[pct-l] Payment for parks.

[Montedodge@aol.com (Montedodge@aol.com)]

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 While fees may be here to stay, this is my view.   PCT and all national
parks are public land,. ( Which means I own them as equally as President
Bush) As a citizen of the U.S., I pay taxes. Fees for park use are a new
thing . I pay the same to hike in the Olympic Mt.s  as someone from anywhere
else in the world does. Is this fair???  I have lost a few relatives in
foreign wars as most other americans have as well.  Many of you have served
this country as well. Thing is , as a U. S. citizen you should get the right
to enjoy your wild public lands without fees though your taxes and the the
blood and sweat your forefathers gave. Foreign climbers and hikers pay no
more than you do to use this land or park.   ( Is this fair??) If you go to
Mt. Rainier on a hot summer day, a U. S. citizen is a minority in the
Paridise parking lot. I have no problem if the park service wants to charge
foreign visitors to see our parks, but to keep some " out of work" boeing
family  out of their public lands because of fees is wrong. Same goes for
textile workers ( Who's lost their jobs when the companies farmed their work
out overseas) who want to see the Smokie Mountains.
   Don't get me wrong, I enjoy foreign visitors, but they need to pay to play
here. If you go and try to climb Mt. Everest, you pay more than 15.00, yet a
citizen of Nepal or China pays the same as you.
   In hunting, a Washington resident pays 275.00 for a Montana deer tag while
a Montana resident pays 8.00 for the same tag. The same story if a Montana
hunter comes to Washington. Being a resident gives some privileges. The park
service does not see this.  U.S. residents need no fees!!