Budgeting wouldn't be a problem if something was actually returned for that money. The billions spent standing around watching fires should have gone toward planning vegetation management actions targeted at making fires fightable. This is possible, and its also possible to make money doing so. And 458 brings up a heck of a point. I have been around long enough to see an amazing number of USFS staff retire and then come back into the process working for environmental groups, actually on the payroll. There are others who volunteer, safe on their cushy pensions, taking amazingly extreme positions that call into question their entire body of "public service." Oh, taxpayers got SERVICED, all right. I mean, why does someone work for EPA rather than as a private sector environmental engineer or something? Why do people work for the Park Service? The cool uniforms?
Up hills slow, Down hills fast Tonnage first and Safety last.
