The PGC has a full time lobbiest who brags of his inside connections with legislators.Obviously he must not be doing a very good job because the agency has been denied a license increase for a few years running. Didn't the PGC lobbiest present a good case for the agency?

Commissioner Isabella also has said that he talks to legislators who dislike the USP, yet still no license increase for the PGC.

What's a body to believe?

Doug, you also with the same tired spin. I guess that makes us alike.

Never mind crazy you were talking to DougE obviously

The GC had something like a 6.1 million or so surplus of income to obligations last fiscal year. How is this near bankrupt? Alot of major cities and states have less surplus than that at the end of the year. Timber sales were something like 12 million or so. These are rough numbers from memory, so cut me a break stat quoters.

OOOPS!
Timber sales were 16.4 million. Sorry.

If every hunter bought a Game News subscription, we would be flush with money. Maybe we should do the GC a favor (and ourselves) and start a movement to boost Game News subscriptions.
I'm making that motion!
Do I hear a second?

Already have aGame Newssubscription, plus our sportsmen's club ponied-up for five or six subscriptions to area school librarieswhen the PGC dropped their free issues dealafter budget cuts startedtwo years ago. But it would be a good idea for morehunters to receive the Game News. It's better than ever, in my opinion.

As for that budget surplus someone mentioned, they normally carry a surplus in the "game fund" to operate on, until the next major influx of money comes in during license renewals each year. Back in '98 when they were after the license fees we have now, they explained to theHouse Game and Fisheries Comm. that this surplus would continually get smaller unless another license increase was granted within five or six years. That would've meant another increase back in about 2005 at the latest.

People that pay some attention to such things, would realize thatoperating costs like salaries, retirements, insurance and operating costs for vehicles have gone up considerably since 1998. The PGC has little if any control over those costs, but they make an easy target to exploit as "poor management", if people don't understand these basic truths.

As in any budget, there will be fluctuations or down years. When these things become problematic, adjustments are made. The GC bashers see any downturn as a sign of impending doom. A license fee hike will come. Nothing really wrong with that, it's just simple economics. In addition to the surplus this year, they still have a carryover surplus from past years that they draw interest income from, which was over 2.7 million this year alone.

I have a great idea for all u PGC critics.
Quit hunting!!!,You say there are no deer anyway.
I'll paymore to hunt and won't complain and probably will have more hunting opportunity.
The PGC can do the burns,logging and continue to move forwardto IMPROVE the habitat and deer quality. Those of us who understand what the PGC is trying to accomplish will benefit in the long run.

If you're not part of the solution,you're part of the problem.

Income exceeded expenditures by roughly $11.4 mllion last year.

Neville..
Where did you get that info?
I came up with a 6.1 million surplus.