Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget cuts could mean the closing of up to 220 state parks, among them the home of the world's tallest tree and other attractions that draw millions of visitors. Schwarzenegger this week recommended eliminating $70 million in parks spending through June 30, 2010. An additional $143.4 million would be saved in the following fiscal year by keeping the parks closed. "This is a worst-case scenario," said Roy Sterns, a spokesman at the state parks department. "If we can do less than this, we will try. But under the present proposal, this is it." Among the parks that could be closed, the parks department said Thursday, are Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, Will Rogers' Southern California ranch and Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which boasts the world's tallest tree, a giant that tops 370 feet. Even the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento is on the list...AP
It's been my experience that when a politician proposes cutting parks they don't really mean it. It's usually used to get the legislators or the public to agree to a tax increase or some other onerous burden they otherwise wouldn't agree to.
The voters in Ca. recently rejected at the polls several of Arnold's proposals to raise revenue, so now he is sticking them in the eye wth his parks proposal.
The voters need to stare the Terminator in the eye and tell him to make a realistic proposal to balance the budget. If he won't, he should be the one terminated.
No comments:
Post a Comment