Why close national parks

[sawyerloggingon]

I'll tell you why they are closing national parks, it is designed to hurt Americans and get media coverage, no other reason at all. There is always a line at the entrance to every NP with people paying 20 bucks to get in and that is plenty to pay the staff and keep parks open during a temporary gov shut down like this. It may or may not be enough to actually maintain the roads and facilities long term but there is no reason to shut our parks down other than the very reason Obama closed white house tours, make it hurt. The democrats and Obama are using us as pawns in their power play and I for one am sick of being sacrificed to protect the king.

 

[davidtaylorjr]

I'll tell you why they are closing national parks, it is designed to hurt Americans and get media coverage, no other reason at all. There is always a line at the entrance to every NP with people paying 20 bucks to get in and that is plenty to pay the staff and keep parks open during a temporary gov shut down like this. It may or may not be enough to actually maintain the roads and facilities long term but there is no reason to shut our parks down other than the very reason Obama closed white house tours, make it hurt. The democrats and Obama are using us as pawns in their power play and I for one am sick of being sacrificed to protect the king.

That's what all of this is. To make it appear that the Republicans are evil. It's Obama that is making it hurt, and over publicizing the parks and other things that are favorites of Americans. It didn't have to happen, like Obama said, but the Democrats wouldn't come to the table.

 

[Unitedwestand13]

I'll tell you why they are closing national parks, it is designed to hurt Americans and get media coverage, no other reason at all. There is always a line at the entrance to every NP with people paying 20 bucks to get in and that is plenty to pay the staff and keep parks open during a temporary gov shut down like this. It may or may not be enough to actually maintain the roads and facilities long term but there is no reason to shut our parks down other than the very reason Obama closed white house tours, make it hurt. The democrats and Obama are using us as pawns in their power play and I for one am sick of being sacrificed to protect the king.

would you rather they stop paying workers at nuclear power plants or health inspectors for food testing?

 

[sawyerloggingon]

would you rather they stop paying workers at nuclear power plants or health inspectors for food testing?

Not the subject of this thread. National parks could remain open indefinitely with nothing but gate receipts, that is the subject of the thread you hope to derail.

 

[Unitedwestand13]

Not the subject of this thread. National parks could remain open indefinitely with nothing but gate receipts, that is the subject of the thread you hope to derail.

then who pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the parks? who pays for the security protecting the important monuments? Who pays the workers at the parks?

 

[clownboy]

would you rather they stop paying workers at nuclear power plants or health inspectors for food testing?

Power plant workers are paid by the company that owns and operates the facility and health inspectors should be covered by regulatory taxes on the industry.

Here's an unintended helpful consequence of the shutdown - we get to see just how screwed up the government funding landscape is and where they're funding stuff they should have no part of. Another - we'll all get the reminder when the shutdown is over and the sky doesn't fall, that maybe we could live with a much smaller government.

 

[clownboy]

then who pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the parks? who pays for the security protecting the important monuments? Who pays the workers at the parks?

Gate receipts, use fees and merchandising - just like every other business.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

then who pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the parks? who pays for the security protecting the important monuments? Who pays the workers at the parks?

Twenty bucks every minute as people enter the park, that's who.

 

[Ockham]

then who pays for the upkeep and maintenance of the parks? who pays for the security protecting the important monuments? Who pays the workers at the parks?

Very good points - even though only the largest of those parks have significant people working in them, the upkeep, utilities, materials, etc... they all are paid for by the taxpayers as are the salary's. So for parks like Glacier, Yellowstone, etc... yes they should be closed. For open air parks which do not have outposts, does not need utilities, I can't see a reason to close them since it would take more work to close them and keep people out than let them in.

 

[Unitedwestand13]

Twenty bucks every minute as people enter the park, that's who.

have you seen the upkeep requirements of national parks?

besides the parks can't open if they don't have anyone being paid to maintain them. and i do believe that the national park service cannot pay its workers during the shutdown.

 

[iguanaman]

I'll tell you why they are closing national parks, it is designed to hurt Americans and get media coverage, no other reason at all. There is always a line at the entrance to every NP with people paying 20 bucks to get in and that is plenty to pay the staff and keep parks open during a temporary gov shut down like this. It may or may not be enough to actually maintain the roads and facilities long term but there is no reason to shut our parks down other than the very reason Obama closed white house tours, make it hurt. The democrats and Obama are using us as pawns in their power play and I for one am sick of being sacrificed to protect the king.

Are you in favor of shutting down the govt. or not? The fact is that National Park employees work for the Federal govt. Is that so confusing that you must blame Obama for it? Your minority party shut down the govt. and laid off 800,000 workers because they don't understand what losing an election means. There is no spinning it any other way.

 

[clownboy]

Very good points - even though only the largest of those parks have significant people working in them, the upkeep, utilities, materials, etc... they all are paid for by the taxpayers as are the salary's. So for parks like Glacier, Yellowstone, etc... yes they should be closed. For open air parks which do not have outposts, does not need utilities, I can't see a reason to close them since it would take more work to close them and keep people out than let them in.

No reason to close them and many to keep them open. They can, or should be able to, operate on receipts until the shutdown is over. Btw, forested parks take in significant funds selling timber.

 

[clownboy]

Are you in favor of shutting down the govt. or not? The fact is that National Park employees work for the Federal govt. Is that so confusing that you must blame Obama for it? Your minority party shut down the govt. and laid off 800,000 workers because they don't understand what losing an election means. There is no spinning it any other way.

And yet a significant portion of government continues to be paid, how do want to spin that?

 

[ocean515]

Are you in favor of shutting down the govt. or not? The fact is that National Park employees work for the Federal govt. Is that so confusing that you must blame Obama for it? Your minority party shut down the govt. and laid off 800,000 workers because they don't understand what losing an election means. There is no spinning it any other way.

What part of the Constitutional powers of the House of Representatives are you struggling with?

 

[Ockham]

No reason to close them and many to keep them open. They can, or should be able to, operate on receipts until the shutdown is over. Btw, forested parks take in significant funds selling timber.

I'm sure there are ways to keep them open if the government wanted to, but they don't want to. I don't know enough about how they budget or forecast to say if they could survive on receipts or not. But one this is for sure, if the rangers and support staff at these parks are not paid, then those parks should close.

 

[Unitedwestand13]

And yet a significant portion of government continues to be paid, how do want to spin that?

as much as we want to make the congress go without pay during the government shutdown, we cannot do that because congressional pay is protected under the 27th amendment to the constitution, that congressional pay cannot be changed until the next election.

 

[iguanaman]

I'm sure there are ways to keep them open if the government wanted to, but they don't want to. I don't know enough about how they budget or forecast to say if they could survive on receipts or not. But one this is for sure, if the rangers and support staff at these parks are not paid, then those parks should close.

There is a way to keep the whole govt. functioning. The House just needs to do its job and fund the Govt.

 

[clownboy]

I'm sure there are ways to keep them open if the government wanted to, but they don't want to. I don't know enough about how they budget or forecast to say if they could survive on receipts or not. But one this is for sure, if the rangers and support staff at these parks are not paid, then those parks should close.

Agreed.

 

[Lutherf]

I'll tell you why they are closing national parks, it is designed to hurt Americans and get media coverage, no other reason at all. There is always a line at the entrance to every NP with people paying 20 bucks to get in and that is plenty to pay the staff and keep parks open during a temporary gov shut down like this. It may or may not be enough to actually maintain the roads and facilities long term but there is no reason to shut our parks down other than the very reason Obama closed white house tours, make it hurt. The democrats and Obama are using us as pawns in their power play and I for one am sick of being sacrificed to protect the king.

Amen Brother!!

 

[clownboy]

There is a way to keep the whole govt. functioning. The House just needs to do its job and fund the Govt.

Or they can continue to do their job which is to represent their constituencies.

 

[iguanaman]

What part of the Constitutional powers of the House of Representatives are you struggling with?

Now that you mention it, I am confused about what the House's job is if they cannot even keep the Govt. open. They appear to be incapable of doing anything for their salary.

 

[Unitedwestand13]

Or they can continue to do their job which is to represent their constituencies.

then by allowing the government to shut down they have failed to serve their constituiant's

 

[Unitedwestand13]

Now that you mention it, I am confused about what the House's job is if they cannot even keep the Govt. open. They appear to be incapable of doing anything for their salary.

unfortunately our elected representatives salaries are untouchable. Blame the 27th amendment.

although we could always start paying them salt instead of dollars.

 

[Anagram]

I'll tell you why they are closing national parks, it is designed to hurt Americans and get media coverage, no other reason at all. There is always a line at the entrance to every NP with people paying 20 bucks to get in and that is plenty to pay the staff and keep parks open during a temporary gov shut down like this. It may or may not be enough to actually maintain the roads and facilities long term but there is no reason to shut our parks down other than the very reason Obama closed white house tours, make it hurt. The democrats and Obama are using us as pawns in their power play and I for one am sick of being sacrificed to protect the king.

I'm not entirely sure how they deem workers non-essential and decide what to close, but if this is a partisan move its been done by Clinton, Bush, and Reagan during their shutdowns too.

 

[Ockham]

There is a way to keep the whole govt. functioning. The House just needs to do its job and fund the Govt.

It takes both houses in Congress to do that.