[pct-l] Sleeping Bags and Cutbacks

[CMountainDave at aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

In a message dated 3/17/04 7:50:32 AM, montedodge@msn.com writes:

<< This is a planned stave out , not a budget issue by the " Big Boys".  ( 
But will are shooting for a 87 billion dollar budget to rebuild Iraq) At least 
they will have nice trails!! ( Maybe even a new shelter or two!) TIC

____________________________ >>

You bet it is a planned starve out. Just follow the chess game a couple of 
more moves. The aim of the conservatives is to turn the National Parks and 
wilderness areas of this country into an asset instead of a liability, to have 
money coming into the treasury instead of out of it. Into a cash cow instead of an 
albatross
   The current fee program was the first move, to get us all accustomed to 
paying "user fees" for recreation that used to be paid for with tax dollars.
   Now that they have engineered a massive deficit they can say "woe is us, 
whatever shall we do?"
" I got an idea that is a win win situation," says Mr. Cheney. "We contract 
it all out. That way we provide jobs and tax revenue without spending a dime in 
horrid tax money. We can charge big concession fees AND a percentage of the 
profit. Plus with all those jobs going private, we save on employee benefits to 
boot. Of course a gratuity in the form of reelection campaign contributions 
will be the frosting on the cake." 
  "We all get lots of cash, private jobs are provided, and a new industry -- 
recreation management- is born. Think of it as an extension of the way we do 
business with ski resorts on public land."
  "And we will be able, with proper management of course, be able to identify 
those areas to be used primarily for recreation and those areas that can be 
utilized for resource development. There are plenty of places within these 
public lands that only a very small number of people have the time or will to 
visit. I say their votes don't amount to much. These areas need to be developed 
either for their resources or for paid mass recreation such as hunting, biking, 
photography, off roading and accomodation amendments for them all. I'll set up 
a committee headed by Ms. Norton to optimize loopholes in the Wilderness Act 
or propose legislative changes more in line with 2006 rather than 1964."
  Skip 10 years into the future when some guy is complaining about new a 20% 
increase in the cost for him and his family to go hiking on the Pacific Crest 
Trail, on top of 10 to 30% increases over the last 9 years. "You are looking 
at it the wrong way Mr. Jones," says the bemused "ranger". "If you were to 
spend your weekend skiing,  watching a baseball game or going to a health club 
you'd be paying a lot more. You should be grateful that all this land is 
available for you to enjoy rather than having it privately owned."
 Paranoid David C