Caption: South African Junior Rangers with their mentor Fran Manella, US National Park Service Director
Posted on 09/11/2007 12:24:17 PM PDT by TheThinker
(CBS) When a big story like the terrorism hearings comes along, it consumes Washington. Other good stories get pushed aside and forgotten. Well, here is one of those lesser stories that should not be pushed aside because it is just so outrageous. The U.S. Park Service, the agency that guards our national monuments and takes care of our national parks, has come up with an idea to save money.
The agency brass asked park superintendents to draft plans to close the parks on national holidays.
Yes, you heard right close the parks on days when people are off work and have an opportunity to use them.
But that's just the stupid part. Here's the outrageous part. It turns out that one reason the Park Service is short of money is that Park Service officials have been doing a lot of traveling. They spent $44 million on official travel at home and abroad just last year. And that includes stops in such exotic locales as China, South America, France and Italy. Park Director Fran Manella was hauled before Congressman Charles Taylor and Norm Dick's House committee last week and ordered to cut the travel and keep the parks open. She promised to comply. From now on, she said, no more overseas trips.
Well, that is a start, but it is just the latest chapter in a tale of Park Service mismanagement in which multimillion-dollar projects have been launched without congressional approval and authorization and the Park Service police chief was fired for revealing she didn't have enough police officers to guard the national monuments. So I have another travel tip. Give the Park Service brass their walking papers. They shouldn't be out of work long. They can hire out as clowns.
For those who want to sign a petition to change the plans for the United 93 Memorial before it becomes a Muslim monument, here is the link:
http://www.petitiononline.com/NOCRSCNT/petition.html
I thought she was also an incompetent hack, put into that position solely due to her gender and politics.
When I worked for the Federal Government travel was just another perk that was taken for granted by not just the high level bureaucrats but by even the lowliest secretary. They would find feeble excuses to go to this convention or that seminar for the weekend. One manager spent months hitting the tourist sites in Australia and his secretary took months filling out his travel voucher.
Federal departments control their budget by limiting travel at the end of the fiscal year so that their spending exactly matches the allocated funds.
Why does a U.S. Park official have to go overseas for anything?...........We ought to let the parks management and maintenance bet let out on contracts for the private sector.........like HALLIBURTON................
Why not close them on weekends too? Save even more money that way!
They're keeping the US citizen public safe. The parks and national forests now belong to Mexican Drug Cartels. Stay out or die is what our sheriffs tell us.
Photos here:
http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/2006/09/mexican-border-has-moved-800-miles.html
IIRC, some environMENTAL group wanted all the parks and federal lands to be closed permanently to all public access, except them of course...............
Closing on weekends and all summer would save even more.
must be a good gubmint union they’re in there.
It’s not that I don’t think that the Park Service screws up (they do), but I just can’t believe that the $44 million for travel is a legit number. Considering that it is from CBS News, I don’t believe it.
I’m guessing that the $44 million travel includes flying in fire fighters, planes, and helicopters to fight forest fires.
Those expenses would be covered by the US Forest Service, not the US Park Service.
Caption: South African Junior Rangers with their mentor Fran Manella, US National Park Service Director
What would happen to all the lost income from RV and travel trailer sales. These are some of the few remaining truly made in America artifacts left in our great country, even though some of them are not built all that well anymore.
Shut down all the weekend boating as well so the Boating Industry of America would go into ruins as well. Why do people need to fish, we have fish markets with plenty of imported fish. Might as well just destroy all the fishing tackle industry as well as the hunting industry while their at it. That would solve the gun problem in America real quick if any excuse to own a gun was eliminated.
The Parks could generate plenty of money if they were privately operated and improved to handle the huge crowds that visit them each year and especially on the holidays. This government waste system of using the budget money all up before the end of the year or lose it, must go. This whole Government budget system stinks to high hell when greedy incompetent people get involved in it. The time to fire government workers and replace them with honest loyal Ammericans who know how to budget money is long past due.
Why not just make VIDEO GAMES for all the PARKS and RECREATION so people would no longer get off their couches and ruin the American Wilderness. With HDTV the scenic veiws and experiences could be just as good and realistic as being out in the real thing. Roasting your marshmellows over a gas log fire in the fireplace would replace sitting around a smokey campfire.
Maybe these Park Idiots are smarter than we give them CREDIT?
I was kidding but agree with you that the parks should be privately operated.
1. Put an end of all foreign travel — funnel that money back into the staff and park services that are really needed. 2. Stop adjusting policies and assignments in order to favor selected park administrators. 3. Commit all parks to be open, safe and secure on all national holidays. 4. Petition government to provide the monies needed to fully maintain and operate our national parks in the manner that citizens deserve!
Important ping. Please sign on.
I signed the petition, but there’s no button for “submit.” There’s one for “review your signature” and one for “review other signatures without signing,” but none for “submit.” And on the “review your signature” site, there’s still no “submit” button. What am I doing wrong?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.