[Nmcaver] GUMO fee increase

[Jim Evatt]

The 233% GUMO fee increase is not just taxation without representation, as 
Bill Ellis suggests, but double taxation as well.

Fair is fair.  If we pay to visit federal fee sites, we should receive a 
corresponding annual federal tax CREDIT for those federal fee sites that we 
did NOT visit during the year, but are paying for with out Federal income 
taxes.

The GUMO fee increase will accomplish two things. It will chase more and 
more visitors away from their own National Park.  It will make the proposers 
look good to their Federal bosses (but not the American public) for 
suggesting an additional revenue source.

Grand Canyon charges $20 per car for 7 (or is it 14?) days.  GUMO wants to 
charge a carload of 3 adults over 1000% of that to visit GUMO for those
same number of days: 3 persons times $10 per person per day times 7 days is 
$210.

Death Valley National Park charges $10 per car for the same period.  They 
have nearly 100 times the mileage of roads to maintain.  Several times
the personnel of GUMO.  Many times more endangered species.  Many times the 
number of visitors.  At least 50 times the number of campsites.  Nearly ten 
times the land area.  Yet they make do.  Why can't GUMO?

The equity of this is that the $3 per person per day they now charge at GUMO 
is probably a woeful overcharge as it stands, without any increases.

GUMO needs to explain to the taxpayer their mandate for a 233% fee increase. 
And until such time as GUMO is specific and definitive in their plan to 
spend these monies, and why their Congressional allotment from the General 
Fund does not adequately cover those expenditures, this fee increase should 
be buried.

Jim Evatt