Editor:
It wearies me that people like Susan Nolan (“Parks and Offices,” Mailbox, May 10) feel the need to malign public sector employees. Maybe I am hypersensitive because I am a veteran who later gained employment with the state and then the federal government, or because I remain so naïve as to think that stewarding some of the public’s most valuable property is a hands-on way to keep America beautiful. At times, I have even deluded myself into thinking that being a thrifty steward of the public’s land and money is almost patriotic. But, increasingly, I’ve grown to feel that Susan, Grover Norquist, Howard Jarvis’ crew, and the rest of the Tea Party want to drown stewardship of our parks in a bathtub, along with most other government jobs.
Although Tea Partiers think that we should dramatically shrink the government, they do not reflect the feelings of most Americans. They are simply a very vocal minority. As a perhaps too vocal hard-working public servant, I love parks and public land, the abundance of which makes the western United States exactly the best place on Earth to live. I’ve been blessed to grow to love many of our state parks, most of which are unmatched in their beauty. The state’s budgetary demise saddens me and makes me blame Proposition 13 for the problems, not a group of dedicated state employees. The state’s interdisciplinary team, including the geologist, the archaeologist, and the landscape architect, all pour their hearts into their work with no goal other than to preserve the remaining fragments of our indigenous natural and cultural resources. None will become wealthy by working for the government. Because of their work, our parks are accessible to anyone, the facilities lie lighter on the land, and we can understand a place’s history, tread lightly through its culturally important areas, and rest assured that these special places will be here for the ages; difficult tasks anywhere, but especially in our terrain. I’m sorry that some people are so enraged when they ponder their tax bills that they cannot appreciate the hard work done by these public sector professionals. I do.
Brad Job, Arcata
This article appears in Choo-choo Fantasies.
My original title for this letter was “Bureaucrats vs. Boots on the Ground”. Because that’s my point: park administration has chosen to hang onto highly paid managerial and professional people and balance their budget by shutting down parks (the economics of which is highly dubious.) Nothing against government employees in general; after all, I left state park work after 11 summers to take a job with another agency. Sorry if this wasn’t clear.
I agree with Susan. I currently am employed by Ca State Parks and didn’t get the vibe of her being a so-called tea partier. I see our department having too many chiefs and not enough indians so to speak.
Bob, you need to pay attention. I mean, resource ecologists, archaelogists have their place but we need rangers for safety too and maintenance who pour their heart and souls IN THE FIELD instead of behind the desk. However, it takes ALL of us Ca State Park employees to make it work with love and dedication. We just need to cut management…too many…not doing enough.
C. Whitehead
You both miss the point. They shouldn’t be cutting anybody’s job at State Parks. Nor should the CSU system be cutting positions and freezing enrollment. Bank of America has owned their building in downtown San Francisco since before the passage of Prop 13 in 1976. Same goes for many oil refineries, apartment complexes, factories, and other pieces of commercial real estate. So, despite the real estate doldrums, after the passage of 36 years they are making vastly more money on these commercial properties than is reflected in the assessed values from 1976. Before Prop 13, California had the best public schools, universities, and parks on Earth. We can’t say that any more. Unfortunately it takes money to have a civilized society.
I apologize for lumping Susan in with Grover Norquist; nobody deserves that. But the notion that there is not enough work for a geologist, an archaeologist, and a landscape architect up here is truly misguided. Without them, laws (things like CEQA & NEPA) cannot be complied with. So, any additional boots on the ground couldn’t legally do anything but daily operations; keep the gates open, pump the toilets, and pick up trash; which is certainly necessary, but not sufficient to be a good steward.