G. Gordon Liddy wrote a book that I recommend everyone read. It was titled “When I Was a Kid, This Was a Free Country.” In it, he spoke about how much freedom has been lost due to governmental interference with the personal freedoms our ancestors used to enjoy.

And the hits just keep on coming. Every year I make it a point to travel up to the Oak Creek feeding station where the local elk herds are being fed hay to ease the burden of the long winter months. Apparently deer can’t digest hay as readily as the elk, so they are forced instead to care for themselves.  Elk, on the otherhand have it made.

It is really quite a site to see. A large fence allows you to park as close as a few yards from the herd and admire the beauty of these magnificent animals. We have enjoyed this event for years. Well, until now.

My nurse warned me and now I have seen it with my own eyes. Someone in the federal or state government-I don’t even know which branch of government it would be anymore- has decided to charge a $30 parking fee at the site. How sad is that? Really? A person usually only stays about 10-20 minutes a year while they watch the elk being fed hay that has been donated by the people.

And now the government has decided that they would rather drive people away from this opportunity to observe nature at its best by charging for the priviledge of simply parking your car. As my nurse said, even nature isn’t free if the government has anything to do with it.