Posted on 10/15/2013 3:13:11 PM PDT by don-o
GATLINBURG (WATE) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory announced Tuesday an agreement was reached to reopen the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The park will open at midnight Wednesday, Oct. 16 and will remain open until 11:59 p.m. Sunday Oct. 20, unless the government shutdown is not ended during that time.
The national park costs $60,100 to operate per day, according to the National Park Service. Sevier County has sent $300,500 to NPS to open the park for five days.
The state will cover 80 percent of the cost in the form of a $240,400 tourism grant to Sevier County with Sevier and Blount counties funding the remaining $60,100 to fully fund operation of the park for five days.
North Carolina's governor says his state will spend $75,000 to open its side of the park.
(Excerpt) Read more at wjhl.com ...
Please, they need no agreements or consultations to do the right thing! For goodness sakes, have nothing to do with the Federal Government when making any of these decisions.
Take back State control here and it will last a lifetime!
ping
I get that - it's the common comment. How, exactly, would you make that happen as businesses around the park take the economic hit right now? Can you show me how the states could seize those lands this week?
Thank goodness, just in time for my golfing visit / vacation.
Thanks!
Actually, it’s easy! Just do the right thing and defy the Federal Government...what do you expect them to do? Even taking them to court is a good thing, if all States did that it might finally make the Supreme Court realize that maybe the Constitution matters. Don’t think that the Feds actually have the right to confiscate lands within the States and describe them as parks or reserves either within their control.
The Constitution states that all things not specified as belonging to the Federal Government belongs to the States or to the people. Maybe it’s time that the Supreme Court abides by this also. They have abandoned their role in interpreting the Constitution and have lately been modifying it to their whims.
why on earth should it cost 60 grand a day to operate vacant land? I could easily do it on 60 grand a year
Spoke to a storm trooper...uh...park ranger two weekends ago about the same thing. How much could it cost? He proceeded to list the things that aren’t being done...rest rooms locked up because no one to clean them, no one to pick up trash, no one to clear the trails...
So I said...
“So you’re an overpaid janitor in a really nice uniform?”
He paused, looked thoughtful, and said, “I MANAGE the overpaid janitors.”
He seemed to be proud of the fact that they were all very well paid.
Who gets to keep the entrance fees?
If the park cannot operate on its fees, it is a welfare system and needs to be managed so that it provides a profit, and not a loss. If it operates at a loss, heads should roll due to incompetence.
I believe there are no entrance fees to the park. There are visitors centers that have to be operated.
Dude, its the South. No entrance fees for something already funded.
The park has no fees. To drive through and enjoy the trails and views is already paid via the IRS.
I often wonder why people believe a charge is required for something you have already funded.
Keep in mind this is just “front” money to put rangers and info center workers back on the job (and sanitation, road dept etc)
TN and NC will recoup every dime spent. Mark my words.
So lock the doors.
It’s the active expulsion of people from doorless open areas that’s absurd.
Actually businesses around the park seem to be doing quite well. Dollywood was packed today.
I have wondered how many people come to Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg and never set foot in the park?
If there is any doubt where all our money is going — it costs the federal government $60,000 a day to run a mountain.
Meanwhile, all the non-federal mountains seem to operate for free.
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