I think I can always be counted on to expect the worst of the Bush Administration, so I’ll admit I smelled a conspiracy when I first read:
National parks told to cut services quietly
Is this another attempt to hand public land over to Bush’s buddies? Are they gonna restrict entrance into the parks until Americans no longer remember what they look like and then won’t care if they’re auctioned off? (I come from a part of the country where every government conspiracy is considered true until proven otherwise).
Then, however, it struck me that the real motivation behind this hush-hush approach might be what it will say about the economy. And it’s not good in an election year to tell Americans their national treasures are too expensive when you’re trying to convince them the tax cuts were good for all.
To be fair, this doesn’t seem to be a rob-from-the-poor-to-give-to-the-rich scenario:
The Park Service’s budget has steadily increased during the Bush, Clinton and previous administrations, Barna said, but had to absorb $50 million in firefighting costs and $150 million in repair costs from Hurricane Isabel last year.
But with the Administration’s dedication to secrecy, at absurd costs when the truth eventually comes out, is it any wonder conspiracy theorists are enjoying such an abundance of fodder with which to feed their suspicious minds?