Tonto National Forest has gone the way of greed and arrogance. It not only raised its fees, which I admit were low, but they compounded that by terminating acceptance of the National Forests own senior/golden access cards! Combined it's an increase over last year of nearly 270% for the folks like me. For a month it is a jump from $90 a camp site last year to $240!!!... A little steep from where I come from.
Really it's the continuation of the attempt a few years ago by the vendors operating the majority of Forest service campgrounds (because the forest service is too busy NOT logging or mining) to eliminate the cards. I warned then when everyone celebrated the defeat of that attempt that they'd do this... Nobody listened then, I expect few are now...
The consequence of the ruckus raised over that fight a few years ago is that rather than eliminating the passes and their 50% discount... the vendors have all pretty much just doubled the fees.
Of course as a consequence of that, usage falls off steeply, so the vendors also open late in the spring and lock up, public land, early in the fall when there's not enough "traffic" to pay the profit they demand...
Everyone is all riled about the Bundy's fighting the BLM and Forest Service and their abusive management actions... and calling them and all the other ranchers greedy... while the BLM and the Forest Service continue to take actions which push the common man off the land... raising fees. Reducing services. Closing roads.
... Giving the land to private campground management companies at a fraction of proper and market "rental" rates: the campground management companies pay an avg. "rent" of around 4-5% of revenue... the store we had/have in Colorado the "Rent" is around 15-18% of revenue. But the ranchers, who are the ones who did ALL the water development which allows the deer and other critters to even exist there as well, are the bad guys...
and nobody says a damn thing.
Just one demonstration of the callous disregard of a government and it's bureaucrats gone deaf.
Between that and the people I blundered into here I'm pulling out a day early...
Two fellas, that I suppose could be classically labeled "liberals" regaled me with all that's wrong with Corporations and "Rich" people... Now, this is all done standing in front of the $500,000+ motorhome one of them was "camping" in...
"The corporations and those "Rich" people need to pay their proper share of taxes that they've been avoiding..." says one...
"Corporations Never pay tax" I observed. "The people who buy their products Pay The Taxes." they looked at me like this old cowboy was speaking greek...
Then I had an epiphany of sorts.
"uhhhhhhh... Wait! ... What???" says I. His Motorhome (like I said, a rig easily north of $500,000) was standing there with Montana plates on it, as was his Toad...
"Didn't you just tell me when I asked what part of Montana you're from, that you aren't from Montana? That you registered your outfit up there..." wait for it... "TO AVOID THE TAXES???"
The fool just stared at me... buuuuut he did get kinda testy when I asked if he could spell Hypocrite... Yeah... I admit it... My diplomacy, more and more__SUCKS.
Behave and think in ways that I don't approve of. I cannot defend my own Freedom unless I defend yours, and that means defending Your Right to hold attitudes and values I personally find offensive. That includes Racism, Sexism, political beliefs... whatever...
... But... I draw the line when your arrogance, stupidity and bald faced hypocrisy attempts to physically impose your nonsense on me and mine. Keep it just words and your "hands" to yourself and we'll have no issues.
I vow... I feel just like that gopher at chucky cheese must. What do they call it? Whack-a-mole? Every time I stick my head up to look around__WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
I have come to see that the gnawing of loneliness is superior to__far too many People... or at least it's less nauseating.
I think more and more of the Values held by Crazy Horse...
Sooooo... I'm taking my grumpy, broken, intolerant butt down the road a day early to search out some "healing" somewhere's else!
-Brian
A broken down Ol' Cowboy goin' RV Boondocking ...
...and Yondering, to the beat of a different Biker Cowboy Drummer
4 comments:
Good on you.
Bryan, I have been following you for years and so much enjoy your values and writing. I know of a retired union school teacher from my original state of PA who owns a Diesel Pusher and reacts the same way as the folks you had talked too. I had to stop talking to him after awhile. Hope all is going better..
Richard
I had heard the bad news about Lake Roosevelt from another camper who had given up on it when they were jacking up the prices, so I knew your shock was coming.
I had to decide a few years back that the best way to defeat the System and its bas#$@%s is to stay un-discouraged. Don't let them defeat you psychologically.
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. There is something to be said for a man who has no filter on his inner voice. For a person to be offended by it to me is hysterical. I have empathy for the sick and feable just not those who want to tell me how to live my life and can't see past their hypocrital nose.
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