03-21-2004, 04:02 PM
You won't get any argument from me on that subject, Don. I've been following the political scene for a long while and see the trend developing. While I haven't been in Colorado long enough to vote to TABOR and Amendment 23, I have seen how those are affecting our enjoyment of the outdoors. An annual park pass up to $55, and extra fees just to drive in the gate? Now that is ridiculous and insane, and that's putting it mildly. One must have a reservation to even park anywhere along Highway 14 along Cache La Poudre River, pay to get into Chatfield, Cheery Creek, Barbour Ponds, Carter Lake, Jackson, North Sterling, Barr Lake, name any fishing spot and there's an "extra" fee to drive in. Soon, very soon, we'll be priced out of our own lakes and rivers and then where will we be, up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Oh, that costs extra also.
Politicians seem to forget that the citizens of Colorado want to enjoy our outdoors and not pay fees to pay the salaries of those @$&*$@ politicians sitting under that gold dome. Fishing licenses are supposed to increase next year, by $5 I heard, in order to pay for improvements and such. In reality, that extra saw-buck will go into someones pocket and not for the outdoors, as it should. Yet, I still count my blessing that I'm in Colorado and not California, not withstanding the fact that my ex-wife lives there.
I moved to get away from California to be closer to the GREAT OUTDOORS, not see it follow me. I'm beginning to see comparisons between these two states, over crowding, over building, over population, over everything. I moved to the Brighton area because it was a small town, way back then, and had a small town atmosphere. No longer. Instead of seeing deer, pheasant, coyoyes and other wildlife on the drive east to I-76, all I see is new housing tracts, another 20,000 homes within the next ten years. And for what? To build a tax base? I think someones priorities need to be rearranged, say with a tire iron.
[signature]
Politicians seem to forget that the citizens of Colorado want to enjoy our outdoors and not pay fees to pay the salaries of those @$&*$@ politicians sitting under that gold dome. Fishing licenses are supposed to increase next year, by $5 I heard, in order to pay for improvements and such. In reality, that extra saw-buck will go into someones pocket and not for the outdoors, as it should. Yet, I still count my blessing that I'm in Colorado and not California, not withstanding the fact that my ex-wife lives there.
I moved to get away from California to be closer to the GREAT OUTDOORS, not see it follow me. I'm beginning to see comparisons between these two states, over crowding, over building, over population, over everything. I moved to the Brighton area because it was a small town, way back then, and had a small town atmosphere. No longer. Instead of seeing deer, pheasant, coyoyes and other wildlife on the drive east to I-76, all I see is new housing tracts, another 20,000 homes within the next ten years. And for what? To build a tax base? I think someones priorities need to be rearranged, say with a tire iron.
[signature]