By Hank Stephenson | Arizona Capitol Times
Republican Rep. David Livingston of Peoria frustrated his fellow representatives on Tuesday when, during voting on a half-dozen bills, he stood to “explain his vote” but actually described his experiences over the weekend at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada.
Livingston was part of a delegation of lawmakers that went up to the southern Nevada ranch to show support for Cliven Bundy, a rancher who has for years refused to pay grazing fees for the cattle he ranches on federal land. Bundy has entered into a standoff with the federal government, which has threatened to round up his cattle.
The ranch has become a rallying cry for conservatives and states-rights activists, who argue that the Bundy family has a right to ranch on the land since their family was there before the Bureau of Land Management even existed. Bundy has said he does not accept the authority of the federal government on the issue.
“What has happened up there has changed my life,” Livingston said on the House floor.
