Posted on 08/24/2009 12:46:24 PM PDT by SmithL
Logic gives you what you need. Passion gives you what you crave. In the end, it's passion that feeds your dreams or part of you dies.
When it comes to logic, it makes financial sense to keep all state parks open. Last year, state parks had 79.6 user visits that generated $2.6 billion in spending during those trips. For every dollar the state put into parks, it generated $2.35 in tax revenue.
Yet in his last-minute line-item budget cuts, Gov. Schwarzenegger slashed general fund money to state parks. ...., yet could close 100 parks starting in September.
When it comes to passion, I'll tell you this: Nobody is going to keep me out of the state parks. A lot of people feel exactly the same. We share one thing in common. We have spots in parks where we know "The Power of Place," where we are free of all cares. These spots make us whole.
One of these places for me is in the interior of Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains, at the brink of Silver Falls in Berry Creek Canyon. You can touch the water as it flows past and watch it sail over the cliff, then turn to your right and take in the lower cascade of Golden Falls, flowing like a giant golden water slide.
Big Basin Redwoods is one of the parks that probably will be on the list of park closures because loses money on offseason weekdays. But when the waterfalls flow in Berry Creek Canyon, I'm going. They can close Big Basin headquarters, gate the road and parking lots, put up no parking signs and have helicopter surveillance, but I'll go. I know the woods better than they do, and I defy them to catch me.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Perhaps if government was run as a for profit business they wouldn’t be living paycheck to paycheck.
135% ROI?
No business manager would turn this project down in the private sector...
Makes you wonder how in the world did Arnold make so much money?
“For every dollar the state put into parks, it generated $2.35 in tax revenue.”
Close everything that makes money and keep spending on things that waste money.
That’s government way.
Why doesn’t the State just put up a ‘Use at Your Own Risk’ sign, close any facilities, and leave the parks open? That’s the way they were 100 years ago. Closing them seems punitive.
This is done to P.O. the tax payer and make him more amenable to tax increases.
It's a nation of Pinheads, sez Zippy.
Exactly.
- release prisoners from Jail? Yes
- Close profitable State Parks? Yes
- Slaughter zoo animals and serve them to homeless people? Yes.
- Cut 100K a year pensions? No
- Cut off fund to illegals? No
Close things that people enjoy and maybe they'll pony up the cash come next election. It's just like when a school bond fails to pass and the first thing that gets cut are the bus routes. "Don't want to give us more money? Drive your own kids to school!" is the mentality.
Same thing going on here.
When Arnie first proposed closing nearly all state parks, I became curious and looked at the state budget to see how much revenue is produced by park and beach fees, verses the proposed $70 million budget reduction. If I read the two budget schedules correctly, the park and beach fees produce $85 million in revenue annually for the general fund. So, Arnie reduces the general fund allocation to Parks and Recreation by $70 million, but gives up $85 million in revenue.
I agree... :)
Parks are the only item that taxpayers receive benefit from.
Every other dime - except for police, fire and roads- are going to the welfare and illegal losers.
Now they want to take our parks away.
I think civil disobediance is great.
I would sneak in the parks also.
If you are in good physical shape, the police will not go after you. It would be too difficult for them to hike on a trail to catch you.
Went to China Camp State Park on July 4th. It was a 400-700ft ascent (depending on which reference you read) — but it was so gradual that you didn’t even notice. I got eaten alive by the bugs (wah!) and my bites lasted over a month — my friend, no bites at all. Closing the parks is really stupid. Thanks, Schwartzy! < :P
Every department claims to make money for their upstream enablers...I would take those claims lightly at best.
That will keep the state parks free of intrusions of the Mexican Marijuana growing plantations. Note, that’s ILLEGAL ALIENS growing pot in the CA parks.
Well, I agree with this guy, for sure, but...
He writes for the San Fransicko Chronicle? That’s a red flag right there.
Precisely. You broke the code.
Nearly all of the billions of dollars in cuts the administration has proposed would affect programs for poor Californians...
Government doesnt provide services to rich people, Mike Genest, the states finance director, said on a conference call with reporters on Friday. It doesnt even really provide services to the middle class. He added: You have to cut where the money is.
State and local gov’t has been doing this every since prop 13.
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