https://www.deseret.com/politics/2024/12/19/governor-cox-criticizes-congress-over-funding-deal/

" During his monthly press conference on Thursday, the governor called out federal lawmakers for frequently forcing states to pick up the slack on government funding and urged Congress to prioritize coalition building over narrow partisan politics.

"It's just embarrassing," Cox said. "We know that the only way we can get something done is if there's a disaster looming. That's no way to run a country."

" There is still the possibility that a funding agreement is reached, Cox pointed out. And if it doesn't, the state has contingency plans it can "dust off" that have been in place for several years to ensure that national parks do not close in the case of government shutdowns, which, Cox noted, have become increasingly common.

If the shutdown looks like it will be for an extended period of time, Cox said he will need to engage in conversations with Utah's representatives in Washington, D.C., about what other federal programs will need to be temporarily propped up on the state's dime."

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Must be embarrassing to have red states whose land is 70-80% owned by the federal government call on its own citizens to subsidize the federal government again and again.

Yep. And counties often pick up search and rescue costs for miscreant tourists. Lose the tax revenue which would come by owning more of the land in exchange for thousands of lower wage service industry jobs. Call it double taxation.

The Democrats wouldn't accept the money - they would rather the parks close down to spite those who would stand in their way.

captkirk said:

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Obama closed an unmanned scenic overlook of Mt Rushmore

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That was on a state highway, not a federal one

If Biden or his minions for like obama did, the feds will probably ban the state from helping

The point was to make it "hurt".... As discussed by many Federal land management agencies ...

Most of the national parks don't "close" during a government shutdown. They remain open, but with no official park staff or services.

A lot of the staff in the parks are volunteers already and they can continue to keep things running.

Visitor centers are closed, sometimes the bathrooms are locked, etc.

MD1993 said:

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I remember when Obama had barriers put up around everything to prove a point. it was very cheesy.

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Yes. It would have been excellent like Utah's action is, had it been over-ridden en-masse by states involved back then.

Rabid Cougar said:

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The point was to make it "hurt".... As discussed by many Federal land management agencies ...

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They even shut down the websites related to the national parks.

CanyonAg77 said:

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captkirk said:

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Obama closed an unmanned scenic overlook of Mt Rushmore

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That was on a state highway, not a federal one

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He also had the sculptures covered with giant 'Have a nice day' smiley faces.

IIIHorn said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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captkirk said:

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Obama closed an unmanned scenic overlook of Mt Rushmore

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That was on a state highway, not a federal one

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He also had the sculptures covered with giant 'Have a nice day' smiley faces.

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He probably would have if he'd thought of it

I'm headed to Big Bend next week. Going to be pissed if it's closed.

Just got back from BB/big bend Ranch. They only close national parks out of leftist spite when things like this happen.

You can go to big bend ranch and still have a nice time. The interior sites are often reserved but the river camp sites are never full, and you can camp in Terlingua in private camps and
Go see and go lots of stuff.

Imho, they need to up the fees on parks a bit. They are worth it, and it keeps destructive rabble out a little better.

YellowPot_97 said:

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I'm headed to Big Bend next week. Going to be pissed if it's closed.

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We're headed to Big Bend next week too, its a good thing it's a state park.

Big Bend NP was open for visitors the last time the government shut down.

MouthBQ98 said:

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Just got back from BB/big bend Ranch. They only close national parks out of leftist spite when things like this happen.

You can go to big bend ranch and still have a nice time. The interior sites are often reserved but the river camp sites are never full, and you can camp in Terlingua in private camps and
Go see and go lots of stuff.

Imho, they need to up the fees on parks a bit. They are worth it, and it keeps destructive rabble out a little better.

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Quote:

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Just got back from BB/big bend Ranch. They only close national parks out of leftist spite when things like this happen.

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Well right now our top three posts (Gov,LtGov, AG) none of them are remotely Leftist, so it should stay open.

We've been hiking in southwest Utah for a week at the various state and federal parks. Amazing scenery!

What a concept, spending state money on federal government responsibilities. Why couldn't Texas have done this with border security and illegal immigration?



And yeah, I know...

flakrat said:

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We've been hiking in southwest Utah for a week at the various state and federal parks. Amazing scenery!

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Yep, unbelievable trip to knock out a bunch of parks and the most diverse scenery throughout.

MD1993 said:

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I remember when Obama had barriers put up around everything to prove a point. it was very cheesy.

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Yeah, **** that guy!

We've been to 6 or 7 parks so far. Did Zion yesterday, Angels Landing was amazing and quite the hike. Bryce Canyon today.

The feds also like to put one agent at busy international airport terminals, during shutdowns, for the same petty reasons.

I love how when this happens the Federal government goes out of its way to punish common citizens over their own b.s. incompetence.

How about you serve us and leave open the things we actually use and, instead, shut down services that directly impact the government. No free salaries for federal workers, etc. Make your people hurt; not ours.

It's such a joke. Despite any shutdown, everyone gets their cash, from the welfare queens to the defense contractors. Hell, we were on the verge of shutdown and Ukraine still got billions yesterday. It shows the whole ****ing thing is a sham.

Ran into a good sized group of Aggie students at Bryce Canyon yesterday.

I appreciate y'all posting real pics and none of the AI-generated crap I've been seeing all over social media as of late.

Very nice. We made it to just past the chains but had to turn back because of being ill prepared and time. Bryce was spectacular.

We had reservations in Yellowstone in December in the mid 90s. We had our youngest daughter and decided to drive up. Between Denver and Cheyenne, we heard the government had shut down. The NPS kicked all vendors out of national parks. They assured us they were doing all they could to open national facilities.

Arizona executed a hold harmless and opened Grand Canyon, but Wyoming's constitution would not allow them to indemnify the feds. We ran out of time and wound up dog sledding (the vendor said they couldn't close the entire Bridger-Teton National Forest), and snowmobiling in the Big Horn mountains.

CanyonAg77 said:

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IIIHorn said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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captkirk said:

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Obama closed an unmanned scenic overlook of Mt Rushmore

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That was on a state highway, not a federal one

---

He also had the sculptures covered with giant 'Have a nice day' smiley faces.

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He probably would have if he'd thought of it

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Maybe, he should paint his own face bright yellow.

If anybody is on Interstate 70 in Utah, the drive from Grand Junction, CO and Richfield, UT is as spectacular a route visually as you will see on the road. We are unfortunately having to leave Utah to move to an over 55 community in Georgia (no more snow to shovel!) next year, but the stunning scenery of the West is really a soul-changing experience, like the Big Bend. I will return for periodic visits as health and time allows.