A series of billboards with an anti-DOGE message have been popping up alongside Albuquerque interstates and we wanted to know who is behind them.
National Parks cuts alarm New Mexicans
The National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit advocating for national park funding, estimates that “the Park Service has lost 13% of its staff due to the administration’s pressured buyouts, deferred resignations and early retirements. And that’s on top of the 20% reduction in staffing the agency has experienced since 2010.”
In addition to this year’s reduction in staff, orders from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to review operating hours, trail closures and other access rules have raised alarms that access to national parks and federal public lands could be reduced for its public lands owners, the American people.
President Trump’s budget proposal to Congress proposes over $900 million in cuts to the NPS – 30% of operating funds – in addition to transferring some federal public lands out of the federal system, according to New Mexico’s Senator Martin Heinrich who strongly opposes both plans.
KTSM in El Paso reported in February that at least 12 rangers had been let go from positions at Carlsbad National Park in New Mexico during the first round of federal job cuts.
Billboards target DOGE
The group More Perfect Union is using billboards along routes used to access our national parks to connect those cuts in D.C. to a visitor’s local experience.
“We’re about to experience millions and millions of people who are going to go through the national parks this summer and they’re going to have a degraded experience a worse experience than they’ve ever had. And why is that? Because Donald Trump and Elon Musk and DOGE have been busy firing and laying off thousands of employees,” Faiz Shakir, founder of More Perfect Union, said in a YouTube video last month announcing the campaign.
Shakir is a veteran of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.
More Perfect Union is a nonprofit pro-labor advocacy organization.
“Shakir is a veteran of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign“
Says fairly well what we all need to know.
Hey, someone else commented to this propaganda digital rag! First time I’ve seen a comment from someone else. At first I didn’t even see my own.
How do we know these people were needed or in fact produce value? Have you ever heard of zero based budgeting. It can’t always be more!
Since I don’t think anyone sees my comments, I don’t know why I bother. But your “journalist” could look a little further to see who funds a more perfect union.
Here’s what I found on Google. More Perfect Union says it receives funding from various donors, including from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, but does not take money from labor unions. [1] In 2023, George Soros!!!! But your “journalists” love Soros and all the other elite controllers of our lives, except for Elon Musk. Frankly, I don’t like any of them. You and your “journalists” sure push out a bunch of propaganda.
I would love to see a comment from anyone who reads your propaganda.
“”Google” is not a source to be cited. And you question this journalist’s integrity and thoroughness. How ironic.
And here’s something your “journalist” could have printed about Faiz Shakir.
Faiz Shakir (/fæz ʃəˈkɪər/;[1] Urdu: فیض شاکر) is an American Democratic political advisor. He serves as senior advisor to Bernie Sanders and executive director of the nonprofit media organization More Perfect Union.[2] Previously, he was campaign manager for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, an aide to Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, an editor-in-chief of the ThinkProgress blog, and political director of the American Civil Liberties Union. Raised in Florida by Pakistani immigrants, Shakir is a progressive liberal and an advocate for Muslim American communities.
Sue, it feels like you want to kill the messenger but not talk about the substance. Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or Independent, staff cuts to our parks reduce the quality of experience in our parks and hurt the local economies near the parks.
I somehow got included in the distribution of this left wing propagandist digi-rag. I find the content one sided rhetoric. It’s no wonder your readers/constituents are so angry, obsessed, and dissolutioned about the current state of the country as they only get their slanted rhetorical information from left wing extremist propaganda outlets. You would be doing your readers a great service by reporting some real, important truthful news
I do not support cutting funding for the National Parks. There is already a backload of deferred maintenance.
I do support adequately funding and taking care of these national assets.
I’ll comment..I knew the group that put up the billboards wasn’t going to be a Doge/Drumpf organization. Point is : cuts to FS /National Parks are NOT GOOD
The only “degraded experience” in the National Parks is these idiots carrying signs and complaining about everything.
In the United States of America progressive liberals have as much right and duty to express their opinions as retrograde fascist billionaires do. If you disagree with Mr. Shakir it would be constructive to say how you disagree, rather than to insinuate that he is somehow not legitimate because of his job history and parentage.
Sad to see a few grumpy folks making issue with bill boards when real damage is being done by this corrupt administrations.