Yellowstone Park is Closed! Really?

Yellowstone Park Is Closed! Really?

The other day Sheri and I loaded up one of our grandkids and made the pilgrimage to the West entrance of Yellowstone Park. We wanted to share a silent prayer for those who are dependent on the park for their livelihood and what they are about to endure.  The decisions to forgo snow plows this spring and push back the opening of the park by at least three weeks leaves one scratching their head is disbelief.

The assertion is that the sequester has made this decision necessary. Really? With the increased spending of federal government over the past four years, our elected representatives couldn't find enough waste to offset the minor amount that was cut in this act? How can one accept the assertion that this train had been approaching for some time and adequate planning wasn't done? I’d be willing to bet that if our Washington friends had cabins up here, they’d start cutting firewood in December.  

Here are a few things we could have done without lately, any one of which would have allowed the park to open on time.

·       

    $325,000 for a robo-squirrel that tests the interaction between squirrels and rattlesnakes

·        

    $45,900 to help people attend an annual Michigan snowmobile competition for the next two years

·        

    $516,000 for scientists to develop an ecoATM that gives out cash in exchange for old cell phones

·        

    $349,862 for a study that looks at the effects of meditation and self-reflection for math, science and engineering majors

·       

    $123,758 for a new position at the Department of Education promoting “Education Excellence for the African-Americans” (which was filled post-sequester)

·        

    $450,000,000 to Egypt in aid, promised this month

You get the general idea, no cost-benefit analysis. It is always essential services that are cut. The worst fear of a politician is that if spending is reduced and no one notices, taxpayers will accept the reductions. Spending is power in Washington. Children’s visits to the White House are cancelled and National Parks are closed to family vacations because reductions in spending cannot be tolerated.

The government will lose money from this decision. Entry fees and concessions in the park will decrease. Income tax payments from the residents who make their living from the tourist trade will be reduced as incomes decline. Merchants and their employees will have to make do with less because their incomes will have been diminished by this decision.  What must they cut in their own personal sequester?  Will it be utilities, house payment or will they cut something they can do without?

The government should prioritize their mission and spending priorities. Maintenance of the National Parks should move a little farther up that list! Really!!