TIBERIUS SEMPRONIUS GRACCHUS

The notion that public lands should be available for the grazing of private herds of animals is very old. Note that the Roman law expressly forbade the collection of fees for grazing rights. The reasoning was that virtually all free Romans had animals that needed grazing and pasture land. So all citizens could take advantage of the public facility. As society became more industrialized and specialized, the percentage of citizens who could benefit reduced over time until there became less than 1 percent of citizens who could benefit from a asset that was paid for and maintained by all citizens. Then there was a rationale for charging user fees.

The notion that public lands should be available for the grazing of private herds of animals is very old. Note that the Roman law expressly forbade the collection of fees for grazing rights. The reasoning was that virtually all free Romans had animals that needed grazing and pasture land. So all citizens could take advantage of the public facility. As society became more industrialized and specialized, the percentage of citizens who could benefit reduced over time until there became less than 1 percent of citizens who could benefit from a asset that was paid for and maintained by all citizens. Then there was a rationale for charging user fees.