America the Beautiful Day 6: National Parks

It may seem a little odd for a conservative to write positively about something the federal government does that’s not in the U. S. Constitution.  However, for today’s installment of America the Beautiful , that is exactly what I intend to do.  And while another day might find me arguing about the best source of funding for the National Park System, today I would like to celebrate it.

I wrote a few months back about the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania.  However, I have become a huge fan of  the National Park System since I have been able to share it with my children.  These battlefields, monuments, memorials, and places, are symbols of our nations history.  There are currently more than 400 parks and places that are part of the system.   The National Park website says:

Writer and historian Wallace Stegner called national parks “the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”

I think that is why I love the park system.  It’s easy to be moved by a site like Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, or the Lincoln Memorial. However,  in those parks commemorated to disasters such as the Flight 93 Memorial, the numerous battlefields, and natural disasters, we can find something in the experiences and people these parks are dedicated to that we admire.