The Band-Aid Budget, and further misdirection.

The article below and accompanying links should be read before this post, because it sets the stage for many of the things I am going to talk about. I will try to keep this brief.
First, many people, upon reading this post, will say, "Wait a second, didn't Bush just announce a huge budget increase for the National Park Service for fiscal year 2008? This guy is full of shit, man!" Actually, the Bush administration is full of shit, as usual.
What is actually happening is a big PR spin. See, the 100th anniversary of our National Parks is coming up, and Bushie-woo wants to make it seem like he cares about our natural resources, so he has increased the budget of the parks by almost exactly 1/2 the amount of money the War in Iraq uses every day, while promising increases down the road in a future where he will not be in office. Simultaneously, he has continued to fund the other natural resource management departments at the same level (or less) for the past 5 years, with no changes to account for inflation.
In 2006, a study by the Congressional Research Service, which provides nonpartisan research and analysis to lawmakers, estimated that the maintenance backlog (defined as scheduled or planned maintenance that has not been performed) ranges from 5.8 to 12.42 billion. Much needed repairs to bridges and roads into and out of the park alone exceed $3bil. The annual budget shortfalls for our parks are between 600-800 million dollars. So basically, his national park plans are just one more example of the administration giving us the big fat one right in the pooper, while making it look like they are doing us a favor. It all looks great until you actually do some research and see that the numbers just don't add up. But your average American won't know the difference, and the rest won't do anything about it. After all, Grey's Anatomy is on tonight!
Recently a couple got lost in Rocky Mountain National Park, they were doing a one night backpacking trip from one trailhead to another. After two or three days, their family formed a search party. They were eventually found on a cliffside, lost. What happened? Well, the trail they were following crossed a river, and the bridge had been washed out sometime in the past 5 years or so of underfunding. It of course wasn't posted, the couple reported "seeing no signs," and so when their trail ended they figured they had gotten lost and tried some fishing trails. They eventually got rim-rocked, where they couldn't go up or down. That is where they were found.
Because of underfunding, these people who just wanted to enjoy our national parks almost lost their lives. There were no signs posting the trail, warning that the bridge was out, no suggested alternate routes, and no Park Ranger to help them out with any of these issues. All of these things are because of a budget shortcomings forced by the Bush Administration and its preoccupation with, "Terror and war, war and terror, and war!"
What about protecting our natural resources, not so that they can be drilled and mined and exploited, but to be enjoyed? What about protecting the folks like that lost couple who just want to enjoy our beautiful nation. Well, I guess no one in the Administration cares for them, because they are just tree-huggers, and the loss of a member of that particular demographic just means one less vote for the other guy, right?
Does no one else see how screwed up our government is? Or does everyone see it, but are made so apathetic by media and spin that they don't do anything about it? What is wrong with this country?

The misdirection: looks good, but means jack!

For further reading, check out the December 2006 Issue of Mens Journal, page 172
Also, If you can get it, the Artical titled : The Future of Public Trust, it Issue #2 of the Wildlife Proffessional, published by the Wildlife Society.

This has been an original angry venting of legitimate concerns that no-one will listen to.