- Mar
18
2013
Contrary to Senator John Thune's politically motivated claim that the decision to close Wind Cave National Park's campground is a politically motivated ploy to make the budget cuts imposed by the sequester he voted for more publicly visible, the National Park Service is keeping its major facilities in South Dakota as accessible to the public as possible. NPS is not reducing hours at the two most prominent national parks in the state, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. Wind Cave and Jewel Cave will still be open; you just won't be able to sleep at Wind Cave. If NPS wanted visible cuts, they'd barricade Mount Rushmore on weekends and holidays (women can only think rationally about America's heritage on business days anyway, right?).
Meanwhile, Governor Dennis Daugaard may be putting his foot in some bad budget poo with his offer to keep the Wind Cave campground open with state Game Fish and Parks personnel. Dennis, what are you thinking? Do you really want the feds to get the idea that we don't need their funding? If we take over Wind Cave, the feds might start sequestering crop insurance, the VA in Hot Springs, pine beetle funds, and all those other federal programs to which we so eagerly cling. Some budget hawk in Washington will figure out we've been squirreling away our wealth while mooching off federal largesse, and then the party's over.
Save the red-state moocher model, Dennis: demand that the feds reopen the Wind Cave National Park campground.
20 Responses to “Wind Cave: Thune Plays Politics, Daugaard Threatens Red-State Moocher Model”
"Some budget hawk in Washington will figure out we've been squirreling away our wealth while mooching off federal largesse, and then the party's over."
Cory, 40% of the mooch is coming from children via federal debt.
Those dumb neo-cons in West River may be waking up to their high dependence on federal money for virtually all economic activity in their remote part of the USA. If they don't like seeing their slice of the federal pie being held back, they should blame Thune and his fellow obstructionists. They chose the sequester as a tool to get attention. They should have the intellectual integrity to stand behind the results they selected.
Putting politics aside for a moment.... Is it possible the discontinuation of the camping has less to do with the sequester and more to do with fire prevention? Could it be they planned to discontinue camping before the sequester and the two just happened to coincide?
Since they can't afford to operate it, how about selling Wind Cave and use the money to pay down the federal debt? That is how things happen in the real world. Utopian socialists need a dose of reality.
Heh heh.
Sibby telling us about the "real world."
Funny.
He probably beamed that post in from the unicorn ranch.
If Janklow were still alive, he would be selling Windcave to China and Japan for use as a natural upscale mausoleum and extending mineral rights for the excavation for years beyond state law limitations. He would have an emergency declaration in the legislation so South Dakota residents could be banned from entry and also not refer the restriction.
In the real world somebody would use Wind Cave to make some money from. It's not a socialist park it's a capitalist opportunity. If you had a hookahouse would you give out hooka for free? No, you would charge and you would charge enough to pay your bills and make a profit and maybe even sell pizza on the side. I'm just sayin...
Who needs a nanny-state park ranger in the first place? If you want to go camping pack your gear and go have a great time.
Fire prevention—interesting hypothesis, Elisa! Indeed, there are any number of reasons for closing the campground that could make more sense than John Thune's baseless accusations. If the government wanted the cuts to be more visible, wouldn't it shut the park down completely, or do something to more harshly impact the majority of folks who just visit during the day rather than camping... or shut down Mount Rushmore?
Just curious, Grudz: are you advocating that the government raise the fees for grazing and mineral exploration on public land to competitive market values?
I'm advocating that if the state can run campgrounds and parks at reasonable rates and not have to subsidize them then adding another park to the stable of campgrounds wouldn't change anything. The feds can't do it, they have to shut it down. Let the state run it and make money to pay for the park and let the towns like Pringle and Hot Springs make money from the people who camp there. Or let me run it for my profit. I will hire my friend Bill to advertise and my friend Larry to put on scary evening nature shows and my other friend Bill to cook and dance and my friend Bob as a host. I will take tickets and count the profits.
Also raise cow and digging fees. Raise them high.
Wind cave has a campground? God bless America.
Apparently cows graze nearby and you can pay a fee to dig for gold near this campground so I don't understand why a huge profit can't be made.
Or else the park department is nitpicking things to sequester at Obama's order to try and make it look like cuts will "really hurt people." Keep Rushmore open where no money gets made and shut down caves and campgrounds where the cash flows in like water through the limestone from the cow infested grasses above.
This shutdown will cause good eateries like the Hitchrail and the Oliveyard in Pringle to suffer for no good reason.
Grudz,
SDPB did a radio article on this issue. Last year Wind Cave made a profit of -1000 dollars. Yes the campground lost a thousand dollars. Why the state thinks that they can run the camp ground for a profit because they would pay the workers at minimum wage where the parks service pays roughly two dollars more.
If the closing of the campground causes tourists to go elsewhere for vacation then it is smart for the state to offer assistance.
If Congress would ever get serious about controlling spending, many things we consider very important would go away. Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone will have to pay eventually. It's too bad it will be our kids and grandkids as we continue to borrow so Washington can spend.
TCMack, check my math on your math: if the state keeps the campground open for the same number of campers by paying workers that much less, don't we see a net economic decrease? Plus the cash input is diverted state money instead of a federal infusion. Does that add up?
The reason why the state says that they can turn a profit on the campground is because their overhead would be different than the Park Service. If you ever been to a side camp ground at a state park the staffing is completely different. For the state to run it they would hire a camp couple to oversee the camp, and then the state would probably divert some staff from Custer state park to do programming and park services.
Wind Cave would be more of an extension of Custer state park instead of a standalone camp ground. Where as under the Park Service it is a complete standalone facility with its staff, which is two full time federal staff at an E-3 to E-5 ten to fifteen dollars compared to the State which would be minimum for the camp couple and pull staff from Custer State. So, your looking at saving a minimum of thirteen dollars an hour, and over a 40 hour week equals five hundred and twenty dollars. That would be a savings of two thousand a month. The reason for these savings comes from shifting cost to Custer state park.
Some random thoughts.
You can still camp at Wind Cave. Just grab your tent and head to the north end of the park where open backpacking is allowed. Heck hike the Centennial Trail while you're at it!
Matt! Thanks for reminding us! Camping off-trail beats the pants off camping in a crowd. I need to get back out on the Centennial Trail.
My guess is Wind Cave is closed because it is the one place not run by the Governor's friends and relatives. The new teaching position proposed for the Game and Fish Monument in West Rapid tells me somebody's idiot child needs a cushy State job.
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