The stimulus package passed earlier this year provided $750 million for the National Park Service to address infrastructure and deferred maintenance. That’s a pittance, compared with the need — and the state parks are in even worse shape because of state budgets.

Closing parks, even sporadically, hits the local economies of the neighboring areas hard. On the other hand, spending money to revitalize the parks brings back jobs in large numbers. Hopefully some of the dusty heads in DC will get a clue.

Meanwhile, enjoy the parks this weekend. If you can.

In spite of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s initial happy talk (Oil? What Oil? Press Should Stop Scaring Tourists), BP Oil finally and inevitably hits his state’s coastline. Now guess who’s crying for help?

When talking about ending the prohibition on Marijuana, it is almost impossible to wrap your head around the totality of problems and issues it touches. The externalities, long reaching negative effects, and indirect consequences create an enormous web that touches countless aspects of our society.