Six Shooter Canyon.

This morning The Commander and Kadizzle will drive to Six Shooter Canyon near Globe AZ as part of our volunteer work for the Forest Service.  Our job encompasses about a 35 mile area.  The trails we are working with might be 30 miles away in any compass direction.  Today we will shuttle other volunteers around recreation sites to do work.

A popular conception of our government is that it is inefficient.  In many ways this is true, but few people understand the bargain citizens get for their tax dollars from people who work for free.  About half the work force for the Forest Service here is made up of volunteers.  A typical volunteer puts in 21 hours per week.  Volunteers do everything from cleaning the toilets to fixing the roof.  A lot of the volunteers are retired people living in their RV.  In exchange for volunteer work the Forest Service provides a camping spot, electricity, sewage, and water.  If you do the math that is worth about ten dollars per day.  Do a little more math and the volunteer is making about 50 cents an hour.  With both the Commander and Kadizzle working it amounts to about 25 cents per person per hour.  Most volunteers work way more than required.  Don't forget some of these people are doing high skilled work.  Kadizzle noticed a welder working on a Sunday in the Forest Service shop.  A welder working in a power plant in North Dakota would probably be paid close to 50 dollars per hour when you include benefits.   On a Sunday that welder at double time would be getting one hundred dollars per hour.

When people bitch about "the goverment" they need to do some investigation.  Soldiers get killed and maimed for a relatively small sum.  The government that so many love to hate and despise has a lot of hidden gems that rarely get noticed.  Often while traveling we meet people from other countries who marvel at our parks, and outdoor spaces.  However, there is an element in our society that wants to "starve the beast".  These people want to cut off the funds for the Forest Service, and all the agencies that make this country such a nice place to live.  The response of these agencies is to try to operate with volunteers.   Sadly if the trend of "Starve the beast" continues there will be no open spaces and parks for the next generation.