I’ve been racking my brains attempting to find a subject “worthy” of my first blog attempt. Now, after having registered at blogspot nearly two weeks ago, I think our State’s financial woes are quite certainly apropos. The fact that our State has been sliding for years into a deeper debt-grave has never truly caused me to experience more than a modicum of anxiety until now; both the closures of our State Parks and our “leaned out” CSU class schedule have me waiting nervously like a kid waiting for gifts on Christmas Eve, only this is an Infernal Christmas bringing even less opportunities for continuing education in the classroom and fewer opportunities for self-exploration in a natural environment which is shrinking just as rapidly as University funding.
I made a wish list for my graduate schedule perhaps the day after the Fall 2009 schedule was posted. Considering the title, I realized that the list was tentative with a capital “T” and, even further, was planned when I had different sentiments on my first semester course load (common’ now, I’ve been out of academia for close to two years, I need to acclimatize!). I expected my official schedule would vary greatly from the list. I expected to anxiously log on each day before my reg date to see what classes had filled up and thrown a wrench in my master plan. I never expected to find it wiped clean with the equivalent of a 3M “post-it” note of an email explaining that the University needed to tighten its belt. Those ominous Economy headlines in the equally foundering local newspaper were suddenly palpable.
In the aforementioned newspaper, the local outdoors column was replaced one morning with clarion headlines singing the end of many State Parks and severely abridged funding for far more. When I read Chino Hills was slated to be “mothballed” it was a blow to the young boy inside of me who found many summer days well spent wandering its trails. While the park is officially “closed” it will still be nearly effortless to “trespass” by jumping the fence. But how many people who don’t have disposable income will be deprived of a cheap, family-oriented day outing to Chino, or even Crystal Cove State Park? All demographics will feel these closures; from executive weekend warriors on $8,000 full-suspension carbon fiber Specialized bikes to families who can’t afford a vacation to Disneyland.
I don’t want to “muckrake” here, but the solution to our financial crisis is so monumental and multifaceted that attempting to consider and analyze the myriad arguments would turn this blog into a tome. What I can say succinctly is that if you care about our State Parks then join us in petitioning to keep them open. Check out www.calparks.org/takeaction. There are also several flyers from different organizations at most of the popular trailheads in Chino. The educational shortfall is even more daunting and, sadly, all that comes to mind is what my father always tells me: “everyone lauds education but no one wants to pay for it.” I’m optimistic that when I register on July 15th I can secure my two classes. I only hope after we lower our heads and take these deficit “hits” in the body we can remember it in the future. Wow, that’s lamely idealistic, but it’s all I’ve got!
If no action is taken, start looking for it to go down on July 1st as some 220 State Parks either close or see immediate cessation of all State funding, and all to shave off only 1/10 of 1 percent of the state budget (from www.calparks.org/takeaction). With the short amount of time before the fiscal new year and the current economy, I believe I’ll just have to become accustomed to watch out for vagrant shanty towns when I’m coming around the bend at 30 on the mountain bike and worry about unabated brush growth ready to burn next fire season. But hey, at least I’ll get an upper body workout when I lift my bike over the fence!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
