Although newspapers across Minnesota reported that families reluctantly left state park campgrounds when the government shut down, Gretchen Hoffman told talk radio host Scott Hennen on Friday that she learned over the course of the Independence Day weekend hat the private sector did a better job of serving campers than state parks ever could.
Never mind that Hoffman included county and city campgrounds in the private sector:
...People were walking into the state parks, but the other thing I did see that was remarkable was every private campground, every public beach, every county campground, or city campground, was packed. The private sector can pick up and do better than what government does.
So I've been taking notes throughout this whole shutdown to see how intertangled the government has become through our private sector, and when we come back next session--this is next January--we're going to try to deal with some of that stuff.
Bluestem is sure that the mayor of Hutchinson will be surprised to learn that the city campground down in West River Masonic Park is part of the private sector. County park boards were likely as not equally clueless, so it's great that Hoffman is here to set county and city governments straight about where they fit in. It's an "intertangled" recreational world out there, indeed.
When the legislature comes back next January, she's going to try to deal with some of that stuff.
And yes, she wants to reduce LGA funding--as well as get rid of mandates like that icky pay equity stuff for female employees.
Hoffman also hasn't picked up on news reports indicating only slight bumps in business for private operators--witness the experience in Pine City and Maple Grove.
Will privatization of state parks cross Hoffman's mind? In Painful park cuts ahead, the Star Tribune reports that other states are considering this option, and America's conservative state legislators do seem to copy each other's legislation quite a bit.
Listen to the clip here:
Hoffman mentioned that people were just walking in to the parks--another reason to support her notion that Minnesotans don't miss their government. Reports are coming in from around the state about the consequences of those visits. WDIO reports in Making a Mess in MN State Parks:
At Gooseberry Falls in Two Harbors--bathrooms are closed and trash cans are filling up, but with no staff, there's no one to clean up.
The entrance to the park has been blocked off with orange fencing and cones for over two weeks, but that hasn't stopped visitors from going inside. Saturday cars were lined up along Highway 61 and a steady flow of people walked right past the closed sign.
"They wouldn't have these parks if it wasn't for us in the beginning so we might as well keep on doing it," said Angie Olson of Onamia, Minnesota.
But once inside, some visitors are forgetting to take out what they brought in. Cups, plastic bottles, and food containers can be found scattered throughout the park. Trash cans are overflowing, because there's no staff on duty to empty them. . . .
. . .Bathroom facilities are also closed. While there are several port-a-potties scattered throughout the park, they're too far away for most visitors to get to, making a mess of a different kind.
Photo: State Senator Gretchen Hoffman.
Note: At a reader's suggestion, the quote from the video clip was transcribed and more snark added. This post is revied from an earlier iteration.
Related posts: Tales of Hoffman: LTE war rages in local editorial pages; Kvetchin' Gretchen missing in action
Tales of Hoffman: "Perhaps it’s Goodwin who should apologize" LTE published June 29
Tales of Hoffman: Scenes from the ideological struggle in Fergus Fall, Minnesota
Links to more "Tales of Hoffman" below the fold.
Tales of Hoffman: Kvetchin' Gretchen tells local paper about nature of threats at state capitol
Tales of Hoffman: "I never knew how poor we were" (and neither did her radio audience)
Tales of Hoffman: Inquiry finds no evidence for supporters' claims of capitol "police escorts"
Tales of Hoffman: Rally in Fergus Falls on June 28; secret DFLer Bill Ingebrightsen invited
Tales of Hoffman: Kvetchin' Gretchen apologizes; local GOP bulldog takes up her cause
Lawyers, puns and money: on doing the right thing, and moving on
Shiny news object: Minnpost headline rewrites state's legislative social media ethics history
Tales of Hoffman: Vergas yarn seller's "sensitivity" defense unravels, forced to apologize
Tales of Hoffman: Senate Ethics Committee to workshop freshman pol's tweet on Monday
Tales of Hoffman: Vergas yarn peddler slapped with ethics beef; local editorial jeers her tweet
Tales of Hoffman: Unsweet tweet may meet ethics complaint fate
Tales of Hoffman; or, Newman off-shores Minnesota job-killing tax blame game
Tales of Hoffman: Attention gay Raelians! Schedule your next skeet shoot in Fergus Falls!
When our son has in grade school our family enrolled in the state park passport program. We went to every Minnesota state park. Paul learned about Minnesota’s three major ecosystems; pinelands, hardwoods and prairie. Paul earned ranger badges for learning about Minnesota’s flora and fauna and completing community service work in the park. We have a photograph of Paul wearing a denim jacket with the many badges sewn on. Minnesota’s parks were a large part of our family life in the 1980s. They were inexpensive family vacations that created family memories that I cherish.
Posted by: Debra Hoggenson | Jul 18, 2011 at 09:41 AM
Kvetchin' Gretchen's problems with objective reality still continue, I see.
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | Jul 18, 2011 at 11:18 AM