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Mark Crosse / Fresno Bee
For the second year in a row, America's national parks -- including Yosemite National Park, pictured -- face an erosion of funding necessary to serve the public and protect park resources.
This weekend, the National Park Service (NPS) is waiving entrance fees at all parks that typically charge admission. According to a new report from the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), however, those savings come at a time when the parks need all the financial help they can get.
Released on Thursday, “Made in America: Investing in National Parks for Our Heritage and Our Economy” highlights the ruinous effects federal budget cuts are having on the national park system. After a $140 million cut this year, park supporters are bracing for even deeper cuts due to the ongoing budget impasse in Washington.
“The big hammer that’s hanging over everyone is the super-committee on debt reduction,” said Craig Obey, NPCA’s senior vice president for government affairs. “If they don’t come up with $1.2 trillion in savings [over the next 10 years], then you’re looking at up to a 9 percent across-the-board cut. The results would be draconian.”
According to Obey, that would cut $230 million from the NPS budget, which totaled $2.75 billion in 2010, or 1/13th of 1 percent of the total federal budget that year. If implemented, that would likely lead to cutbacks in visitor center operations, the elimination of seasonal ranger positions and longer response times in emergency situations.
“We’re not saying they’ll all happen,” said Obey, “but when you’re looking at 9 percent cuts, that’s where you look.”
According to the report, here are a few examples of what that view might entail:
Blue Ridge Parkway: With 14 visitor centers but only 10 permanent interpretive rangers, this 469-mile scenic highway relies heavily on seasonal staffers for its campfire talks, guided hikes and historic craft demonstrations. A 5 percent budget cut, says NPCA, could wipe out that program and lead to closures or shorter hours at some visitor centers.
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area: Already facing a maintenance backlog of $113 million, this 67,000-acre park unit incurred $7 million in damages from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Several roads and visitor facilities remain closed with insufficient funding available for repairs.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument: Built in 1952, the visitor center at this Montana monument is so small ranger-led programs are held outdoors and thousands of historical documents and artifacts are stored in a damp and cramped basement. With no funding to resolve the problem, the Park Service is currently in the process of moving the collection to a conservation center in Tucson, a major loss to future visitors.
Olympic National Park: In 2004, budget shortfalls led the park to cut seasonal employees from 130 to 25. According to NPCA, flat or decreased funding could lead to similar cutbacks, at a time when the park sees more than 3 million recreational visits a year.
Petersburg National Battlefield: As the site of a battle that helped end the Civil War, this Virginia battlefield is often targeted by relic hunters. Yet constrained budgets mean that one of four law enforcement positions, along with three of 12 maintenance positions and one of 10 interpretive positions, are subject to furloughs of up to six months.
For Will Manzer, CEO of Eastern Mountain Sports, cutting the parks’ budget is not just bad for visitors but shortsighted as well, as the system’s benefits extend beyond individual parks’ borders.
“They’re also a critical part of the outdoor recreation industry which annually contributes $730 billion to the American economy and supports 6.5 million jobs,” he told msnbc.com. The parks also support another 267,000 private-sector jobs and generate an additional $13 billion in economic activity in local communities, according to NPCA.
Given the above, park supporters are doubly worried. If the super-committee fails to reach agreement, the NPS will face severe cuts. But even if they succeed, ongoing underfunding will continue to take its toll.
“Given the federal budget situation, we don’t expect park budgets to be adequately restored in the near-term,” said Obey. “But we are asking Washington to please not make matters worse, either through death by a thousand cuts over a few years or through a draconian, across-the-board cut.”
More stories you might like:
- Supercommittee GOP presses Dems to respond to 'concessions'
- Volunteers give back to national parks
- Where are the people of color in national parks?
Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
Obama was given a super-majority! He screwed America. The only thing left to do is to oust every liberal Democrat from office. You may need to take out some news journalists on the way ... but people will like that. They vetted the corrupt, incompetent Chicago Democrat!
chicago
It was your buddy that signed the national forest over to the timber companies after he destroyed the country before he got out of office. obama voided that deal when he 1st got in office. Lets get the repugs out of office before they give the rest of it to big corporations.
Right, because we have all seen how well conservatives run things.
The GOP couldn't manage their way out of a paper bag.
Bush and the Republican party screwed America. Now the Teapublican party wants to take the rest. Vote out all conservative Republicans and Tea Bags.
The "supermajority" you refer to lasted less than two months. Al Franken wasn't certified the winner in Wisconsin until July 7 after Republicans contested the election results repeatedly. Franken gave the Democrats the 60th vote needed to override almost constant Republican filibusters. Then Ted Kennedy died on August 25th.
Other than that period of less than 7 weeks, Republicans have effectively controlled the US Senate since Obama became President.
At a Yellowstone National park the fee is $25 dollars a car load, $20 for a Motorcycle or $12 if you walk or bike in (16 and older) for 7 days. A week at Disney World is over $250 for one adult. In Canada to enter Banff National Park a adult pays $9.8 a day or a family/group pays $19.60 a day. Someone needs to figure out they should be charging more.
Out of the last 32 years (97th to 112th congress) the Democrats have controlled the Senate 16 years and the Republicans for 16 years. The Democrats controlled the House for 18 years to the Republicans 14 years. I'm not seeing the domination here.
Just no one on either side with a clue on what to do. Like Clintons new Book but it requires Congress to agree and he knows that would not happen. They ..Republicans shut down government on him. He is still the sharpest. Can speak. Perry has asked him for speech lessions and Bachman says all she knows is 666. Romney lost in Michigan woods. Newt a Bit lazy and loves to hear himself talk!
Shut'em down. Close the parks to people until the economy recovers - maybe the parks will have time to recover too.
flnobody......
Yep, let's forget about the following U.S. natural resources catastrophic "Grand Deals":
Obama - Russia - Uranium connection:
Clinton - Chinese - GM connection:
So much for the CORPORATIONS, just let other COUNTRIES control U.S. natrual resources.
And, so much for Liberals CONTROLING THINGS.
Continued attacks on Conservatives will get you NOWHERE. These Liberal attacks will do only one thing: destroy the Liberal movement.
Ido
As you pointed out, it changed from one foreign company to another. Not from an us company to a foreign.
second item, when did they close the us plants? 2007, who was in office that allowed this?
I have never been to a national park (always too busy working), but I hear they have some beautiful scenery. The government should start selling them to developers, one at a time, so that they can be divided into home sites for the super wealthy. These sales could do a lot to reduce our debt and give the hard working wealthy people a place to recharge their batteries.
Why do they need money? If the gop gets their way. They will be turned over to Oil Company's, miners and Timber Company's anyway.
If that's the case we may as well start with the parks.
That's right. The big, bad conservatives want to drink dirty water, breathe dirty air and are working feverishly to destroy the entire planet so no one survives.
They hate their children, their relatives and parents and want everyone to be sick and suffering intensely.
And all the liberals want unicorns and butterflies to dance in our parks, and everyone should have everything.
Unless, of course they're pregnant and don't want a child. Then, go right ahead and suck it into a sink. Afterward, they go and protest the execution of serial rapists and killers....because they have rights!
Finally you admit it, Steven B.
Steven B has got it figured out, Servatives only care about the present, THEIR present, they don't care about anybody's future
You are 100% correct. It seems that Republicans, especially the radical right are totally against any Environmental program the same way they are against any Safety Program -- correct that, all Programs that affect their pocketbook in any way.
I have had experience doing construction work for the National Park Service. They are very expensive to work for. What we could do locally for a public job would take three to four times that amount to make the same profit. Ex. We would charge almost $20 a square foot to do what cost $5 a square foot on a school job and make the same profit.
What is truly remarkable is the fact that many road, bridge and building structures were done for "free" in our nation's national parks by workers from US Government work programs established during the Roosevelt Administration....and they lasted up until now.
Good luck trying to get anything like those programs through the miserly Congress of today....they in fact have acted to cut and eliminate most funding for the US Park Service during their "cost cutting sessions".
Too bad that Obama wasted his 'stimulus' on foolishness, instead of squandering it on the likes of "cash for clunkers", Solyndra and other foolishness.
Obama shot his bolt, and now he needs to go.
Steven B: Typical right winger. The dems have always been the ones to spend money on parks etc. Get real will you. Some of the stimulus went to parks.
We're borrowing 40 cents of every dollar we spend.
We cannot sustain this.
The Dems have ruined the economy and they only want to spend, spend, spend.
Governments do not create jobs or wealth.
Governments spend and re-distribute wealth.
Want to keep the parks open? Start by taking the freebies away from deadbeats who are too lazy to work and then make more babies to get more money.
Sorry, but the Republicans under Bush are the ones who spent on two wars and created Medicare Part D (not even funded by payroll taxes) while giving out tax cuts that created 4 trillion in debt over the last ten years. So quite with the only Democrats spend money. Both parties have created the debt and both parties need to compromise to get us out of debt. I would gladly give back my Bush tax cuts (they should have expired last year.) I am liberal but have worked hard all my life, put myself through college and have supported myself since I was eighteen. So stop with the liberal deadbeats who only want handouts. I do have empathy for those in worse circumstances than myself, something the Christian right seems to have forgotten (cheering about someone with no insurance being allowed to die.) I hope you never find yourself in a position with no job (through no fault of your own - company went bankrupt or sold out) and/or sick with no insurance (a lot of companies are getting rid of this benefit) because then you might have to ask some dead beat liberal for a handout.
stevens
Oh about getting some of your deadbeat billionaires to pay for some of it? Or the big corporations help out too! Now that they are people too.
BARACUDA, I wish I had a dollar for every time a liberal or democrat says they would not take or give back their Bush tax cuts!! Figuring that there are at least 150 million democrats in the nation, I'd join the ranks of evil rich. The problem is I don't know one liberal or democrat that actually didn't take the money. Sure would be nice if people but their money where the mouth is. Nothing is stopping anyone from giving the money back on their 1040. I take the money and spend it. Consider it a stimulus package. In fact, instead of calling it Bush tax cuts for the rich, how 'bout Obama's stimulus package for the poor - that way liberals can get over their heart burn and even embrace the spending. PS, the Dems have spent a lot of money on wars also - Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, etc... Oh, yeah, Iraq - the war Obama said we would be out of a couple of years ago. And as far as health insurance there are more uninsured today than under that Christian, George Bush. Not having a job really affects one's ability to afford insurance.
Typical conservative. Always looking for a handout.
Instead of wishing for dollars, go out and earn them, slacker.
Then you admit that you were taking part in someone's scheme.
We're going to have to make sacrifices.
National Parks will take care of themselves. Some things must be cut!
Steven, that is nuts, National Parks are not wilderness areas, they do not take care of themselves.
Another TEAPUBLICAN drunk on Konservative Kool-Aid.
Parks will take care of themselves....yeah.....right.
We have to cut somewhere. We cannot keep spending like drunken sailors.
Those areas have survived quite nicely, and will not evaporate.
That's the trouble today. No one understands the term austerity.
Actually the parks can't take care of themselves and in actuality, they produce a terrific return on the investment. For every $1 that goes into a national park, more than $4 in value are produced to the public. The national parks support $13.3 billion in local private sector economic activity and over 267,000 private sector jobs.
So, sure, let's take something in the government that's working and providing value to the public. Makes loads of sense.
Really?
http://wilderness.nps.gov/
Like shooting fish in a barrel...
Steven B; Like I said typical republican remark.
Sure. Instead of accepting the facts, make personal attacks.
The remark I was stating about typical republican remark was the parks will take care of themselves. Lets not spend on the parks, lets just give it all to the Corps. That is the typical remark I was talking about. You fit the mold perfectly.
Yet, you cannot refute:
Really?
http://wilderness.nps.gov/
Steven, you do realize that wilderness areas are only a portion of what the NPS manages, right? Or maybe you don't.
I realize we can not keep spending money like we do.
steven
lets cut tax cuts
Steven, what you and others who share your views do not seem to understand is that our biggest problem right now is NOT the debt, is NOT the deficit, is NOT even the jobs crisis. It is greed and corruption.
We see much of that in corporate America -- chasing ever higher profits caused the bank debacle, it caused the flood of jobs out of the country, and it caused environmental disasters like the Gulf oil spill.
We also see it in politics -- all too many of the men and women who make our laws and enforce them accepting money from the corporate power brokers in exchange for making sure that decisions are made in the interest of their corporations.
Fox News and other mouthpieces for the far right have mercilessly hammered away at people so they actually believe that the social safety net and public services are somehow at fault for the current condition of our country.
National Parks exist for the good of us all. Not as places to exploit, develop or make money on, but as spaces under public stewardship where some of the majesty and beauty of our country remain unspoiled. Let's make sure they stay that way.
While true that some wilderness areas are in National Parks, most are maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and BLM. National Parks offer much more than this with trails, visitor centers, roads, restrooms etc all of which need maintenance and operational funding. Idiots like yourself think that the future they are protecting is only about taxes, you are so wrong. If you plan on shooting fish in a barrel you need more than a BB gun brain.
The income tax burden is the lowest its been in over 50 years. My wife and I make over $300,000/year and would gladly pay more in taxes if asked to support our troops, repair our infrastructure and provide for a future that includes protection of special places, like National Parks. We call it Patriotism. Look it up some time.
How much greed and corruption takes place in our entitlement programs?
Then cut a check to the IRS TODAY. Otherwise you're just moving the air around.
As the saying goes, 'put up or shut up'.
Steven, stop being an idiot with that tired old argument. We are patriots, not martyrs. Either we get it together as a society to protect all aspects of our future for our children, (economic, environmental, resources like National Parks, etc) or we don't. Individuals tilting at Fox News windmills don't adequately address the situation.
Steven, you also left off the rest of my quote, typical Fox News approach. The other problem with sending money to the IRS is that it does not in anyway dictate where the money is spent. If all wealthy progressives gave additional money to the IRS, the Fox News clowns like yourself would argue that additional tax cuts could then be given to rich Republican donors or your corporate masters rather than fully funding National Parks or repairing bridges and roads.
Steven, By the way you are right about greed and corrruption in the entitlement programs. Largely by Drug Companies and Medicare Advantage insurance providers that the Republicans supported through "W"'s brilliant expansion w/o a means to pay. The Government not allowed to negotiate for a low price with drug companies, now there is a cost savings plan brought to you by Republicans.
Geez, talk about shooting fish in a barrel.....
Steven has a point. National Parks can take care of themselves. The plants and animals have been doing so for millenia. What needs maintenance are those things connected with humans: roads, trails, visitor centers, parking lots, restrooms, but if no one uses them then they'll hold for a while.
What NPs do, in addition to providing recreation, is boost the summer economies of nearby towns. My town, Estes Park, is the gateway to Rocky Mt Nat'l Park and gets most of its money during the summer. Shutting RMNP down would kill us.
The National Parks and other protected areas really cannot take care of themselves if confronted with wealthy and powerful people who want to exploit, develop and profit from them. It's true the plants and animals have been there for millennia -- but look at what happened to the plants and animals that were not in the protected areas!
I agree that maintenance of roads, trails visitor centers, etc. is costly -- but it would cost a whole lot more if they are not maintained and then we expect to use them again. That is happening in my state -- a wonderful historic area, a village that children (and adults) from all across the state would visit to learn about our state's history, is closed and deteriorating because of 1) greed and corruption within the private organization that the state had selected to manage it and 2) lack of state funding to get the village back on its feet. The more it deteriorates, the harder -- and more expensive -- it will be to get it up and running again.
Has anyone developed a thought that "Steven B" is a plant by the Republicans. His reasoning(?) seems to indicate that he is indeed a shill.
I wonder if Stevie in all his supposedly patriotic fervor realizes that the facilities he wants to trash include Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty, Lincoln's birthplace, Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh, the WWII memorial, and a long list of other sites that honor the sacrifices of our forefathers. Then again, none of those old dead guys ever did anything to help him personally, did they?
Hate taxes? Well forget about our wonderful parks. If the Baggers had their way in the past, there would be no National Parks, no Wildlife Refuges, etc. etc. etc. Nor would there be an Alaska--Don't spend our tax dollars buying a worthless piece of frozen wasteland--Mississippi, etc. Closing the National Parks may be fine for the country club set, that can afford to recreate on private land, but what about the rest of us. I hate the Baggers.
Who really gives a crap who you hate.
Good to see another Herman Cain fan.... do you wear a three pointed hat to your
TEAPUBLICAN meetings??
How's that 9,9,9 thing working out fer ya???
To the folks that want to cut the National Parks budget. Never been to any of them? Don't you care to enjoy the beauty of are parks? You are the most unhappy bunch of sad sack Americans in this country.
Is there any cuts you would make? Or are you simply wanting to spend us into oblivion?
Steven B: Yes there are cuts I would make, and I would start with Defense. It is bloated to the max.
I know. The Dems claim to support the military, until the time comes to make a sacrifice.
Without Defense, tens of thousands go into unemployment and our enemies become stronger.
Great solution!
No defense, and then there's nothing to defend.
Like parks. Or our nation.
If you really want to cry, Look at the Wounded Knee Memorial is the Badlands SD National Park. Funding our National Parks for future generations is a must, Funding the fricking War Machine of America is a crime.
We could cut defense by billions and still have plenty of defense. We spend 10 times more than other countries on defense and they seem to be doing fine. I don't say gut the military, but it could stand to be cut, big time.
What would you cut in defense?
I'd cut the 400 billion dollars a year they added to their budget every year since 2001... Then I'd close the fricking damn Military bases in Japan, Germany, and god knows how many other countries around the world..
We need these bases. If we pack up and leave we are placing ourselves at risk.
I do believe that we should be receiving money from those nations that have our bases, to offset our costs. After all, our presence enables those nations to spend less on defense.
We must maintain our edge both technologically and quantitatively. The 'big stick' we carry helps to avoid conflict.
I believe we should start by getting the deadbeats, frauds and other non-contributers off of the Government teat. Obama himself acknowledges billions in fraud and waste of our entitlement programs.
StevenB: "Is there any cuts you would make? Or are you simply wanting to spend us into oblivion?"
You have your sacred government expenditures too. You riducle others for not cutting this and that, and then you ridicule others for wanting to cut defense. You can't have it both ways. Yes, we need defense, but not all of that money makes us safer.
Oh, defense absolutely can be cut back. All Government spending has to be cut.
A former student put this link up on her facebook page. It gives you a shot at putting together a deficit reduction package.
They leave out some important things, and others I would tweak differently, but it is certainly worth giving it a try!
Sometimes my links do not show up on newsvine. So here it is all in words:
http colon slash slash www dot nytimes dot com slash interactive slash 2010 slash 11 slash 13 slash weekinreview slash deficits-graphic dot html
they are talking about cutting 275 million from the federal budget here, do you know how small a percentage of the budget that is, do you know how much money is spent on the military industrial complex, spit out your koolaid and stop supporting the cutback of services that actually benefit Americans
The dems have a much better record of troop support than your guys. Keep on mindlessly blathering your support for them.
No, New Yorkers put themselves at risk, because this is where the terrorists want to attack, not your dinky little...where is it that you live anyway? It's probably some state that sucks fervently upon the government teat.
What about cutting farm subsidies. There"s a cash cow for the large corporate farms. But the republican/tea bag party would rather cut Social Security, Medicare, National Parks, and a host other programs that would be to long to list. It seems like they want to make it harder on the small guy.
How about cutting Congressional Pay, removing their free medical care, their per diems, their limo service, their dual offices, and then hit the Defense Department and their Defense Contractors in the pocketbook.
That should pay off the deficit in just a few years and protect what our children will inherit.
Seriously. Try out the link I have posted. Just copy, paste, and replace the words with the symbols. Almost everything you're talking about is there.
http colon slash slash www dot nytimes dot com slash interactive slash 2010 slash 11 slash 13 slash weekinreview slash deficits-graphic dot html
Steven,
Here are some cuts I'm willing to be seen made - reductions in agricultural subsidies; elimination of the oil companies 4B dollar per year subsidy; reduction in the mortgage tax deduction for mortgages over the median home price in local markets; means testing of medicare and social security payments to those with incomes (from all sources) over 500,000 per year; significant reductions in contractor support to all federal agencies, and I could go on.
I wonder if people will ever realize they can't demand that taxes be cut and government downsized without also cutting programs they think are important. Some will never get it, but maybe enough will so that major disasters to places like the national parks can be avoided.
how about stopping all those wars you getting your self in. Wake up Israel is trying to you to be the front man and into a real doozie with Iran.
Close all those bases across the world. Need defending Japan, Germany, a 1 billion dollar ambassy in Iraq.
After 9/11 the defence budget increased by 400 billion a year, Dick Cheney and comapy is loving it.
This alone should give you a good head start to reduce the deficit
Yeah, isolationism works really well.
Look how it helped Europe avoid a second Great War!
what does wwii have to do with these wars which bankrupt future generations of americans to benefit global corporations
Steven B: Quit being a shill for the Republicans. Suggest that we cut the billions now sent overseas to prop up Governments disguised as LOANS that will never be repaid and which never reach the people. Stop the Humanitarian Aid that goes into someones pocket instead of aiding the people that needs it. End the Trading Pacts that gives preferences to some countries to have us import far more from these countries than we export to them. Removing these pacts also has a significant negative impact on our Corporations moving off shore to these countries. Restore the balance of Imports versus Exports so that we are not faced with a continuing deficient or trade unbalances in exports.
These are positives.
Don't get hard on them for wanting to save the parks. Last protected natural resources. How about the 15 cent tax on "Christmas" trees, just delayed? Tax on a holiday tree commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. But then, once approved, can the govt then tax the Harri Kristnas for their haircuts? Or the Jewish for anything commemorative to their precious holidays? Or the Bhudists for objects pertaining to their religious holidays, Or the TURBANS that the Muslims insist on wearing as a sign of their religion?  Yea US government, look into the religions and steal their money. Just like you did the elderly Americans when you stole their 2.6 TRILLION dollars, totally illegaly. AND, got away with it!!  Good Grief, Al Capone, eat your heart out, you went to jail for pennies in back taxes, what a shame. Â
Hey! Don't go blaming Christmas trees on J.C. They have nothing to do with Christianity. They have to do with popular religion; Santa Clause and all that crap. There ain't no Christmas trees in the Bible.
That Christmas Tree? It was actually taken from the pagan "Festival of Trees" denoting that it was the end of the reaping of crops. Easter? Another pagan holiday celebrating fertility -- ever thought much about why eggs, bunnies, etc. were a part in Christ's birth or death? The funny thing is that "Christianity" chose certain Pagan Festivals in order to placate the locals who celebrated them -- after forcing them to profess their Christianity. You know the ritual. We will kill you if you don't.
Yes, heaven forbid those billionaires might have to settle for one less gold plated toilet seat so that the other 99% can continue to benefit from preserving our national parks. Who could call that selfish and un-patriotic after all?
I worry about the 53% who work and pay taxes.
Instead of the 48% who pay nothing. The 99% lie has been debunked time and again.
Please provide data that supports your claim that 99% of Americans use National Parks.
Steven B: Your data has also been debunked. A lot of the 48% who do not pay "Income Tax" due to their write off, pay a lot of other taxes. Like payroll, sales, property etc. A lot of those who pay no income tax the 48% that you quote make in the 60,000 range. Look it up. You think they spend nothing on taxes? Get real.
Not according to that bastion of conservatism, the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/28/46-percent-of-americans-e_n_886293.html
You really drink the Faux news talking points don't you Stevie??
Everyone pays taxes dude, It's just that your comment targets many seniors on SS who have already paid their damn taxes for decades.
I'm one of the 99% that has been to many many National Parks across America, Maybe if you looked down from your high horse you would see their beauty..
Maybe if your kind would seek to close some of the War Machine of America's 700 plus military bases around the world, you might then see the price of keeping America's National Treasures would not seem to bad to you Faux boys..
"Huffington Post"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/28/46-percent-of-americans-e_n_886293.html
Why does it not surprise me that your math skills are dismal? I'm going to wager most of your other powers of reasoning are equally devoid of any actual thinking on your part.
Steven B your part of the 1% as far as I'm concerned. Your just taking up space. Your robbing us of oxygen. Have a good day.
The parks put Americans to work. They support/create jobs outside the parks like hotel, motels, stores, restaurants...etc. They are very much needed. People need to have a place to go to get away, see the scenery, live outside the job, take notice of wildlife, learn about America.
Now money wise, cut paying foreign governments. No tax credits/subsidies to corporations which do not manufacture more than 50% of their product in the US. No tax credits/subsidies to corporations which are posting billion dollar profits per quarter. Close the bases overseas. Reopen closed bases at home. They will bring dollars back to communities. Bring all the troops home. Just a few ideas.
When you raise taxes on business, they simply pass on the cost of their increases to the consumers.
Like you and me.
Steven B: Another typical Repub response. Just like I said. Where were all of these jobs that were created by the Bush tax cuts? According to the GOA, .1 of 1% of those tax cuts created any jobs.
Bush? Really?
What about 'shovel ready' jobs?
What about "stimulus will keep unemployment at 8% or less"?
You can dismiss it, but it remains a fact. Can you refute it with something besides a personal attack?
Yep, no question, the Obama team misunderstood how deep and pervasive the Bush/Republican recesssion was going to be, along with all other economists.
I've seen plenty of those pop up here in Northern New Jersey. Maybe your backwater hillbilly town doesn't have any pressing infrastructure needs, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Again, you prove your myopia. You can only see what is in front of you, and little else.
Steven B. You are correct that the Big Corporations would pass it + another percentage onto the consumers but you missed a big part. Laws can be written to disallow this practice. And they should be written so that they have NO LOOPHOLES for the weasels to squirm through. If only we had Congressmen that have honesty as their credo. The present ones have greed as their credo. Bought and payed for by Big Business and Millionaires (Billionaires are included).
Plenty of blame to go around to both democrats and republicans. We are almost 15 trillion in debt and deficits over a trillion dollars a year. What both sides need to do is prioritize expenditures and instead of making across the board cuts (which is a cop out) pare expenditures until the budget is balanced. Any spending above that amount would have to qualify as stimulus spending: short term in nature and important enough that we must mortgage our children's future to pay for it today. The only thing I could see that would qualify for stimulus spending is infrastructure spending. Building/rebuilding roads and bridges would have real long term beneficial effects. Our children who will be paying for it would actually derive benefits from it.
Any other deficit spending... forget about it. If it is worth spending the money, then assess taxes to pay for it!
Why is a 10% across the board cut a 'cop out'?
If you believe that no program is more important than another then for you it wouldn't be a cop out. But for those who think the federal government wastes billions of dollars on unnecessary projects while short changing other things like border security then 10 percent across the board cuts are a cop out and it still wouldn't eliminate the deficit. It might reduce it about 25 percent still leaving a huge gap between tax receipts and expenditures.
This is so typical of politicians when they have a budget problem. They always lay off the policemen, the firemen, the teachers, the librarians and the park services. Washington is full of thousands of government workers that we never see that do very little to keep the country running. Yet these drones are never let go or laid off. It is always the ones moist visible to the public that are effected.
It goes without saying Joyce. I'll bet everyone here agrees with that assessment! We don't see politicians taking pay cuts, eliminating staff, or reducing their cadillac retirement plans. Share the pain, but not if it pains a politician!
Steven B, instead of trotting out the same tired conservative talking points, why don't you actually try reading for yourself and then "debunk" this report issued by the Tax Policy Center:
"About 46 percent of American households will pay no federal individual income tax in 2011, roughly half of them because of structural features of the income tax that provide basic exemptions for subsistence level income and for dependents. The other half are nontaxable because tax expenditures— special provisions of the tax code that benefit selected taxpayers or activities—wipe out tax liabilities and, in the case of refundable credits, result in net payments from the government. Most important of those tax expenditures are provisions that benefit senior citizens and low-income working families with children. While those factors particularly affect lower-income households, different provisions eliminate taxes for other households. Itemized deductions and credits for children and education are more important for middle-income households, while the relatively few high-income nontaxable households benefit most from above-the-line and itemized deductions and reduced tax rates on capital gains and dividends."
If you read the report, it indicates that over 70% of those that don't pay income taxes are Senior citizens, the working poor, or those who are eligible for child and dependent care tax credits (a Republican addition to the tax code by the way...you know, for all those fundamentalist Christians with huge families that will vote Republican?). So the right's argument that "half pay no taxes" is a fundamentally untrue since the majority of that half have little or no income. And on top of that, it only applies to income taxes. Poor folks and seniors still pay state and local taxes. Are you really advocating that people living on subsistance wages now start paying federal income taxes while millionaires continue to exploit loopholes and lobby for ever lower rates on capitol gains? Money they don't even WORK to obtain?
I would replace the whole tax structure with a simple 20 percent Value Added Tax plus an income tax on income above about 1 million dollars. To me this would be a pretty fair tax. More people would be paying taxes including gang members and those here illegally living on the margins of society. Whenever they bought anything they would be paying taxes for the benefits they receive. That way the poor and those outside the margins of society can help pay for the programs that specifically target their needs and not continue to get a free ride.
That "simple 20%" Value Added Tax simply means that we would actually be paying about 50-75% VAT Tax in the end. You must remember that that 20% Vat tax would be required at EVERY point of sale, not just at the point of last sale. Certain countries in Europe have already tried that approach with near disastrous consequences.
People say they support and want to protect our National Parks. They really don't. When they visit them, they throw trash everywhere, they disobey the rules, they let their kids run wild and do whatever they want, they act like the ugly Americans they are. They talk a good talk but they don't give a good tinkers damn about the Parks that they say they have pride in. Americans are sloppy, slovenly slobs who elected the worst president in our history, a failed incompetent politician who is destroying what is left of America and all he needs to complete the job is one more four year term. In spite of his performance and his rape of this country he is like the tourists who visit the National Parks--he is a litterer and a lawbreaker.
Wow unabridged, you should be abridged. You are a raving loony. Did you ever consider getting help for your problem? Wow.
Now, this is what I am talking about. Have you ever read a more innate uninformed and useless comment on Newsvine? This is the typical response of all left-wing posters on Newsvine. They have no answers to the critique of their actions and positions, so they resort to identifying all their adversaries as "loons". Well, to their dismay, I am not a loon but I am well-read and well-informed, especially concerning the responses of left-wing Newsvine nutcrackers, like verno here.
What a bunch of BS.
If anyone wants to believe there isn't, at least 5% waste in every Federal Department, they are a fool. There is 5% waste in any organization 1/10,000 the size of the Govt. Find it and get rid of it. Maybe you don't get to 9% but this in no way leads to draconian cuts.
Why not public/private partnerships ? You mean no one at the Park Service can think about having a company or organization in the area sponsor some of the facilities?
Old school, no independent thought as to how to solve problems except by tossing more money at them. Really sad that Govt has become so rigid as to lose its' effectiveness in even something so simple as keeping open spaces available.
Overused scare tactics to try to keep the wheels of bureaucracy oiled.
SB, the facilities in many National Parks have been run by private concessionaires for decades. Before you ridicule people, perhaps you should find out if what you are ridculing is even true.
Your proposal is very much like the proposals that Churches and Charities take over the welfare of the poor and those seeking jobs. Never will happen again within our lifetime.
There are too many insiders taking the alms collected at church for their own use just like the mainstream charities do. Very little is left for the needy, etc.
Businesses would rather have a generous write-off than do Pro Bono work.
Close them all! I don't care if there are guided tours or crafts. didn't have this 30 yrs agp. Stop the spending/. Stop the McCain wars! Stop sending troops to Africa! Cut congressional pay by half! Help Perry know what the hell he wants to cut. Bachman says it is definitely a 666 blunder!
We can fight an uneccesary war in Irag but we can't support our beautiful Nat Parks nor save the eastern Hemlocks up and down the East Coast, all of which have died at this point ....
Keep the rest areas open! Thats all. Get rid of the Rangers. Imagine waking up and saying yawn look at the pretty mountains.. I don't have anything to really do today!
Typical answer for a do nothing.
Check out the new GM Sonic I did. Wow a small car better then.. recall...Toyota! Looks good and interior great. Go America and Chrysler and Ford. And good for the Labor Contract Bob King!
Close the Grand Canyon until McCain stops the wars! Then open them with the savings from the war chest. Kyle can then sleep in a tent! Kyle pathetic, His own people shy away from talking to him. His dishonor Christmas speech to Stop the Necular Treaty last year caused them to ask him to retire!
Ask Clinton how to save the Parks. He has something for everything! Dam I wish I heard one thing from the other party that was real and could help. My God America are you going to vote the out??? Republican support in America 3% this from their own families. Ron Paul wants to do away with congress and use a lottery to pick them like Power Ball
Right-wingers have been out to destroy our parks for decades.
Anyone remember Reagan's Secretary of Interior, James Watt, tried selling them, especially Yellowstone and Yosemite.
Since then right-wingers have been lobbying for decades to claim the mineral rights in the parks. 43 signed away millions of acres of trees in national forests for export to Asia. Those forests were established as a resource management tool for our country, NOT as a profit generator for BIG BUSINESS right-wing exporters.
It is bad enough park management and concessions have been contracted out to the lowest bidders who provide the worst services for the highest profits, usually the same BIG BUSINESS right-leaning companies shove the profits back into lobbying (aka bribery) efforst to gain more control with fewer restrictions.
Life is hell when right-wingers rule.
Good points, but you left out the key! Money is needed and can be obtained by stopping the insane wars!
Defense isn't the only way to save money. Do some checking on our Trade Pacts, Loans to other countries that are never repaid, Humanitarian aid that go into some bigwigs pocket, etc.
"however, those savings come at a time when the parks need all the financial help they can get." So if Moochelle didn't spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on vacations even Wall Street bankers can't afford, maybe the money could've been put to better use.
Obama Lies: Do you ever spout any thing different? All you do is berate the first lady. It is getting a little tiresome.
Do you really find that using 3rd grade schoolyard insults appeals to reason? Apparently not.
Maybe one of you can show me that what I posted is wrong.
the republican party and teaparty have an ideal to sell the parks to corporations and charge hugh entrance fees and to turn them into amusement parks !!! Just as Theodore Roosevelt intended !!! yes this is there plan and Coke and Disney are it the front of the line along with Exxon Mobile to start drilling ! thank you teaparty !!!!!!!
They also want Corporations to serve as Congress, serve as the Military, Judicial Branch, Education, and Bureau of Prisons, and just about all other Branches of Government. What will be left of our Government are nothing more than Figureheads.
The Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes the Libertarian minimal state as providing law enforcement, a judicial assembly, and armed forces, and, also describes the Libertarian anarchy-capitalist view which holds that a government is unnecessary because private companies working for profit should provide the court systems, military, and police forces.