Sovereign wealth funds – the ultimate get-rich-quick scheme, right? I mean, who needs a solid plan when you can just magic up trillions of dollars? And that’s exactly what President Trump is trying to do with his latest executive order. But, let’s be real, the United States is roughly $36 trillion in debt, so where exactly is this money coming from?
And, as if that wasn’t enough, the Trump administration is now considering selling off America’s public lands to the highest bidder – because, you know, that’s exactly what we need, more environmental disasters. But, hey, who cares about the planet when there are profits to be made? The sovereign wealth fund in Norway is currently worth around $1.8 trillion U.S. dollars, and we’re trying to create one of the largest funds in the world.
But, let’s not forget, an SWF is a state-owned investment fund made up of money generated by the government, often derived from a nation’s natural resource revenues, budget surpluses, or foreign currency reserves. And, with the current state of the economy, it’s not like we have a lot of surplus revenue just lying around. The leasing of natural resources brought in less than $17 billion in 2024, which is a drop in the bucket compared to what we need.
And, did you know that the nation’s parks, public lands, and natural resources are assets on “the nation’s balance sheet”? Yeah, because that’s exactly how we should be thinking about our national treasures – as assets to be bought and sold. The Republican Party platform even includes selling federal lands for housing development. Because, you know, we don’t have enough urban sprawl already.
But, I guess that’s what happens when you put the fox in charge of the henhouse. The U.S. House of Representatives adopted new rules that free it from having to consider the value of public lands if they are sold. Because, you know, who needs to consider the value of something when you can just sell it off to the highest bidder? The ultimate result would be an immediate, predictable, and permanent source of income for resource-dependent communities as they transition – and it would not cost U.S. taxpayers anything.
And, let’s not forget, creating an SWF to use as a tool is not an inherently bad idea. In fact, it could be designed to solve the real problems rural and energy-dependent communities face. For example, the Center for American Progress has suggested that the federal government establish an energy SWF modeled after the ones in Norway and New Mexico. This proposal would end direct oil and gas revenue-sharing payments and replace them with a permanent solution.
But, I guess that’s just too much to ask from our current administration. Instead, they’d rather sell off our public lands and risk environmental disasters and economic inequality. Because, you know, that’s exactly what we need – more inequality and less accountability.
In conclusion, President Trump’s proposed SWF has opened the doors to the idea of reforming the fiscal relationship between public lands and the states and communities who rely on them for revenue, jobs, recreation, clean air and water, resilience against natural disasters, and much more. But, let’s be real, this is just a smokescreen for the real issue at hand – the corruption and inequality that plagues our system. The secretaries of the treasury and interior have stated clearly that public lands would be monetized – including selling out and selling off to the highest bidder – to raise substantial new revenue.
But, at what cost? The cost of our environment, our economy, and our democracy. Is it really worth it? I think not.
And, on a completely unrelated note, have you seen the latest memes going around? They’re hilarious! But, I guess that’s a topic for another time.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand – the proposed SWF. It’s a recipe for disaster, and we need to stop it before it’s too late. So, let’s make some noise, people! Let’s make our voices heard and tell our representatives that we won’t stand for this corruption and inequality. We deserve better.
But, hey, what do I know? I’m just a concerned citizen trying to make a difference. You can make a difference too. Let’s do this, people!