Feds “own” or “run” too much – Update

It’s not just that this is the first time that US citizens have been barred from the Lincoln Memorial due to a government shutdown, the National Parks service is barring us from  scenic drives and overlooks on public and state highways, open beaches and the waters around them, and private businesses that are paying tenants of “government” lands and waters.

One former Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, flatly states that these decisions are political and most likely being made in the White House.

Perhaps, instead of blaming one Party or another (or increasing government involvement in something as vital and intimate as the delivery of medical care), it’s time to decide whether our government is responsible enough to own and control so much of our lands.

Update: more closings

1. The City Tavern in Philadelphia, because the Feds own the building, not the business.

2.Nauset Knoll Motor Lodge, which leases land in Cape Cod National Seashore.

3. All sorts of fishing, rafting and hiking. Search the news on any of these topics – there are too many to post.

4. Government sponsored travel, such as the President’s Asian trip. But it also will block scientific conferences. 

Edited Oct 4, 2013 at 2 PM to change the picture to one that I own.