Add the Philadelphia Inquirer to the many voices lamenting what is happening to the National Park Service in terms of underfunding. In a sometimes-biting editorial the newspaper decries the smiley face top NPS managers are putting on their paltry budget.
    Here's a snippet:
    "Superintendents are running out of tricks, and visitors will eventually notice. Beyond basic services, long-term needs are ignored. Some parks cannot catalog or restore precious artifacts. Most cannot preserve habitat. Invasive species are taking over.
    "The Park Service is putting on an inexplicable happy face. It issued toe-the-line seasonal talking points, emphasizing such inanities as "it's not the quantity of visitor programs but the quality that counts." So, if one school group that visits has fun, it doesn't matter that four others were turned away.
    "While the Park Service has made needed strides in strategic planning, it's running out of efficiencies. It cannot continue to cover up to $600 million in annual shortfalls without seriously harming the nation's treasures. Congress needs to step up."