Sad state of national parks and forests - II

[Yosemite_Sam1]

I've less than 2 years ago reported here the sad state of our national parks and national forests after family camping in Yosemite, Redwood, Raiinier, Lassen Volcanic, Lake Tahoe... which I posit with a link of reduced budgets for our national parks.

Then with my ongoing coastal California sojourn, I can't help but compare this states' (state, country and city) immaculate toilet facilities and well maintained surroundings of their campgrounds -- even for a county that just recently declared bankruptcy and granting that these campgrounds must be getting a slice of the state's $74 billion surplus.

Politics aside as this will benefit us RVers, I just hope that the administration, since he said he will model FDR who build our public/national park system, restore and even increase to cover previous chronic shortfalls on the budget for these recreational resources in the infrastructure plans. As a Keynesian, I think this will also redound to a return to a booming economy as what happened under FDR.

[wanderingaimles]

cptqueeg wrote:

wanderingaimlessly wrote:

RambleOnNW wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

IDman wrote:
When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

Indeed a nice gesture. And he added some more of his own from his personal wealth to round it off to $100,00 since it's just $78,000.

I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I would have preferred his administration did not cut $2 billion out of the national parks budget while giving big business $1 trillon in tax cuts that promised economic boom that did not happen.

And a bit of irony, it's when the NPS is asking for funds just to address these maintenance backlogs.

3 card monte......wish people would learn.

$750.00, that's seven hundred and fifty dollars, in federal taxes for a YEAR.

Yes and presidential salary is $400,000 not $78,000. Plus $50,000 for expenses.

And while it may not be nearly enough, look at what the other party has actually given from their own pockets, from Obama, to SlowJoe to Harris, NONE give as much as Trump did. You may not like him, but from a personal standpoint, he has done/donated more than any others for the last 30 years.

Wow......


"The Bidens paid about $3.7 million and $1.5 in taxes for 2017 and 2018, respectively — about a third of their adjusted gross income. They gave roughly $1 million and $275,000 to charity in 2017 and 2018, respectively."



Compared w $750.00??????

SMH

Double check yourself
https://spectator.org/joe-biden-tax-returns-charity-donations-2019/

[Yosemite_Sam1]

I agree! (Even if posts so far are factual as far as I know).

[toedtoes]

I think we've gotten off topic. Before this thread gets shut down could we back off the discussion of presidential merits and get back to the national parks?

[cptqueeg]

wanderingaimlessly wrote:

RambleOnNW wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

IDman wrote:
When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

Indeed a nice gesture. And he added some more of his own from his personal wealth to round it off to $100,00 since it's just $78,000.

I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I would have preferred his administration did not cut $2 billion out of the national parks budget while giving big business $1 trillon in tax cuts that promised economic boom that did not happen.

And a bit of irony, it's when the NPS is asking for funds just to address these maintenance backlogs.

3 card monte......wish people would learn.

$750.00, that's seven hundred and fifty dollars, in federal taxes for a YEAR.

Yes and presidential salary is $400,000 not $78,000. Plus $50,000 for expenses.

And while it may not be nearly enough, look at what the other party has actually given from their own pockets, from Obama, to SlowJoe to Harris, NONE give as much as Trump did. You may not like him, but from a personal standpoint, he has done/donated more than any others for the last 30 years.

Wow......


"The Bidens paid about $3.7 million and $1.5 in taxes for 2017 and 2018, respectively — about a third of their adjusted gross income. They gave roughly $1 million and $275,000 to charity in 2017 and 2018, respectively."



Compared w $750.00??????

SMH

[RambleOnNW]

And while it may not be nearly enough, look at what the other party has actually given from their own pockets, from Obama, to SlowJoe to Harris, NONE give as much as Trump did. You may not like him, but from a personal standpoint, he has done/donated more than any others for the last 30 years.

You’ve got things entirely backwards.

The truth

[wanderingaimles]

RambleOnNW wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

IDman wrote:
When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

Indeed a nice gesture. And he added some more of his own from his personal wealth to round it off to $100,00 since it's just $78,000.

I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I would have preferred his administration did not cut $2 billion out of the national parks budget while giving big business $1 trillon in tax cuts that promised economic boom that did not happen.

And a bit of irony, it's when the NPS is asking for funds just to address these maintenance backlogs.

3 card monte......wish people would learn.

$750.00, that's seven hundred and fifty dollars, in federal taxes for a YEAR.

Yes and presidential salary is $400,000 not $78,000. Plus $50,000 for expenses.

And while it may not be nearly enough, look at what the other party has actually given from their own pockets, from Obama, to SlowJoe to Harris, NONE give as much as Trump did. You may not like him, but from a personal standpoint, he has done/donated more than any others for the last 30 years.

[RambleOnNW]

cptqueeg wrote:

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

IDman wrote:
When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

Indeed a nice gesture. And he added some more of his own from his personal wealth to round it off to $100,00 since it's just $78,000.

I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I would have preferred his administration did not cut $2 billion out of the national parks budget while giving big business $1 trillon in tax cuts that promised economic boom that did not happen.

And a bit of irony, it's when the NPS is asking for funds just to address these maintenance backlogs.

3 card monte......wish people would learn.

$750.00, that's seven hundred and fifty dollars, in federal taxes for a YEAR.

Yes and presidential salary is $400,000 not $78,000. Plus $50,000 for expenses.

[cptqueeg]

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

IDman wrote:
When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

Indeed a nice gesture. And he added some more of his own from his personal wealth to round it off to $100,00 since it's just $78,000.

I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I would have preferred his administration did not cut $2 billion out of the national parks budget while giving big business $1 trillon in tax cuts that promised economic boom that did not happen.

And a bit of irony, it's when the NPS is asking for funds just to address these maintenance backlogs.

3 card monte......wish people would learn.

$750.00, that's seven hundred and fifty dollars, in federal taxes for a YEAR.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

IDman wrote:
When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

Indeed a nice gesture. And he added some more of his own from his personal wealth to round it off to $100,00 since it's just $78,000.

I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I would have preferred his administration did not cut $2 billion out of the national parks budget while giving big business $1 trillon in tax cuts that promised economic boom that did not happen.

And a bit of irony, it's when the NPS is asking for funds just to address these maintenance backlogs.

[cptqueeg]

YS _ "Best news to feed into our hope so far. I've not seen it yet on the parks I've camped but yeah, bureaucracy kind of slow to cascade into field work and projects. And good priorities and intent too on addressing backlogs. I was camping in remote area (yeah, not operated by concessionnaire that would prove unprofitable for them) of Yosemite and there were campsites that's unusable the upkeep was way lacking.

Politics aside, there are just administrations whose very supportive of the outdoors and the environment and put it both in their policy and budget priorities.

Thanks for the info."

the rest of the story


Why am I not surprised.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

cptqueeg wrote:
Great American Outdoors Act has assured some funding.

"would guarantee that the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund receives its annual $900 million allocation and also set aside $9.5 billion over five years to tackle a longstanding maintenance backlog in the national parks."


This bill was passed because of the p word. Had it not been needed for p reasons it would have failed. In other words "they were against it, before they were for it."

Best news to feed into our hope so far. I've not seen it yet on the parks I've camped but yeah, bureaucracy kind of slow to cascade into field work and projects. And good priorities and intent too on addressing backlogs. I was camping in remote area (yeah, not operated by concessionnaire that would prove unprofitable for them) of Yosemite and there were campsites that's unusable the upkeep was way lacking.

Politics aside, there are just administrations whose very supportive of the outdoors and the environment and put it both in their policy and budget priorities.

Thanks for the info.

[IDman]

When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

[valhalla360]

toedtoes wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

Honestly, $80 for an annual pass (far less for old folks) is really too cheap for what you get. Bump that up a bit and mandate the dollars go right back into the parks and I bet you see a lot of improvements.

The annual pass and the "old folks" pass are not the same.

The standard annual pass does not include discounts for camping fees, etc. All you get is the free entrance. Unless you can/will visit national parks multiple times in a year, it is not cost effective to spend the $80. A 7-day entrance fee for Death Valley is $30. Unless you are staying longer than 14 days, or visiting another national park during the calendar year, it isn't cost effective to buy the annual pass.

In comparison: a standard site at Furnace Creek is $22 per night. With the senior pass, it's $11. For 14 nights, that's a savings of $154 in camping fees as well as the $60 in entrance fees. Making it extremely worth the one-time price of the pass.

Yes, they are different, that's why I mentioned it. The vast majority of retirees out in six figure RVs can afford to pay more for world class sites.

The campgrounds are cheap...again supporting the point, that they should be priced higher to support the operating costs.

[cptqueeg]

Great American Outdoors Act has assured some funding.

"would guarantee that the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund receives its annual $900 million allocation and also set aside $9.5 billion over five years to tackle a longstanding maintenance backlog in the national parks."


This bill was passed because of the p word. Had it not been needed for p reasons it would have failed. In other words "they were against it, before they were for it."

[cptqueeg]

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
To stay "Non Political" About this, simply consider the most vocal Gimme groups, from Race, to Sexual Orientation, gender issues, to even the Eco nuts, they ALL demand money for their pet issue. It's all about MY issue, not the good of the nation as a whole, and the National Parks are a part of that Nation as a whole.
Even something as straightforward as infrastructure is now turned into daycare programs and abortion questions.
The people making all the noise don't care about you, or what you want.

That is LOL ridiculous. It's really the people w the power that don't care about you.