Lest the thrifty or those on a tight budget try to plan around such a price increase, under Zinke’s leadership, the National Park Service reduced the number of free park admission days to four for 2018 — down from 16 free days in 2016 and 10 in 2017. The reduction in no-cost admission days was announced two weeks before Christmas. (The National Park Service free days for 2018 are Jan. 15, April 21, Sept. 22 and Nov. 11. Not great dates for planning a picnic in Montana, Wyoming or North Dakota parks.)
The Trump administration proposed a 2018 budget with significant funding cuts for Interior. Even the budget for National Park Service deferred maintenance is targeted for reductions. Maybe that’s why Zinke proposed to raise the fees visitors pay.
The austerity measures Zinke has proposed are all the harder to accept when average Americans, especially Montanans, see repeated extravagant spending by the Interior secretary.
...We don’t know of any law that says the Interior secretary can’t fly around in helicopters and charter airplanes at public expense for quick, convenient trips. But when Zinke is wielding the budget knife and eyeing an increase of $40 for every car that rolls into Yellowstone Park, shouldn’t he be demonstrating some frugal leadership?
...Zinke is failing to lead by example. How can taxpayers trust him to trim out waste — and sustain essential public services — when they see the secretary spending extravagantly on his own taxpayer-funded travel?
It sure looks like there’s one set of rules for Zinke and another for the rest of us who are expected to pick up his tab.
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