Save the rest areas
We understand that in these difficult financial times, the state has to look under every rock, nook and cranny to find potential savings. One area of cutting back that seems counterproductive to us, however, is the proposal to close down all the state’s rest areas, at least for the time being.
Tourism, as we all know, if one of the state’s biggest, if not the biggest, industries. Unlike other places where the state spends money with no direct financial return, investment in tourism, which is already at a pathetically low level in relation to the economic activity it generates, creates jobs and wealth. Frequently, these are jobs that are critical to the financial well-being of typical, ordinary Vermonters.
We understand that in times like these, everyone has to take their lumps, but there’s a difference between cutting crudely and cutting intelligently. Closing rest areas, where family-run tourist businesses have a chance to display brochures and attract patrons, is an example of the former. There are surely other places where the state spends taxpayer dollars without any prospect of a monetary return on investment. Keep the rest areas open.