Why is it that whenever a government shutdown looms, closing national parks is one of the awful things that is always mentioned? Like having to forego a vacation trip to Yellowstone is up there with not getting a paycheck?
@wolfwoman True, but that’s not the focus. If instead those employees would be listed along with air traffic controllers, TSA employees, and the like, it would more appropriate.
Park Rangers and staff are government employees and, therefore, wouldn't be able to staff the park
@Heatmizer_626 Well, yeah. That’s why the parks would close!
@johnldeboer
The knock-on effects on the local economy from park closure are not insignificant. Tourists contribute on the order of $50,000/day to the Estes Park area IIRC.
@FireMonkey That’s a good argument. So why don’t the media say that?
@johnldeboer
The media - are not what they once were. Negative news brings clicks, first out the door gets the clicks, in-depth (even minimally) coverage is time consuming and expensive. It's the internet now, not daily, weekly or monthly deadlines, but minutes.
@johnldeboer The people who work at the parks don't get a paycheck. Also, national parks are one of the few things poor people get to enjoy.
@AskTheDevil The media could include those issues, but they don’t. Park employees not getting paid is obvious, though. That’s why the parks close.
The cruelty is the point.
@johnldeboer OTOH, the employees of the NPS also don't get paid ...