Page 27 - Flathead Beacon // 12.9.15

UNCOMMON GROUND MIKE JOPEK TECH VACATION
GUEST COLUMN RYAN ZINKE
DON’T MAKE LWCF ANOTHER BROKEN PROMISE
EFORE THANKSGIVING WE $646 billion annually to the national had a hearing in the House Nat- economy, supports 6.1 million jobs, and ural Resources Committee about generates nearly $40 billion in federal
WE JUST RETURNED FROM visiting family. It’s truly great to see everyone, yet there’s no place like home. Nothing beats the Flat- head for livability and friendliness.
All of our parents are 80 years plus or approaching that milestone. Over the years we’ve upgraded their elec- tronic gadgets and that’s created a bit of a management issue. Last year, I taught my mom how to use iMessage and that’s worked out well.
At my father-in-law’s, I realized that streaming video onto his new televisions is not always easy. I could not get their Samsung smart television to stream video from Amazon Prime. The Net ix connection worked awlessly, but transi- tioning from one video to another proved awkward for anyone more comfortable with a VCR.
At my mom’s home, I did a year worth of iPad updates to di erent apps and operating systems. This created new retraining challenges as programs like video-Skype move toggle buttons around in newer shells.
I spent half a day updating the oper- ating system on my dad’s MacBook Air so that he could AirPlay video onto their old atscreen via Apple TV. My dad won’t buy a local cable package, so he routinely switches the HDMI cables from their Roku to Apple TV. I tried to get him to buy a $13 HDMI switch box, to no avail.
On their older atscreen I got Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Net ix streaming. And once I showed them how to AirPlay video from their digital gadgets onto the atscreen, they sat there in wonderment like little kids.
My parents’ new laundry drier was an odd challenge. They wanted to return their Whirlpool Duet to the boxstore because it left their daily load of laundry damp. With all those buttons on the new machines, it took a bit of time to gure out that getting a 60-minute cycle required
turning the dial to heavy duty.
My dad’s Samsung tablet was luck-
ily stable enough for him to continue his quest to read the entire digital library of Florida. On my mom’s iPad, I installed Words with Friends so now she can play games with grandkids and other relatives.
I spent an hour in their Ford Flex assuring them that they could not break the GPS system and that it really was sim- ple to operate.
In Delaware, I updated another round of iPad systems and uncomfortably deleted a years worth of unwanted apps to make room for the newer upcoming stu . We upgraded cordless telephones, which required a whole new level of tuto- rial and trials. But new voice caller ID is a fantastic feature for anyone wanting to omit the perversion of sales and scam calls.
I spent hours trying to get her old Dell inkjet working before just driving to the gadget store and buying a wireless laser Samsung printer. The inkjets simply dry up routinely from lack of use. Now with wireless AirPrint, she can print all those emails she wants to save right from her iPad. And as she visits doctors regularly, my mom can copy all the documents in quadruplicate with a single button.
Learning from Florida, I just bought my Delaware mom a push button HDMI switch box for her new Apple TV. Now she can binge watch all the seasons of Doc Martin. Then push the HDMI tog- gle and easily return to see Denver hand New England their rst defeat of the sea- son. I knew the other remote control had an input button to switch to HDMI 2, but you try explaining that feature.
We are extremely fortunate that our parents still live independently, even as technology has rendered their for- mer solid-state lives more complicated. Yet old-timers can learn plenty of new tricks like Skype or AirPlay, if you keep it simple.
the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). When talking with my col- leagues from all over the country about LWCF, I ask them to imagine America without iconic national parks like Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, Acadia, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. All of those parks were created by the LWCF.
Since Americans rst set eyes on the natural beauty of our country, it has been one of our shared values that those lands must be cherished and that recreational and sporting access should be main- tained. Republican President Teddy Roosevelt was so inspired by the beauty of our nation that he preserved more than 230 million acres of public lands, much of which would become part of our National Forest and National Parks sys- tems. While I received a lot of support for reauthorizing LWCF from Demo- crats, only a few from my own party are ghting alongside me for the future of the program. It’s time for Republicans to return to our conservationist roots.
In 1965, a bipartisan majority of Congress established the LWCF to safe- guard natural areas, water resources and our cultural heritage, and to pro- vide recreation opportunities. Here in Montana, LWCF is directly responsible for the Crown of the Continent, Ten- derfoot Creek, Rocky Mountain Front, Montana Legacy Project, and countless state parks, shing access points, and municipal pools. In every county in all 50 states, LWCF supports 41,000 local and state parks, hiking trails, hunting and shing access, community pools, ballparks and playgrounds.
The LWCF is scally responsible. It is budget neutral, meaning it doesn’t add to the de cit. It’s not free money; states and localities are required to match the federal grants dollar-for-dollar for most funds. And, rather than being funded through taxpayer dollars, it’s funded in perpetuity through royalties paid by energy companies for o shore oil and gas exploration.
There’s also an incredible economic argument to be made. LWCF contributes
tax revenue. The 725 million annual visits to America’s state park system – a recipient of LWCF State Assistance funding – contribute $20 billion to local and state economies.
Montana’s multi-billion dollar out- door recreation industry supports 64,000 jobs in the state, is responsible for more than $5.8 billion in consumer spending, and contributes $1.5 billion in wages and salaries. In total, the indus- try contributes more than $400 million in local and state tax revenues. Without LWCF helping fund parks, hunting and shing access, and hiking trails, much of Montana’s outdoor economy would be hit. That’s why organizations like Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Busi- ness for Montana’s Outdoors, the Nature Conservancy, Prickly Pear Land Trust, Montana Wildlife Federation, Plum Creek, and F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Company support it.
Nothing is perfect and I respect the e orts of those who seek to make the program better. While I support the clean reauthorization of LWCF, I was not sent to Washington to be intransigent. If Congress cannot come to an agreement, then we should work together towards a solution. There are a host of possibili- ties that I believe would nd bipartisan support. We could look at avenues to broaden the revenue stream so the bur- den does not fall solely on o shore drill- ing. The delivery of these funds could also be examined to reduce bureau- cracy. But certainly we can reform the program without gutting it as the cur- rent proposal in the House does – which is why I don’t support it.
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in.” Whether you’re a kid grow- ing up in Baltimore or Bozeman, LWCF makes this country a good place for all. Congress has made a lot of promises to future generations – too many to count – let’s not make the LWCF another bro- ken promise.
“OLD-TIMERS CAN LEARN PLENTY OF NEW TRICKS LIKE SKYPE OR AIRPLAY, IF YOU KEEP IT SIMPLE.”
Mike (Uncommon Ground) Jopek and Dave (Closing Range) Skinner often fall on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to political and outdoor issues. Their columns alternate each week in the Flathead Beacon.
“WHETHER YOU’RE A KID GROWING UP IN BALTIMORE OR BOZEMAN, LWCF MAKES THIS COUNTRY A GOOD PLACE FOR ALL.”
Ryan Zinke is Montana’s U.S. congressman
DECEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
27