Brion FitzGerald first cane to St. John to celebrate his wedding anniversary, Now, he's on the
island permanently.
His first goal as the new Superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park is to do more with less, thanks to the federal government’s budget cuts.The VI Park is expecting a reduction of almost $500,000, according to the St. John Source.
FitzGerald is uncertain how visible the reduction in services and repairs and materials will be. The most obvious may be closing the Visitors Center one or two days a week, he told the Source. But he has said no one should underestimate the threat the cuts are to the Park. Years of flat budgeting and no increases have led to staff and skills shrinkage.
A number of staff positions have gone unfilled for several months, which may help cushion the impact of the budget cuts. Fitzgerald told the Source it’s unlikely any of the Park’s 50-plus employees will be laid off.
Our poor, poor Federal Government. Can’t keep the park staffed because we’re only spending $3.8 trillion this year. Have to give the royal family their multiple vacations, though.
What are you talking about?
So it’s the end of the National Park Service if the government doesn’t grow it’s budget?!?!? According to the CBO,
• the sequester is 2.3% of the projected 2013 F/Y federal budget
• the 2013 F/Y federal budget of $3.553 trillion will be larger than the 2012 F/Y budget of $3.538 trillion by $20 billion after the sequester
• the 2013 F/Y federal budget is $446 billion (14%) bigger than the last annual budget before President Obama took office
p.s. President Obama signed the sequester bill into law in 2011. . .
Well i see one major problem with the park as it is now. YOU have 50 + employees ! what in the hell are they doing ? I’ve seen maybe 10 max doing anything Where are they hiding ? We need to do a better job manageing the TAX money we give to you.
Maybe if our emperor, the holy blessed Barack had passed or even proposed a budget during his first term this wouldn’t be such a big deal. It’s unfortunate when we have to force our government to stop reckless spending by such drastic measures. He asked for this and now that he’s got it he is going to make this as painful as possible. It’s Ok though since I’m sure he will find a way to blame it on someone else which has always been his preferred way of solving problems. We need to wake up and stop electing people whose only previous work experience was scooping ice cream. He probably sucked at that too.
Just more propaganda passed on by the Barry Chicago Political Machine!! Just like canceling the White House Tours. Trying to scare people so he can keep growing our inefficient government. How about staying in Washington and working with Congress to redirect our country in a positive direction instead of flying off on vacations and golf outings with Tiger Woods?? This presidency has proven just how much the voters in America are out of touch with reality. We elected a man based solely on his skin color to make us all FEEL Good. He has absolutely no experience and only understands milking the system. Voters are more in tune with TV Shows than they are reality. That’s why instead of working in Washington, good ole Barry goes out campaigning on every issue, from Letterman toThe View, what a joke!! Other countries think we are just plain stupid. Cut the programs the programs that the people can see and feel. That is his plan, and the cuts are in future spending increases, so there is no reason to run around scaring folks. Ok, had to get that our of my system….!
Wow, Kevin, you have said it so well. It gives me heart that not everyone on mu favorite island drinks the Obama “Kool Aid.”
See the scare tactics the White House is using? So there is absolutely no where elsein govt that they could cut? About 100 USDA employees went on a high-end wine tasting event…but you cut the white house tours and park service. And Iwould agree, the govt and Park service needs to do more with what they already have. I just came back from STJ and saw several parks trucks parked and not in use for the 4 days I was there. Seems like a waste.
Wow, how the worm has turned for brother Barack. Two years ago if any of these posts had been written there would have been an outpouring of support for the president. It seems that just maybe the people have awoken to realize that the path to socialism that we have been following is not the answer. Are people really starting to see what has happened to Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain? The policies of big government, out of control spending on social programs to “buy” the electorate and trying to finance this whole mess by putting it on the backs of the few who really care, are the policies of failure.
what a pack of wrongheaded critical attacks on the president. having grown up on st john , budget cuts have always been a cyclical part of the existence of the NATIONAL PARK…how ironic that a pack of white “continentals” with limited experience and understanding of st john and its history would use a site such as this to attack a president who is himself, multi-racial………. i can promise you that most of us native st johnians fully support our great president and don’t hold him personally responsible for the day to day bureaucratic running of govt……….remember that just because you see it on FAUX NEWS doesn’t mean it’s based in reality…!!!