Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
c wilmot
climber
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 10:03am PT
|
If interps are doing maintenance as a result of being assigned to remote locations then it sounds to me as though there is not enough public visitation to justify Their positions. Hiring more maintenance workers qualified to do such work would make more sense.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 10:11am PT
|
you've seen the massive lines with 2 hour plus waits to get in.
Boy, howdy! I had to wait like FIVE FREAKING MINUTES to get into Jellystone last month!
#fittobetied!
|
|
John M
climber
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 10:24am PT
|
It seems to me like some people have forgotten the concept that making things better for everyone means that things are better for everyone. They don't seem to realize that when you become niggardly in your dealings with others, that that is the kind of world that you end up with. They want what they want and don't care about others, or actively dislike others, and don't see the correlation between being generous and having a generous life. Its sad to me.
Raising prices so that those who use a place pay for it, and not the tax payer as a whole, ignores all of the benefits of working together to make things better for everyone.
Does the park have problems? Yes. We definitely need to spend more on maintenance. And it would be great to figure out a way to reduce paperwork so that we didn't need so many paper pushers. I would like to see that happen in many areas of life, taxes and health care being two. Especially health insurance. Ugh.. what a mess that is.
I don't know what the solution is because I see so much obstinacy in people, but I do believe that raising the cost of national park entrance fees would lead to pricing people out of the parks, and that isn't the kind of America I want to live in.
I would rather reduce our military spending by 30 percent, rather then raise prices on national parks. A 10 percent cut to the military would easily cover many of the things we see missing in our current life. From fixing roads and schools, to keeping our parks affordable. Imagine the country we could have if we poured 100 billion dollars a year into infrastructure. We would have more decent paying jobs ( i.e. road builders ) and better roads to drive on.
|
|
SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 10:32am PT
|
I’ve had my senior pass for awhile.
The day before they went up (in August, I think) I went and bought two more just in case I lost mine. Wasn’t going to take any chances!!!
Susan
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 12:51pm PT
|
If you are trying to tie price to value delivered with that potato analogy, maybe we should take it further and have different prices based on gross vehicle weight and road damage. Should also charge per-person, not per-vehicle, because humans fill up the toilets and trash cans.
|
|
Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 01:04pm PT
|
This is cloaked and incremental deconstruction of government. Put this in the same category as school choice (vouchers), privatized- military logistical support, private security, toll roads, private concessions etc., etc.
They've done this before- Financially strangle a public entity along with a campaign of demonization to the point of failure. Loss of Public support is soon to follow and the atmosphere is ripe for a well connected Corporation to fill the void.
Does anyone remember Halliburton leaving brand-new trucks with flat tires on the side of the road in Iraq? Are you aware of who paid for that truck? What do you think would happen to a soldier that walked away from a brand new truck on the side of the road with a flat tire?
I'd rather pay an interpretive Ranger then a Halliburton employee getting orders from the CEO who is pimping for that fat annual bonus.
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 01:07pm PT
|
Hey how about they require you to present your tax return at the gate. You pay some percent of your annual income to get in... Actually they'll have us all carrying a chipped card (or sub-cutaneous) with all that info in it anyway soon enough.
edit for bad math :-)
|
|
rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 01:58pm PT
|
Not many advantages to getting old, but my $10 lifetime pass to all parks is looking better and better... :)
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 02:54pm PT
|
lol...
|
|
JLP
Social climber
The internet
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 03:15pm PT
|
You pay some percent of your annual income to get in... That's pretty much how it works now.
|
|
Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 04:21pm PT
|
Reilly said: Off White, yer quoting the Pentagon's New Math Accounting System prices.
The real price is more like 200 MILLION PHUKKING SAMOLIANS PER!
I thought I did research and that 200 million was the price for the small run testing units, but the actual per plane cost was what I said. I know the Pentagon has been prone to use a price that doesn't include engines and other systems as a way to whitewash the cost, and it's certainly possible I've been duped. Here's where I got my info.
http://www.defenseone.com/business/2017/02/charted-heres-how-cost-each-version-f-35-changing/135451/ I tried to look at a source that isn't as left wing as I'm inclined to be, hoping for something fact based. If the number is closer to what you said, then woohoo, we could get a lot done in the parks for just one fighter jet.
|
|
limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 25, 2017 - 05:25pm PT
|
I just like that they raised a TON of money for that "Find Your Park" campaign. Seems dumb to raise money to advertise the parks. It was a big part of the reason that visitation went up so much recently.
Keep in mind the advertising campaign was funded by donations from private companies so it didn't use NPS dollars but all the new visitors sure did have an effect.
|
|
Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 05:52pm PT
|
Just two great words here: Geezer. Pass.
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 10:17pm PT
|
Another reason I don't plan to visit any more national parks. They are over crowded, over priced and plain BS.
|
|
Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 10:27pm PT
|
They are over crowded, over priced and plain BS.
I can go to almost any NP, park my car, and within an hour be away from civilization, for 80 bucks a year.
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
|
Oct 25, 2017 - 10:46pm PT
|
I can go to almost any NP, park my car, and within an hour be away from civilization, for 80 bucks a year.
Good point and I agree. Just feeling a bit snarky tonight. Thanks for reeling me in.
|
|
justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
|
|
|
Oct 26, 2017 - 06:25am PT
|
Dingus- I sort of arrived at the same line of thinking as a somewhat less brutal solution than one giant horrible fee.
A sliding scale for peak days and season (same as hotels and airlines) might encourage people to spread out a bit. .
The charge-per-car regardless of how many people in the car actually never made sense to me.
It should be a flat fee per car + a per-person charge. (same as amusement parks - the NPS is basically one anyhow. )
Example: The pit toilets aren't cheap to pump/maintain ... the # of people using them should factor in when discussing maitenence costs. The car doesn't crawl in there alone.
|
|
Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
|
|
|
Oct 26, 2017 - 07:00am PT
|
Everything with this administration is about scraping the bone to free up revenue for another tax break for the wealthy. Most of it involves diminished living standards, services and recreation for the more unsavory class of our society.
"Oh, I can afford it so it's ok with me". Well, I can afford it as well but my kid's can't and the unsavory can't.
|
|
clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
|
|
|
Oct 26, 2017 - 07:12am PT
|
The NPS fee increase for Yosemite is a tax mostly on foreigners.
|
|
c wilmot
climber
|
|
|
Oct 26, 2017 - 07:19am PT
|
Blame your reps for not providing adequate funding. It's been a decades old problem.
This is at least a first step towards forcing our political "leaders" to act
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!