Trump proposes cuts to National Park service

[kan...@aol.com]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/04/trump-national-parks

This is a REALLY bad idea. The National Parks are "America's best idea". I agree. People come from all over the world to partake of their beauty. 
I of course visit either NP's or wilderness areas on my backpacking trip most every year. 

When you see what Trump IS asking to fund instead, that makes it even worse. He's asking for the military budget to increase to 1.5 Trillion dollars. What is the term for more obscene than obscene. And tax breaks for you-know-whos. Etc. 

FYI, the number of visits to NP's yearly is about equal to the population of the US. Don't know how many Americans and how many foreign visitors; but that's a LOT of visits. 

This resource should be improved, perhaps expanded and maintained appropriately. Cheap at twice the price. Scrap one B-2 bomber to pay for it. 

[Brian Kegerreis]

Sounds like a good place to charge user fees to fund the parks.

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[kan...@aol.com]

Another response from the cheap seats, where FACTS fail to reach. 

They DO charge fees for park entry. 

But thank you for playing. 

I have a senior  pass, had it for decades. Lets me in for free; paid like $50 about 25 years ago. And it DOESN'T have Trump's face on it.

If you're traveling from some point A's to B's in California, you have to transit Yosemite NP. They even charge for "just passing through". So there ARE fees. But the gov't still needs to chip in. 

There are enough foreign visitors that it makes sense to keep the parks in great shape. If bean counters do their job, it might be discovered that they actually PAY their own way. Can't say that about a B-2. 

[Brian Kegerreis]

Yes I know there is a fee, it just needs to be raised to pay for itself. 

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[kan...@aol.com]

Should we do highways the same? Charge truckers for the REAL damage they do to roadways. And yes, I know that truckers pay taxes for road upkeep; but does it really pay for the damage? Just sayin'. And there are a LOT of  places where fees could be imposed to pay for usage. 

Some cities/counties charge to have fire fighters come to a scene. 

The NP system is one of America's greatest achievements, truly the envy of the world. As a matter of fact (not really fact, just an expression), foreign visits may actually PAY for the system. Add in tourist dollars, etc; and the NP"s may be a revenue generator. So bean counters should really look into this. Maybe the system could be offered for FREE to Americans. 

I'm sure glad you and people with similar notions weren't around when GREAT Americans were visualizing national parks. Included is Abe Lincoln, who signed the act protecting Yosemite. 

Also note that the park service includes war memorials and battlefield sites. Wanna charge for those, too? While on the topic, note too that NP's have educational value; or at least they did before radical rightists got involved. Now you can buy a book at the Grand Canyon explaining the role of Noah's flood in the creation of the site. 

Raising fees just works to de-democratize access. No bueno. 

And as a matter of FACT, the NP service budget, including additional accounts and projects, is about 4.4 billion per year. Trump just cut out about 900 million from the budget. That's a BIG hit. But is gov't terms, it's an awfully small peanut. In fact, it's LESS than Trump and his family have illegally made by taking advantage of his POTUS-ry. Shit, he can fund the Park Service with his own money. 

Sort of off topic, but can't help wondering how you feel about Hegseth asking for a HUNDRED times as much money to add to an already bloated military budget to pay for Trump's illegal pursuit of continuing attacks on Iran. 

Also makes me wonder how that question would be answered in a survey of US citizens. "Would you rather spend 3-4 Billion to fund the NP service or ADD 300 billion to the military budget to continue attacking Iran"? 

[Brian Kegerreis]

 Choosing where our personal dollars are spent is the most democratic thing ever. 

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[B Keg]

We already do.

Trucks pay on average 11,000 dollars per year in fuel tax alone plus a heavy use tax plus a federal excise tax on tires and a 12% sales tax on new trucks and trailers.

If that isnt sufficient then raise it. 

Be nice, even when you don't want to!

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[kan...@aol.com]

"We already do". Didn't you see that I mentioned that first off? Still wonder if you pay attention to other's posts

That said, with truckers it doesn't matter really. They just pass costs downstream. 

But it was meant as an example. 

As for the democratic nature of "choosing where our personal dollars..........", that's what the gov't is for. We ELECT people to make those decisions in bulk. And the NP system is financed by people who we elected. But they got overridden by Trump. And I object. My basis has been explained. 

And the cost is trivial; the benefits innumerable. 

Also found out that foreign visitors to NP's pay much higher fees, especially to Yosemite, Yellowstone and GC. 

You illogic could be used to consider charging families of people buried in Arlington Cemetery. Why should I, or other anti-war people, pay for their interment, or for all the other military cemeteries? The entire gov't is replete with examples. Picking the Park Service for cuts is illogical for many reasons.