The Asheville-Citizen Times has weighed in in favor of shuttle buses to replace cars in the Cove. I wonder how long it will take the KNS? A number of commenters on my earlier post are more in favor of an admission fee. Trouble is the Smokies charter (a document I'm sure exists but I've never seen) evidently says the Smokies cannot charge user fees. Another problem with fees is they go to the general fund...not the Smokies. "So change the law" you may say...well that literally would take an act of Congress...I'd like to think they have bigger fish to fry....like building useless roads in their districts. So I'm favoring shuttle buses. Sorry Townsend. If you think that will hurt you, I beg to differ. No force seems big enough to stop the growth of tourism around the Smokies. We can cut down all the trees (they grew back!..well most did), pollute the air, bring in hordes of invasives, ring it with roads and reservoirs..doesn't matter - people just keep on comin' We are dead set on turing the place into the Nation's biggest city park. Why can't we at least allow the Park Service to regulate traffic?

I am really getting sick of talking about roads. With the price of oil reaching its all time high (adjusted for inflation) and wars being fought to keep us awash in the stuff, you’d think Congress would get the message and start trying to find new ways to make sure the pork barrel is opened in their districts. But, here we go again! This time it is a cadre of Georgian bureaucrats (senators Chambliss and Isakson – both so-called fiscal conservatives…what a joke) that were able to rob the Treasury of $1,300,000.00. Interesting that they asked for only $400,000…but what the hey, just think of how much fun they can have with an extra $900,000!!! They must be laughing themselves silly.

The money is to conduct a feasibility study (déjà vu) to route a new interstate from Savannah, GA to Knoxville. Current plans could bring the road to the southern edge of the Smokies. I could go on and on about what a waste of money, resources and what the environmental impacts would be, but we’ve heard all this so many times before. Congress, no matter what stripe they are, just can’t seem to get the message that people are fed up with watching their money go to clear abuses of power for personal and political gain. What is especially irksome is that lately they seem to be more brazen, with little or no regard to working in the public interest. Here’s a warning – if you try and build it WE will come….and we won’t be happy. Here’s some links for more info (these may not be live links..this software is not the best..my apologies)
stopi-3.org
chattanoogariver.org
stopi-3.org