 In
1908, President Theodore Roosevelt created and dedicated the
Grand Canyon National Monument. This precursor to the National
Park Service was the apple of Roosevelt's eye. The beauty of
the Grand Canyon moved him to pen this quote; "Do
nothing to mar it's grandeur, for the ages have been at work
upon it and man cannot improve it. Keep it for your children,
your children's children and all who come after you."
Well my friends, if our
children's children are to have the opportunity to witness the
beauty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon as Theodore Roosevelt
implored, they had better have very big wallets!! If things
keep going the way they are going, in 5 years, who knows, it
may cost $100 per person to enter the gates of the Grand
Canyon National Park.
Yes it is true, as Roosevelt
stated, "The ages have been at work on it." Well,
now some government committee has DONE A NUMBER on it!! This
effects all of us from the small family on a once in a
lifetime vacation to the big corporate tour bus company and
everyone in between. Those paying the highest price are the
small independently owned tour companies in the Grand Canyon
area. These outfits struggle from year to year to survive. The
tourist is king to these companies and soon they may be a
thing of the past.
One good example of this is my
own tour company, Marvelous Marv's Private Tours, that I have
owned and operated for the past 4 years, based in Williams,
Arizona 50 miles south of the Grand Canyon's South Rim. I take
my patrons on an adventure through time and so far, everyone
who has ever been on one of my tours has had nothing but good
things to say. The proof is in the books that I ask all of my
guests to sign on their way home from a full day of Northern
Arizona lore and legend. I try to personalize all of my tours
to suit my patrons, and I hope that those who have traveled
with me, take a piece of the Grand Canyon as well as what I
have tried to impart, home with them. Whether home be Perth
Australia or Phoenix, Arizona, I have had the opportunity to
touch the lives of many people through my tours.
This is all about to come to a
screeching halt! Beginning in 1998, the entry fees that I pay
for my 10 passenger van will increase from the current $45 fee
to, get ready for this folks, $125.00 PER DAY! That's a
whopping $3,750.00 a month!! Sit down for a minute and take a
deep breath and then read that over again! Yes it is true. The
government has once again targeted the little guy (that's me!)
to pay for all the hidden costs, instead of either passing
them on to corporate America or spreading them out so that
everyone pays. THIS IS JUST PLAIN RIDICULOUS AND UNFAIR!!
For your information, passenger
vehicles are currently charged an entry fee of $20 per day.
That $20 receipt is good for seven, count them SEVEN days! So
when the Jones' have finished with their day of sightseeing at
the Grand Canyon and are ready to travel to Las Vegas, they go
back to their hotel where they take the receipt to the front
desk and ask the clerk to please give this to someone else,
since it is good for seven days, someone else should be able
to use it. This makes that person feel good about what he has
done, sharing and all, and it makes the recipient feel like
they have gotten away with something. Well, my friends, they
have and so has the government and the National Park Service,
they have gotten away with sticking it to the little guy
(that's me!) who is now paying $125.00 PER DAY (that's $3,750
a month folks!) for a 15 passenger van!!
I ask you, can you find
fairness in the obvious injustice? How can the Government,
i.e. the Park Service justify this blatant example of TAXATION
WITHOUT REPRESENTATION? If the Park Service were the King of
England and the Grand Canyon were Boston Harbor--WELL-- does
anything more need to be said? |
CLICK ON THE LINKS TO
THE LEFT TO FIND OUT MORE!
