So I guess we’re crowdfunding now? You know crowdfunding, right? It’s that thing on the internet where you can sell people too-good-to-be-true concepts before you figure out how to build them and then instead of figuring out how to build them just keep all that money, and get people to pay for your vacation, and, in fairness, find some pretty sweet grassroots manufacturing projects. If you’re younger than about 40, you’ve probably seen a peer crippled by medical bills and resort to crowdfunding to simply live.
Crowdfunding really has a head of steam right now, and for good reason. If enough people chip in just a little bit, you really can accomplish a lot. Just ask the US Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation, who are jump starting a CrowdRise campaign to start chipping away at critical maintenance backlogs on hundreds of thousands of miles of trails in the US.
“It’s an ambitious goal,” they say, “but with your help, we can make a real difference for our trails in 2018. For just the price of a post-hike beer or bottle of Gatorade, you can help us reach our goal.” Together, they say, we can leverage a $500,000 match from the Forest Service to put a million dollars into trails and deferred maintenance. It only costs a couple bucks, and the returns are immeasurable. Can you really put a price on spending time with friends and loved ones surrounded by nature?
Well, maybe.
Right now the USFS trails program suffers from $300 million in deferred maintenance and backlogs. Only 25% of system trails are up to spec. A $500k crowdfunding effort is a drop in the bucket; a bake sale. This is a joke, and not a very good one.
But the concept isn’t all bad. Crowdfunding, right? Everyone can chip in a little bit and we all see massive gains? If only there was a system for this nationally. Like, everyone in the country throws in a few bucks and we all get to benefit from the things we all need and use, but that none of us individually can afford. Like trails. And roads. And healthcare. Shit like that.
I hear the dissenting voices now. Taxation is theft! I can barely afford to live as it is! Why should people in Boston pay for trails in Montana they’ll never use!? And that’s almost fair, partially. Except that taxation is definitely not theft. And so-called tax relief hasn’t really helped you at all. And there’s lots of things we pay for and don’t personally use. That’s how taxes work. I pay for roads in New York every time I buy a tank of gas, and I’m happy to do it. (I could use less of murdering Yemeni children, but I still pay for it).
The idea that infrastructure and civil services should resort to panhandling while our secret police see billion dollar budget increases and the richest people on earth get tax relief is criminal. The solution to infrastructure and land stewardship begins with recognition that these values are central to what it means to be an American, and recreation on these lands drives western economies. Less with the baby stealing; more granola. That’s what I say.
So Much for Moral High Ground
Hi, I'm new here, or anyway I haven't been around that long. I just wanted to stop in, introduce myself, and maybe start up a dialogue ... Read more
