US Cleaning Up The Mess

In the country where I live, the lawmakers on Capital Hill are cleaning up the current mess in order to make a new and even bigger one in the days ahead. As the US Government struggled to reach a deal to reopen before the deadline on increasing the national debt arrived on October 17th, politicians attempted to reach an agreeable solution which would be a stop gap measure at best, putting off a certain and as yet unsolved problem of crisis perportions.

The government has reopened after a hastily crafted compromise between the Senate and House with an eleventh hour signing into law by the President. This pushes back the date to January 15th when another closure will happen without further negotiations. It also pushes back the debt limit until February 7th. The national parks are now open. People can enjoy the fall colors and are doing so in droves here in the Smokies. However, the natives are still restless.

One issue of local concern here in Blount County, Tennessee is the party to blame which kept the national parks closed against the wishes of the states where they are located. After much heated debate over who should do what, when where and how, the Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell began a process of allowing national parks to reopen using state and local funds which would be reimbersed by federal funds within 90 days of an agreemant to reopen the government.



In that light, folks in Tennessee and North Carolina ponied up with money collected from state and local sources to reopen the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 300,000 dollars collected would keep the park open for five days, beginning Wednesday October 16th and ending Sunday, October 20th. The reasoning behind this urgency was so that the local economies could recover some of their losses and tourists could enjoy the fall colors which make this the busiest time of the year in the Smokies. Now that the government is open once again, the states will wait for reimbersment of collected funds.



WASHINGTON (AP) As congressional leaders raced to seal a deal that would reopen the government, lawmakers from both parties jabbed at one another Wednesday over who was to blame for the most high-profile casualties of the 16-day shutdown: the national parks.

At a House hearing, members of Congress focused on the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, where veterans were initially denied access after the government closed on Oct. 1. A crowd that included Republican lawmakers converged on the memorial Sunday, pushing past barriers to protest the site's closure. The memorial and other national park units have become a political symbol as lawmakers bicker over blame for the park closings.

Republicans say many parks and open-air monuments did not need to be closed, but Democrats said the GOP had only itself to blame for the shutdown, after Republicans demanded that measures to defund the new health care law be included in bills to keep the government open. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., held up a mirror at the hearing and invited Republicans to look at it to find the cause of the shutdown.

Governors in at least five states have reopened national parks such as the Grand Canyon and Statue of Liberty in recent days, but Republicans say the measures were too little, too late. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said the National Park Service appears to have intentionally made the shutdown "as painful and visible as possible."



United States National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis denied that, saying that turning away visitors "is not in our DNA." Jarvis called the agreements with governors that have allowed some parks to reopen "a practical and temporary solution that will lessen the pain for some businesses and communities a Band-Aid until Congress passes an appropriations bill." Director Jarvis, who appeared at the hearing only after being issued a subpoena, urged Congress to reopen the government so his agency can reopen all 401 national park units.

Republicans, including Hastings and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said the Park Service acted in a political and provocative manner when it set up barricades at open-air monuments such as the World War II Memorial and placed traffic cones along highway viewing areas outside Mount Rushmore and other parks. Hastings heads the House Natural Resources Committee, while Issa leads the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The committees held the joint hearing.

Director Jarvis defended placement of barricades at the World War II Memorial and other sites, saying that all but a dozen park service employees who work at the National Mall were furloughed. Given the limited staff resources during the shutdown, "prudent and practical steps were taken to secure life and property at these national icons where security has become increasingly complex in a post-9/11 world."

Contrary to the assertion of several Republican lawmakers, Director Jarvis said, "The Park Service allowed veterans and their families to visit the World War II Memorial. We know that visits of America's World War II veterans to the memorial are pilgrimages that many of them will only make once. Throughout the shutdown, we have worked diligently to try and ensure that no Honor Flight group, veteran, or their family has been turned away from visiting the veterans' memorials. An organization called the Honor Flight Network brings World War II veterans to Washington. Other visitors also are allowed at the memorial under an exception that allows First Amendment activities."

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., was not impressed. He said Director Jarvis's decision to set up barricades at the Lincoln and World War II memorials was "wrong" and mean-spirited. "You besmirched (the Park Service's) reputation and soured relations with Congress," Lamborn told Jarvis. "In my opinion you have failed."

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., denounced Lamborn's comment and called Director Jarvis an "exemplary" public servant. Connolly called the hearing a "theater of the absurd" and "an audacious attempt by the majority to deflect responsibility and blame for the real-world consequences of a government shutdown."

It is interesting to note that GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, along with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, were among those at the World War II Memorial on Sunday when the barricades were pushed over. Cruz, Lee and other tea party-backed lawmakers refused to keep the government operating unless President Barack Obama agreed to defund the nation's health care overhaul, yet they did not respect the closure brought about by their inaction.



TOWNSEND (WATE) - All roads and trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were reopened Wednesday morning, 15 days after being closed because of the federal government shutdown. This was welcome news for those visiting the Smokies as well as the people who live here.



Traffic was lined up outside the Townsend entrance to the park before it opened as tourists waited to enter. A ceremony celebrating the reopening had to be moved to the Tremont campground because of the traffic.



Park rangers finally made the call to open the gates early and began welcoming people back to the park. It was also a chance for those rangers to see co-workers they hadn't seen since the furlough began. Many of them were back at work by 6 a.m. making sure the park was ready for visitors.



"This morning was like welcoming family back together so it's kind of been like a reunion," said Park Spokesperson Dana Soehn. "Everybody is anxious to get back to work."

The reopening could not have come at a better time. The fall colors are beginning to appear and that is a big draw for tourists. The celebratory mood in the park could be short-lived, however. Unless the government shutdown is resolved by Congress, the park will only remain open until 11:59 p.m. Sunday Oct. 20. That's when a deal between Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, along with county leaders in Sevier and Blount counties, comes to an end.

The national park costs $60,100 to operate per day, according to the National Park Service. It will take $300,500 to keep the park open for five days. Mitchell says their portion of the funds will be coming from the Blount County Tourism Authority, which he says is money well spent.



"We had traffic backed up at the Sugarlands and we also had traffic backed up from here at the "Y"  all the way into Townsend," said Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell. "That gives you an idea of what we were missing on a daily basis by this park being shut," said Mitchell. "We can't afford not to invest the money into keeping this park open for the businesses and the citizens of Blount County."

All national parks were closed October 1 when Congress failed to pass a funding bill, leading to a partial government shutdown. The federal government agreed last week to allow states to reopen national parks if they paid for the operating costs.

Bills introduced in the U.S. House and Senate would reimburse states within 90 days for costs associated with reopening the parks. Workers here at the park hope by the time the five day period is up, some sort of deal will be reached to keep the park open for good. For more information, visit the park's website.



TOWNSEND, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park lined up before sunrise Wednesday to get back in. More than 100 cars waited at the entry gates to the park before 7 a.m., 16 days after closing due to a federal shut down. The park reopened after a deal was reached by Tennessee and the Federal government over funding.

"We were like 3rd in line when they opened the gate this morning," said Amanda Holsbeke, who was visiting the Cades Cove. "It's so peaceful it's calming, like you're with nature and you're with God at the same time. It's a stress reliever."

The governors of Tennessee and North Carolina worked together to get the Great Smoky Mountains National Park reopen for five days during the busy fall tourism season. Blount County's Mayor says many businesses have hurt during the shutdown and the county had to get the park open as soon as possible. The deal keeps the park open through Sunday. National Park Service says all campgrounds and picnic areas are open. At this time no reservations are being taken, campgrounds are taken on a first come first serve basis.



TOWNSEND (WBIR) The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is back open for business. The states of Tennessee and North Carolina, along with Blount and Sevier County, are paying the $300,500 dollars necessary to operate the park for the next five days during the federal government shutdown.

More than 200 furloughed workers were back at work bright and early Wednesday morning, removing barricades, unlocking doors, and doing a little cleaning up so they could welcome visitors. The park has been closed for two weeks. Visitors streamed into the park as it opened around 8:00 am. Many headed to Cades Cove to see the changing leaves.

"We spend a lot of time in Cades Cove every year, and we were kind of disappointed when it shut down. But, we are glad it's open today," said Joe Simms from Lebanon, TN.

Many people from out of state said they were trying to extend their vacation so they could enjoy the park now that it is open.

"We postponed leaving. We were going to leave this morning because this is why we came, for the park. If you can't get in there is no reason to stay," said Sandy Coyle from New Jersey.

Unless a deal is reached to reopen the federal government, or another funding agreement is made, the park could shut down once again Sunday night at 11:59 pm. October is the busiest time of the year for the Smokies and the surrounding areas.



TOWNSEND (WBIR) The House of Representatives vote to end the government shutdown means the Great Smoky Mountain National Park will be able to reopen for good.

Furloughed workers and anxious visitors got a preview Wednesday when the gates opened on the state and local government's dime.

"It was full of anxiety," said co-owner of Burgermaster in Townsend, Bob Hurst. "We're tickled pink that's its open."

"We've had almost record sales for this day of the week so it helped out a lot," said co-owner of 3 Lil' Pigs Smokepit in Townsend, James Latham.

But for the past two weeks, it was far from busy for Latham.

"It cut our business in half. Weekends were dead. Completely dead. You might see a car go by every 15 minutes," he said.

It made it even more difficult for Burgermaster's owners to know it was their government causing them to lose customers.

"It was disheartening and disappointing to know that your business is affected by something beyond our control. It wasn't like a natural disaster. It was something that we thought was unnecessary and could have been handled differently," said Hurst.

This hit during their peak month of the fall season is income they cannot ever get back.

Unlike the 800,000 furloughed government employees who will receive back pay, these Townsend businesses will not. Latham said he wants the government to consider helping out affected businesses as well.

"It's a loss to us that we're not responsible for. We all should be reimbursed for that," said Latham.

While they are grateful to have their business back, the anxiety hasn't gone away completely.

"I'd like to see them settle this for a while so we don't have to go through this again," said Hurst. "Right now everybody around here still feels a little apprehensive about if and when it would happen again."