Spite (sticking to my values)

View from Middle Sugarloaf

This is another of those opinion posts. After you read it, you may think I'm an idiot. That is okay, it's your right. There are a few things I have taken a stand on. By taking a stand, you could say that I spited myself because I did not affect any change. That is okay, because it meant I did not sacrifice my values.

1. After the Red Sox unceremoniously dumped Terry Francona after the 2011 season, I decided not to watch any games for 2012. I stuck with this. I never turned on NESN for an entire year. This was my way of protesting the way Francona was treated. It was not that I loved Francona, it was how he was treated. Francona is the best manager the Red Sox have ever had. They left him out in the cold. Worse than that, they spread rumors he was addicted to pain killers so he couldn't get another manger job for a year. I was actually disgusted by the ownership's handling of the situation.

You are probably thinking, that 2012 was a disaster so it was no big deal to skip the year. It is true the Bobby Valentine experiment was awful, but they were still in first place as late as June... not that I saw it.

For the record, I have not gone to or had the desire to go to a game since then.

2.  Last year New Hampshire Fish and Game decided to charge $10 more on their fishing licenses for 2016. This included non-resident licenses. I am a non-resident so this clearly affects me. I wrote the Department a two page letter explaining how this ten dollar increase was unfair. I gave multiple reasons. I think if you live at a lake house for the summer then going from fifty three dollars to sixty three is fine. I explained  that many people don't buy a license and enforcement should be stepped up to increase revenue.

I believe it hurts the average guy that gets up to the Granite state a couple weekends a year. How can they justify paying all that for a license for a few weekends. I politely told NH Fish and Game that I would not be buying a license in 2016. I explained that buy not buying the license, they would need me to buy one for the next six years to make up for that lost revenue. I then gave them a word problem telling them if even one hundred people decide not to buy a license because of the cost increase, they are out five thousand dollars. So be it.

I stuck to my guns and did not fish in New Hampshire all year. You are probably thinking I spited myself over ten bucks. Nope instead of fishing roadside ponds in the evenings I hiked out to small mountains with views. Two of them were Mt Avalon and Middle Sugarloaf. Instead of fishing, I just hiked and didn't miss it.

I will probably not buy a NH fishing license again this year. Yes, out of spite, but truthfully I enjoy hiking as much as fishing. I want them to feel the lost revenue.

3. Laurie and I  are going to Utah for vacation in September.. Utah is probably the most beautiful

Bryce Canyon, UTAH

state in the country. There are red rock canyons, mountains, waterfalls, everything. There are five national parks.

The problem is the Utah politicians are assholes. They are not typical Republicans (Republican values- lower taxes, less entitlements, pro life, etc...) These guys, Rob Bishop and Jason Chavez, especially are OWNED by big oil and fossil fuel. If they had their way they would give all of Utah's public lands to the highest bidder. They do not want any public land to be public. What I don't understand about this is hunting is considered a Republican pursuit. Yet, these guys don't want any public land left for Utah hunters either. Bishop and Chavez (and I am not making this up) do not consider tourism jobs worthy. They do not believe tourist bring money into Utah's economy. One quote I read "They come with twenty dollars in their back pocket and they leave with it still there" Think of how insane that is. These idiots do not think about motels, campgrounds, rental car companies, flights, clothing, white water rafting, guided hunts and fishing trips, on and on bring money into their state. Many outdoor industries are so fed up they are considering moving out of state. I've read many comments of adventurers boycotting the state also.

So my dilemma becomes, do I let politics ruin my vacation plans?  Do I "sell out" to Rob Bishop and Chavez?  The answers are no, and not really. I decided  I will still go on our vacation to Utah. I still want to see the jaw dropping scenery. However, I will spend as little money in the state as possible. We are flying into Vegas instead of Salt Lake, which means we will be getting our rental car from Vegas also. There is a Walmart in the Nevada suburbs where we will get the food and supplies for ten days. We do not cook meat on vacation. Instead we make meals on a stove such as pasta, stove top, and rice. This way we do not have to worry about using a cooler.

Landscape Arch,
 Arches National Park, UTAH

With food, flight, and rental car out of the way, the only other major expense is lodging. We are spending many nights at National Park campgrounds.I certainly do not mind giving my money to the Parks Service.  Some of the other nights we will be doing "dispersed camping " (FREE) on national monument lands. I bet we spend only one night in a motel,

Of course we will have to buy gasoline for the rental car. We will probably buy a burger for lunch here and there. However, I am so against giving Utah my money, I will do my best to leave with the "twenty in my back pocket" . It is not the good people of Utah I want to hurt, I love small towns and community. However, if they are going to vote for the Bishops and Chavez of the world, I'm going to do my best to keep my money (sales tax, rental tax, etc...) out of the Utah government! I care about this so much that we changed our last night before the flight from a motel in St George, UT to a motel in Vegas.