Re: Fee Demo

OK, I know I will be crucified on this board for holding this opinion, but I do not oppose the Forest Pass fee. I'm not saying I'm in favor of it -- no one wants to have to pay for something that used to be free -- but neither do I oppose it. The reason is this: Just as DCHS has suffered from increased visitation over the past few years, on a larger scale so have all of Southern California's forests in general. Increased visitation means increased costs to administer and maintain the "facilities". Now this increased cost could simply be built into the Forest Service budget in which case it would be distributed to and paid for by all citizens via their Federal income tax. But is it fair to tax someone in Iowa for the increased use of Southern California's forests? The idea behind the fee is to make those who use the facilities bear the burden of the upkeep of those facilities. And, although it may not be structured this way at present, it has the potential for "local control". In other words, if we are required to pay a usage fee (that's what it is) then we should be able to have some say so in how that money is spent. That will be the challenge, to ensure that we who pay the fee have direct input as to how the money is spent.

So as I said in an earlier post, that my 2 cents. I'm sure "Free Our Forests" will have something to say about this, and I'm sure I'll be sent down in flames!