Monday, August 20, 2012

Another good reason for tax revenues


Because of budget cuts...
and more budget cuts...
and still yet more budget cuts...
as well as increasing demands (like security, declining infrastructure robustness, more properties)...

the National Park Service is having trouble doing what it's supposed to do, which is taking care of the National Parks and the people that visit them.

That, to put it mildly, sucks eggs.  The National Parks are one of the most remarkable natural heritages that we have as Americans.   And certain sectors of our political community (= Republicans) just DON'T GET THAT.

National Parks face severe funding crunch
“It’s clear that inadequate federal funding is the number one threat to the future of the national parks and the national park idea,” Kiernan said. “We’re at a crossroads of historic importance here.”  [That I believe.]
Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), who co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional National Parks Caucus, said that he has lobbied the administration and his colleagues to restore park funding but that he’s “not optimistic” the current trajectory will reverse itself. “It’s just the blind zeal for cuts in the discretionary part of the budget, regardless of the consequences,” Kind said.  [As we suspected;  Republicans trying to balance the budget by addressing only 1/3 of it.]
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), [emphasis on the "rob"]who chairs the House Natural Resources subcommittee on national parks, forests and public lands, said the Park Service should eliminate all new land acquisitions and reevaluate its mission. The administration’s fiscal 2013 budget includes $59 million for parkland acquisition.  [Which would mean not preserving anymore land from development or exploitation.  Nice move, Rob.]
“Why don’t we prioritize and realize the federal government cannot print money fast enough to do everything that needs to get done?” Bishop said.   [Like preserving natural environments in their natural state and historically significant locations.  No, that's not a big deal, Rob.]

It'd sure be nice if the Dems could win back both houses of Congress, wouldn't it?


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