Not satisfied with placing banks, insurance companies, and the car industry under the control of the federal government. President Obama has turned his sights on the American West.

This is the startling revelation contained in a letter published March 2 by the Washington Times, penned by South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint. In the three-page exposé, DeMint cites a 21-page secret Obama administration document reportedly bearing the designation "Internal Draft-NOT FOR RELEASE" wherein the President sets forth his plan to federalize more than 10 million acres of land in the western United States by placing them under the "protection" of the Department of the Interior. The pernicious nature of this scheme is illuminated when one discovers that the "federal government owns approximately 650 million acres nationwide, including about 80# of the land in Nevada and 63% of the land in Utah."

According to DeMint's description of the memo, the President identifies 14 pieces of land that "might be good candidates" for the unilateral executive landgrab, which would be accomplished with a stroke of the pen by proclaiming the parcels "monuments" under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Of the myriad valid reasons for opposing this action. Senator DeMint lists the loss of jobs (''ranching, forestry, mining, and energy development") and the loss of tax revenue.

Eight state legislatures have passed resolutions opposing the move.