Romney Claims He Doesn’t Understand What National Parks Are For

by Stuart Shapiro

Governor Romney expressed puzzlement this week as to why we have national parks in Nevada.

Unless there’s a valid, and legitimate, and compelling governmental purpose, I don’t know why the government owns so much of this land. So I haven’t studied it, what the purpose is of the land…

But here’s the thing.  Romney understands perfectly the purpose of having national parks.

He also tells stories about a family tradition of piling into the family’s Rambler – a car made by American Motors Corp., run by his father – and driving across the country. His mother, he says, would read from “Men to Match My Mountains,’’ a book about those who settled the American West.

“We went from national park to national park,’’ Romney said. “And they were teaching me to fall in love with America.’’

A Romney flip-flop. How shocking!

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.