for “some consultation with local government, rulers and tribes” but otherwise offered “no opportunity for public input.”
However, Lee’s effort officially flirted. Over the weekend, the senator drew his supply of the Trump Megabill due to ongoing opposition in Congress – including conservative lawmakers in Western states. These lawmakers, including Republicans from Montana, Idaho, Washington, California and Oregon, planned to the entire bill of Torpedo Trump if Lee’s disposal remained in it. “We cannot accept the sale of federal lands that Senator Lee is looking for,” the lawmakers have written in Letter sent last week. Rather than being the reason that Trump’s all -ampin legislation struck, Lee put his tail between his legs and withdrew the supply on Saturday.
“Over the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time listening to members of the community, local leaders and stakeholders across the country,” Lee wrote in X on Saturday. “While there was a very big misinformation – and in some cases, he is directly lying – about my bill, many people have promoted sincere concerns.”
For the moment, millions of Americans can breathe a collective sigh. The National Park Conservation Association said that The bill, if it passed, would have opened federal lands directly adjacent to national parks for development – a policy that could result in luxurious dwellings or hotels built right next to iconic views such as Zion National Park.
Almost no one wanted this thing to happen. In addition to concerns by Lee’s fellow lawmakers, Recent ballot De Colorado College has found that some thousands of respondents living in Western states, a large majority of them support protections for public lands, and are more interested in conservation efforts than they develop. Indeed, even Trump voters went out to decipher the proposal. “Strong majorities of Western voters-inclusively of self-identified” Maga “voters support policies that focus on protection and maintenance of public land and oppose policies that would open public grounds until drilling, mining or other development,” the investigators found.
Viral magic influencers – many of whom live in rural communities – were Openly moody Lee’s plan privatize public lands. Indeed, one Trump-voting hunter and gun rights YouTuber, Cameron Hanes, posted long, detailed videos that slander Lee’s bill. “It’s all he says,” Hanes says in one videoclaiming that Lee has spread “misinformation” about who criticizes the bill. Hanes notes that it is “actually both sides of the corridor – left and right” who hate the offer. Hanes additionally prompted his followers “please phone [Congress] and enable us to ignore. “He added:” The collective voice of the middle American is our only hope. “
It is not difficult to see why people like Hanes have so criticized Lee’s proposal, as US progress has noticed that “Well -loved recreational spots, popular areas for hunting and fishing, main wild habitat, and even sacred or historic sites” could be privatized under the bill.
Despite aggressive disinterest of a majority of Americans, the lobby to create the Tech Billionaires’ freedom dystopians still exist, and efforts to deregulate and ultimately develop public grounds are still ongoing. This concerns, considering that this is clearly a government that does not care much about the environment. Indeed, the Trump administration recently opened tens of millions of acres in national forests to possible logging. It just shows, you can’t keep a bad idea (as long as the idea belongs to a billionaire).
