So I'm taxed without representation? Who's speaking up for the out of staters in Concord? I pay Federal taxes & it's a National Forest, & I buy a parking Pass. I buy products sold and made in NH when I come up to NH already.
So this weekend: Tolls in NH, gas Friday & Sunday, lodging Friday Night at White Mountain Hostel, breakfast in North Conway, items in Walmart & LL Bean, paid $37 to drive up the auto road, myself & two young boys, why I pay per person for a car seems silly, I should get a discount as I am transporting more people, that will buy more food & gifts at the state park at the top, which we spent money on, lodging at Carter Notch Hut (okay they are listed as a non-profit but their staff spends a part of their wages in town on off days) dinner in Concord. So I'm supposed to pay a higher rescue fee because I live out of state & can't get Represetative X canned come November?
What I can do is hike & spend elsewhere & see how an economy that needs tourism dollars fares. In VT, (less traffic) ME, (no place else looks like Katahdin & lobster rolls even at McD's), NY where I have either the Catskills or ADK's to hike in plus Gunks & Hihlands, or MA & CT which while less spectacular is easier to get too. NH is a blend of all these though. (& we all know how far BSP is from population centers) If it wasn't for out of state tourists, would there be two business that transport only NH residents up Mount Washington. While we can debate on how much prettier North Conway might be without all those outlets, they generate jobs, just no sales tax.
When I come to NH, I spend more than the locals do on my day or two in state, why am I penalized more?
Where do I go to get a say on how F&G spends their money? I learned over the weekend, they stock Upper Carter Lake with trout they airlift there
Who's fishing there? I've never seen anyone fishing there or anyone enforcing laws. (& I've been a few times past the lakes & don't recall anyone from F&G walking the 3.5 miles either to check limits or licences) Is this the F&G equivalent to the bridge to no where?
Is a hiker also any of the dozens of tourist I saw who walk from their cars & wade in the Pemi above the Basin or visit Glen Ellis Falls? Anyone ever rescued from these places? Must be a reason they have fences + signs that say do not go pass the fence....
How do you differentiate an accident that results in a broken leg suffered by two hikers, by home address, by their footwear choices or whether they had a headlamp although it was not a factor in a 10:00 AM rescue, the one with had gear?
As cold hearted as it sounds, if your a parent of a child with special needs, how far away should they be away from you in the first place? (or adult with special needs) My 9 year old who's racking up a fair amount of hiking miles in several states is doing a pretty good job navigating & decision making. (needs to scratch less in the soil & live a little more LNT while hiking) On the trails, I prefer he's not more than 100 yards or so ahead of me depending on terrain & even less behind me. (As we got closer to Pulpit Rock, I wanted both boys visible)
You want to charge me insurance to hike in the USFS, I'm okay with that. But as it's USFS, I shouldn't pay more or less than anyone else. Rescue cost should also be based on needs & reasons not income.
I'll rant another time (or I have) on the topic of how the well-to-do promoted hiking & exploring the mountains. (Ball, Bourne, most of Ethan Crawford's guests had free time to visit when most people barely fed their families)
