Posts: 1,614
Threads: 0
Joined: Jun 2003
Reputation:
0
As many of you may know, the Colorado Joint Budget Committee this week floated a proposal to cut back on the days that some state parks would be open and threatened closure of some altogether. NealCO has a post on this titled "Budget Crisis?"
Help us fight this! Call or fax your state senator and representative and let 'em know how outrageous you think this is. You can call your County Clerk & Recorder's office and get the names and phone numbers of your state senator and representative. The last thing we Colorado fishermen need is closure of the limited and already crowded public waters we have.
Don
[signature]
Posts: 5
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
The biggest thing that will help to prevent this from happening is to raise awareness of what the TABOR ammendment and Ammendment 23 are doing to the states budget. This kind of budget cutting is taking place on all levels of state funded institutions except for K-12. The average taxpayer looks at the 100 dollars extra they will get back next year and rejoices while we are cutting state parks higher education and the prison system. As a state employee it probably effects me more then most but living in an area of the state were unemployment is already holding at around 8% it squit scary to think even more jobs may be lost because people are unwilling to do anyhting about it and greed.
Scott
[signature]
Posts: 1,614
Threads: 0
Joined: Jun 2003
Reputation:
0
Scott-
I agree with you 100%. The voters simply did not understand the implications of TABOR when they approved it. Now all programs other than K-12 are caught in the squeeze between the restrictions of TABOR and the increased funding for K-12 required by Amdmnt 23. It's absolutely ludicrous. Everyone screams for more services, but no one wants to pay for them. I guess people have to have their own oxe gored a time or two before they "get it". That's my 2 cents worth anyway.
Don
[signature]
Posts: 23,576
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2001
Reputation:
0
my frend you have just said a mouth full....
we pay for services and what do we get? government....
I fully agree with what you guys have said here.
in Michigan where I live our governer has decided to cut our state parks and rec funds by eliminating jobs and services to park visiters. (ie, trash removal) that right she has ordered the removal of trash bins in our state parks other than the highest money makers. but even those parks loose their cans during the winter months.....
I used to work for michigan state parks, and weekly trash pick was one of my duties. I have mentioned it to a number of people and to my surprize thay never noticed the cans were missing.
they close down parks and camp grounds here in michigan as well, but as for having watch dowgs to let us know about closures and cut backs in services before thay are lost, we have few if any. Before Governor Ingler steped in and ran our state our highest officer for the department of natural resorces was an elected official. Ingler made the position a apointed position so they could accomidate funds raised by the state parks and placed in to the states general slush fund. then gave himself a raise in pay.....
Keep your eyes open, [crazy]
[signature]
Posts: 8
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2004
Reputation:
0
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]
