Full at http://cheapmotelsandahotplate.org/2012/05/11/the-national-parks-were-made-for-you-and-me/ I am back from blog vacation. I urge all lbo'ers to take a hike when reading posts gets tiresome! This is the ending of the blog post:
"Deeper roots underlie the problems in Arches and the national parks. Perhaps a recent post on The National Parks Traveler website tells us something about these. Those living in Moab, the article says, don’t go to Arches much (or to nearby Canyonlands National Park). Programs exist to teach young people about the parks, but these are in short supply and have little money. However, while it would be good to acquaint youth with Arches, what about the poorly paid adults working in the service industry? They will have neither time nor money to enjoy the parks. Go to any national park gateway town and you will see that the locals are run ragged serving wealthier tourists. Their job is to cater to the needs of others, and no doubt they soon enough develop an attitude of dislike for visitors, and this carries over to an indifference for the beauty that surrounds them. And what is true for the locals is true for most of the people in the United States. We have no guaranteed vacations, as many working men and women still have in Europe. Our wages have stagnated for forty years, and our jobs suck. If we manage to put together enough money for a short trip, it won’t likely take us to Arches. If somehow we do find our way there, we won’t have the time to get to know it. We will be happy to travel the paved roads, camera in hand, and to go to the visitors’ center to buy souvenirs.
Matters might be different if incomes and wealth were more evenly divided in the United States, if work was not such a burden and paid better, if we were not so insecure. Unfortunately, they are not, and this might be why, for most of us, more money and better care of our parks are not very high on our list of priorities."