Budget/jobs/economy concerns?
Instant, non-experimental jobs program/revenue generator requiring zero tax dollars-
Allow U.S. farmers to answer the global demand for Industrial Hemp.
Discuss on facebook here.
Photo-
Late summer 2013- Artist Point
Archives for category: Washington State budget crisis
Both major parties are OK with decades of ongoing, undeclared wars overseas, the drug war, and a homeland security police state that can’t keep heroin out of the US.
The train is running off the tracks. Every day it is something new:
Olympic National Park plans for sequestration cuts
Narrows toll rise likely to be 25 cents
North Kitsap School District to close an elementary school
Car tab, bike fees part of House transport package
Shipyard could lose seasonal workers to budget constraints
TOM PHILPOTT | Military cuts ‘catastrophic’ for civilians
DOD partial shutdown-
Panetta notifies Congress of possible furloughs
Here are a few budgetary suggestions-
Phase out decades of ongoing, undeclared wars in distant lands.
Phase out the Drug War.
Downsize a US Department of Homeland Security that is unable to keep heroin out of the US.
Enable an instant, non-experimental jobs program/revenue generator requiring zero tax dollars-
Allow U.S. farmers to answer the global demand for Industrial Hemp.
Would elected officials tolerate free enterprise in the case of Industrial Hemp?
Photo- Low tide-
South entrance- Port Townsend Ship Canal
Every day now- there is talk of new fees, taxes, closing schools, shutting down parts of the government, etc.
Narrows toll rise likely to be 25 cents
North Kitsap School District to close an elementary school
Car tab, bike fees part of House transport package
Shipyard could lose seasonal workers to budget constraints
TOM PHILPOTT | Military cuts ‘catastrophic’ for civilians
DOD partial shutdown-
Panetta notifies Congress of possible furloughs
Your system ain’t working folks.
Not too long ago- it was election season & we heard much talk about clean energy, jobs, the economy, etc.
How is it possible to take elected officials seriously on this?
Instant, non-experimental jobs program/revenue generator requiring zero tax dollars-
Allow U.S. farmers to answer the global demand for Industrial Hemp.
I know hemp will not solve all problems. I know there have been some attempts to move forward with legalization, but mostly hemp seems to be seen as scary and controversial.
How bad do things get before politicians consider allowing people to go with free enterprise?
Career politicians- elected by both major parties- speak of their jobs programs & initiatives to deal with clean energy & the economy as their system collapses. Politicians standing in the way of hemp cultivation have no credibility.
We do not live in a free & honest society folks.
Related-
Photo- Fort Worden, Port Townsend, WA
What incentive do people have to wait a year for the first state authorized retail outlet to open?
Are state-licensed marijuana outlets relevant here?
Cities and counties in Washington State are not waiting on federal Drug Czar approval.
They are not waiting for the state to use up the next 12 months deciding on rules, authorizations and permissions for licenses & retail outlets.
They are not enforcing federal law.
They are throwing out marijuana cases involving untaxed product that were pending prior to election day.
Still wondering how high tax penalties will end the black market:
Study: Nearly 40 percent of cigs in Washington are contraband
Tax benefit expected from marijuana sales:
Maybe Washington State can sell the Discover Pass alongside their highly taxed marijuana-
Photo- Westbound on Route 66 – Texas 1988
You are free to do as we tell you.
Bill Hicks
Surely- people must be controlled with licenses, permits, permissions, inspections, certificates, authorizations, fees, directives and mandates.
How else could we be safe?
Medical marijuana: ‘Medibles’ industry thrives, lacks safety regulations
American culture has a freedom fetish. It brags about freedom anytime federal holidays or overseas military operations are in the news, while insisting on controlling peaceful & voluntary adult behavior.
Could people rely on each other or on private organizations to monitor quality control?
Gardens help fill shelves at food banks
“Contributions come from small farms, community pea patches and backyard planting boxes.”
I am not out to do away with certifications, but business owners should be free to opt out.
This concept is already at work in the case of organic farms that go with organic protocols except for the time, expense and paperwork required for government certification.
Raw milk is another example.
UL, Consumer Reports, and AAA are examples of private organizations that work to monitor safety and performance of consumer products and services.
Washington State may not be such a great leader in terms of health standards anyway. Soap is always present on Washington State ferries. In Washington State Parks, it is common to find no soap in the restrooms. People live in parks for days at a time, prepare food, host reunions and attempt to teach children proper hygene habits.
Discuss on facebook here.
Photo-
Rush Hour- Port Townsend
This blog has been updated:
WA State Parks Revenue Checkpoints
Taking the fun out of WA State Parks
Taxpayers out $45,000 in Discover Pass sales-
Please visit beautiful Washington State.
Experience the beauty of hot air balloons lifting off near scenic wineries.
Plan your reunion here. Plan your convention here. Travel to spend your money here. Tell your nationwide RV club- this is the perfect destination.
Purchase your daytime parking passes in advance. Pull up to the park & get screwed with.
Please tell your friends.
No state money for parks: what next?
At Fort Flagler this past weekend- all vehicles had to wait in the camping registration line to show the pass they had already purchased.
I submitted a comment on this website (click twice to enlarge)
My comment:
“No delays or waiting in line for those who have a valid Discover Pass?
Not at Fort Flagler this past weekend- all vehicles had to wait in the camping registration line to show the pass they had already purchased.”
The comment was never posted/was screened out by moderators. 24 hours later the page was removed. The page was edited and reposted here.
Old policy-
People who need to register to camp must stop at the guard shack to sign in & pay.
People who are in the middle of their camping stay & people who have already purchased a valid daytime parking pass use the lane provided to bypass the cars waiting in line to register.
New policy?
Went to visit the park this afternoon- two orange cones were in place blocking off the lane normally used to bypass the camping registration procedure.
Several cars were waiting in the registration line when we arrived. Two or three cars showed up after us to wait in line. A large RV up front went through the complete registration process- was provided with campground maps, rules, etc. Looked like a friendly and unhurried check-in procedure.
The drivers of several cars lost patience and drove around the cones. I decided to wait the 5 or 10 minutes to ask what the new proceedure was all about. I got to the front of the line and found out that all visitors were being stopped on a busy summer afternoon and asked to show papers.
I have purchased a State Parks day use pass every year they have been available over the past 10 years or so. Never, before today, have I been stopped at an entrance checkpoint to wait in line to show the pass. Looks like purchasing the pass now means waiting behind others who have showed up to camp for a few days & those who still need to buy a pass- sort of like checking into a motel room- going out to dinner- then returning to stand in line again at the motel desk to prove you have already checked in.
Only a portion of Fort Flagler has access controlled by a guard shack. None of Fort Worden is controlled by a checkpoint, so people can find other ways to enter park property if they want to.
When the Discover Pass was introduced- it did not seem to be required for a short bathroom break:
Looks like part of your 15 minutes will now be used waiting in line to explain yourself at the checkpoint?
Maybe the parks are short on staff to check parked cars for valid permits. Maybe they’ll use funds from the new pass to hire more pass checkers and set up new guard shacks and compliance checkpoints.
Suggestion- when the cones are blocking the bypass lane at the park entrance- wait in line to enter the park, then park at the guard shack- holding up traffic.
Don’t leave until a supervisor comes down to explain the new policy.
Possibly related-
State auditor: Fort Flagler sewer project ‘wastes millions’
Video: National parks try to attract younger generation
The average age of National Parks visitors is getting older?
Looks like the younger generation is staying away from National Parks?
The video above never got around to examining these points:
Maybe young people don’t feel like paying a $25 fine to get into National Parks?
American popular and political culture insists on dividing people up into groups- then assigning a separate value to each group-
National Park entrance fees are subsidized for military people and their families.
Ditto for people age 62 who can buy a lifetime pass for $10.00.
Times are tough- people are looking for work- they have less time for travel and leisure. Most National Parks are nowhere near anyone’s neighborhood- so just set aside $100 for gas and head out to a distant location where you will need to make arrangements to stay overnight.
Maybe an atmosphere of over supervision/police state tactics keeps young people away-
Yellowstone To Conduct Vehicle Safety Checkpoints This Weekend
Maybe if we stopped shipping cash to places like Iraq and Afghanistan we could cover the entrance fees for young people at National Parks?
Photo- Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park
Observations & possible solutions-
If the ranger is unsuccessful, the car will receive a $99 parking citation.”
How bad will the Washington State budget crisis get before people discuss a different way of doing things?
Savings here could have paid for a few parking passes:
State auditor: Fort Flagler sewer project ‘wastes millions’
Possible solutions here
Recent crackdowns elsewhere on the Quimper Peninsula-
The scent of marijuana triggers police raid-
Possible solutions here
Pay to camp here overnight- but don’t get caught drinking a beer during your stay-
Law enforcement resources should be used to go after individuals who are harming others- not for policing arbitrary pre-crime scenarios.
Photo- early winter morning at Point Wilson, Fort Worden, WA
Stop using tax money for ongoing Washington National Guard deployments to distant lands– absent any military emergency, draft, or declaration of war.
Two Star General required to supervise 15 people in Thailand? (04:27)
Instant, non-experimental jobs program/revenue generator requiring zero tax dollars-
Allow Washington farmers to answer the global demand for Industrial Hemp.
Meanwhile- good citizens pay their taxes, (just like my parents did in the 60s and 70s- when State Parks seemed to be doing just fine) purchase annual parking passes for State Parks, (2 currently valid annual passes in my household- one for each vehicle) and watch parks crumble anyway.
