degrading the nation

another instance of how bush and the republicans are degrading our nation, at the national park service, the fish and wildlife service, and just about every other non-war related agency in the government----relatively small potatoes these days, but as the debacle in iraq continues, they continue to destroy our country---

In America's most visited park unit, North Carolina and Virginia's own Blue Ridge Parkway, broken picnic tables, sagging rail fences, overgrown overlooks and neglected campsites multiply, while 58 of 237 staff positions lie vacant (no chief of interpretation, no chief of maintenance, no public relations officer). Campgrounds operate on a shorter season, toilets are cleaned less often and $200 million in backlogged maintenance is deferred year after year. Last year, private supporters had to pay to print Parkway maps for summer travelers.