WILL POWER REPORT: DON’T PRIVATIZE PARKS!

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Nothing but the Truth!

By Will Power

 

May 16, 2011 (San Diego) -- Citing budget concerns , the State of California (and the U.S. federal government) are studying plans to turn over California's most precious beaches, lakes, and forests to private entrepreneurs who will rent California's own land back to its citizens for a profit.

 

Seventy Califiornia state parks are slated for permanent closure, including Palomar Mountain State Park and San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park in San Diego County. Once the title to these pristine and irreplaceable lands is clouded by contract law, do not expect the public to ever see them again for free.

 

It would be better for everyone to lock the gates, buy an umbrella insurance policy, and keep the public out. The wildlife would not mind, and if and when California get its finances in order it would still hold title to these lands.

 

No matter how carefully California lawyers write up the contracts, private entrepreneurs will insist on complete control of access, hours, terms of employment, and future considerations. it's the future considerations that are the killers.

 

Once Walt Disney rents Yellowstone or Yosemite, don't expect them to return it untouched without considerable profit and cost to the taxpayers.

 

Local developers would love to gain access to California State Parks. The clean air, fish, and wildlife are huge intangible assets that increase real estate values far beyond the norm. Sadly, California's state parks have been mismanaged badly. The fees for day use are outrageous. Parks trails, bathrooms, and buildings have been neglected.

 

Like the stupid decision to sell California's State Buildings to corporations and rent them back, these propositions need to be torpedoed and sunk. it would be better to name the State Parks State Wilderness Areas and forbid development altogether than rent them away to redevelopers and land sharks. A clouded title is worth less than no title at all. Do not privatize the parks!


Will Power is a retired history teacher and creative writing instructor.

 


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Comments

Government Workers Golden Parachute Retirement Packages Costs

Government workers making more than the private industry won't work... How the hell can we support Government Worker System when the American Worker is all out of work? What Pisses me off the most, is when I see a Park Ranger driving around in a brand new truck, won't do a day’s work, goes to unproductive meetings to waste the day, gets volunteers to do all their work, collects a great paycheck for doing nothing, gets great health care package, retirement package, and then retires early... While the starving American civilian worker looks for a job, loses his house and spends his savings on taxes to pay the cost of all these non productive government workers... Fire Them All, put people to work that want to work... 8 hours pay for 8 hours work and no more Golden Parachutes... Give us tax payers a book of pink slips, when we catch a government worker not working, we should be able to fire them on the spot. I am one angry tax payer… And now the price of all this is closing our Parks... Leave the parks open and let the Volunteers run them. I bet they would be much better than what we have now...