Use sporting goods tax for state parks as intended

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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department owns four tracts of land that would make terrific state parks. At long last, two of them are getting closer to being made available to the public - a 3,800-acre tract about 90 miles southwest of Austin and the Palo Pinto Mountains site west of Fort Worth.

The problem has been money, or lack of it. The Parks and Wildlife Department has barely had enough funding in recent years to maintain existing parks, much less add new ones.

But years ago the Legislature approved a special sporting goods tax to fund state parks, and it generates about $250 million every two-year budget cycle. Unfortunately, much of that money has been diverted to other state uses. In the last session, the amount actually going to state parks increased to about half of the fund.
more
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/opinions/editorials/article/EDITORIAL-Use-sporting-goods-tax-for-state-parks-5348899.php

[flamin lib]

1. Rictus Perry robed the TP&W fund to show a

"surplus" budget that doesn't exist. As a result there is only one game warden for 5 counties and state parks are falling into dis-repair.

Texas has less public land than any other state because when we joined the Union we had to sell all our public lands to pay off our national debt. Our state parks are a treasure for inexpensive vacations and interaction with nature not available otherwise.

As an aside, my favorite sign in a state park is in Brazos Bend park. It reads "DO NOT MOLEST THE ALLIGATORS". Conjures an interesting mental image . . .

[white cloud]

2. House Republicans prove hatred of America with 'No More Parks' bill

The House voted today to undo what they can of President Teddy Roosevelt's legacy. They voted to pass the "Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act," their effort to make sure that no more land worth saving from mining, drilling, logging or fracking is indeed saved through executive action. It passed, of course, 222-201, but is unlikely to advance in the Senate, which is reason number infinity why we need the Senate.
Back in 1906, Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act, which gives the president the power to designate significant cultural, historical or ecological sites—which are already public land—as monuments. Since then, 16 presidents (evenly divided by part) have protected sites like the Grand Canyon, Acadia, Muir Woods and Olympic national parks through the monument designation. These places eventually became national parks through congressional action, but were preserved thanks to the Antiquities Act.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/26/1287592/-House-Republicans-prove-hatred-of-America-with-No-More-Parks-bill?detail=email#


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[hobbit709]

3. There's a roadside rest stop on the coast with a sign. "WATCH FOR SNAKES"