Larimer County sheriff's publicity-stunt power grab

by: Mucius Scaevola

Fri Apr 08, 2011 at 21:33:20 PM MST

Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith has unilaterally asserted the authority to put his department in charge of large sections of Rocky Mountain Park in the event of a federal government shutdown.

Fort Collins Coloradoan:

Closing the national park, which could hurt nearby Estes Park business owners who rely on tourism revenue from the park, is tantamount to "the federal bureaucracy trying to strong-arm local citizens," Smith said.

"The reality is, we are at the local level sending the message to Washington: We can take care of things," he said.

He engineered this publicity stunt without even talking to federal officials about it.

- If the gates are closed, how will people get into the park?  Will the sheriff facilitate trespassing on federal property by opening the gates and waving people through?

- Is the sheriff aware that the Park Service already plans to keep some rangers on patrol and have emergency services available to respond in the park if needed? (No, because he didn't bother to talk to them.)

- Will federal officers have to arrest Larimer deputies for trespassing and interfering in federal government operations?

- His main argument is that the economy of Estes Park would be harmed by the shutdown -- but don't people of his anti-gummint ideology reject the notion that federal government spending provides economic stimulus, and for that matter don't they reject the inherent value of national parks?

- When he blames "federal bureaucrats" for the shutdown, does he mean fellow Republicans John Boehner and Cory Gardner?

- If visitors are injured in the park under the sheriff's wannabe coup d'etat, is the county liable for damages? If the people the sheriff illegally lets into the park start a massive wildfire, who's responsible for that?

- How can he do this when Larimer County has its own budget problems and cutbacks going on? Would he be OK with the federal government seizing control of county parks if they are shut down for lack of funding?

- Did the sheriff not study basic American civics in grade school?

... The list of questions is endless.