Posted by (Chuck Muth) – Years ago Gov. Jim Gibbons warned Nevadans of a longtime political trick pulled regularly in Washington, DC, when budget cuts become necessary. The first thing they do is close down the Washington Monument and other parks and tourist attractions so as to stir up citizen anger against the cuts.
It’s not that there aren’t a LOT of other things that *could* be cut; it’s that liberals and bureaucrats know that closing the parks is the best thing they can do to evoke sympathy for raising taxes instead of cutting spending. And guess what Nevada state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford (D-Las Vegas) is talking about doing to balance Nevada’s upside down budget?
Yep, closing state parks.
“Arizona has closed their state parks,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Horsford said recently. “It is an example of what could be done to eliminate an entire state function.”
Now, most people will, of course, focus on the first part of Sen. Horsford’s statement about closing state parks. But what we really should be focusing on is the ending part about this being a “state function” in the first place.
What the debate at the upcoming special session needs to be about is what constitutes an “essential” government service or program and what we can, and probably should, be able to live without.
Now, designating certain unique areas as park land and taking it off the books for development, etc., is fine. But why do we have to “close” them if we lay off the people who do little more than serve as toll collectors at the entrances to the parks?
I mean, other than trash collection and some routine maintenance, what else “needs” to be done? Do we *have* to have a multi-million dollar interpretive center for people to hike a trail and enjoy the natural surroundings?
If you stop charging taxpayers additional fees (taxes by another name) to visit the parks, you’d have no need to hire so many government workers who do pretty much nothing more than collect fees to visit a park the taxpayers have already paid for.
So instead of “closing” the parks to balance the budget, let’s “open” them by eliminating both the fees and the toll booths the government has set up to keep people from enjoying them for free. Let’s give the citizens and taxpayers a break….and give non-essential and unnecessary park staff some pink slips.
And while we’re at it, let’s get rid of the damn parking meters and meter maids downtown, too!
Closing the booths and leaving the parks open is the best idea here. Citizen volunteers would probably be happy to help with clean-up of the parks if asked. Groups often look for things like that to do in their communities.
you are both idiots. the state park system brings in 1/2 billion dollar to nevadas economy and they do alot more than collect fees!!!!! think and research before you open your mouth. glorified fee collectors? what an insult….these are folks with profession degrees and that carry badges to PROTECT us and our parks and the multi billion in facilities in the park. the income/revenue stream far outweighs the fees. if the state would RAISE the fee’s just one dollar, the 3 million total visitors per year would generate another 3 M for the state. take math? the public will destroy and mutilate the parks if they are left open with out people there to take care and maintain the facilities. and,,,, Arizona DID NOT close their parks. get back on the internet and do your homework…..
People are always looking for the easy way out. Have you noticed how well preserved the areas of our nation are, that are not protected by people with badges and the powers of arrest? How about the thousands and thousands of acres of land that have been closed and turned into wilderness areas because of a lack of conservation enforcement? What is your answer Mr. Muth. You often bash the “Government” but rarely have a better plan. You are quick to point a finger at “State” employees as lazy and overpaid. What about when the economy was booming and you couldn’t get decent, educated people to work for $10/hour, which is what many of the jobs pay.
Nobody is saying spend, spend, spend. What we are saying is do the research first. Come to the table with facts, not opinions and answers that are practical and workable. Or are you just so jaded against any form of authority that you feel the need to call people names? Many hard working people dedicate their entire careers to preserving and protecting our State and National treasures for a living wage. They pride themselves in their work and knowledge that they pass on to young open minds to conserve our resources so that future generations might see things as their ancestors saw them.
I know you will never change your ways, but thankfully not all people are as shortsighted and judgmental as you are.
Have you ever talked to a park ranger about what his/her job is really like? Not everyone who visits a park is reading Waldon and communing with nature. Some people bring their bad behavior from the city to a park and try to ruin it for others. Park Rangers and their presence within a park discourage the troublemakers while encouraging a positive experience for those who want to enjoy the outdoors or participate in an interpretive event. If you are passionate enough to write an article advocating the closing of parks, I invite you to Sand Harbor on the fourth of July, Lahontan on Memorial Day weekend, Spring Mountain Ranch on Easter Sunday or Big Bend when the Hell’s Angels are in Laughlin. You will see the near destruction of a park by its visitors and how hard the park staff work to prevent it. You may be unaware that some parks contain historic buildings, structures, rock formations, native plants, endangered wildlife and other irreplaceable items unique to Nevada. If parks were “opened” to the public without staff to enforce rules, how long do you think it would take before no one could or would want to visit them?