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.
@johnldeboer Agreed!
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 ...