Bill to Congress: Take a Hike

Filed in archive Outdoor News on November 11, 2006

Well, Bill Schneider sounds like he's mad and he's not taking it any more.

In a very eloquent "Open Letter to the New, Blue Congress" Bill outlines many of the frustrations those of us who care about the outdoors have been feeling for some time now.

I'll give some select quotes here, but please be sure to read Bill's entire article.

We have heard many times that the voters were angry, primarily with the Trillion Dollar War and the fiscal mismanagement following it. I don't mean to imply that my concerns compare with people dying needlessly in Iraq or issues like Medicare/social security reform, the health care crisis and immigration, but out here on the "outdoor beat" so to speak, people were just as angry.

Part of the "new direction" people want is better management of our public lands and more emphasis in providing quality outdoor recreation for all Americans, not just the rich ones.

The Trillion Dollar War hurts us in a million bite-sized ways that don't make headlines. Agencies like the U.S. Forest Service (FS) and the National Park Service have been forced to place emphasis on fund-raising to keep the doors open. Budgets have been continually trimmed while costs and demands for outdoor recreation skyrocket, forcing agencies to establish and keep raising fees in attempt to replace lost funding, all while we squander a billion dollars a week in the Middle East.

Even for the non-political, this open letter will probably strike a chord or two. Let's just hope the government is listening.