Here's a number to pass around to some of those folks in Washington who want to clutter up the national parks with more motorized recreation, more commercialism, and perhaps even more widespread corporate presence: 85 percent.
    That's the percentage of Americans who consider the current version of national parks as the most popular service the U.S. government offers. The second-most popular service, mentioned by 77 percent of those who participated in a recent Harris Poll, was crime protection.

    That's right. On top of the polls that show that more than 90 percent of national park visitors have a great time in the parks, now there's evidence that Americans view the national park system as the best service the government provides.
    And that support crosses political boundaries. The poll, which was conducted in mid-November and involved 1,718 adults, showed that 83 percent of Republicans rated the national park system as the top government service, along with 88 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of Independents.
    Here's a look at the top five government services, as measured by percentage of support:

        National Park Service...........................85 percent
        Crime-fighting and prevention...............77 percent
        Medicare...........................................76 percent
        Social Security...................................76 percent
        Defense............................................71 percent

    I wonder if we can get Harris to conduct a new poll asking Americans what they think of the Interior Department's efforts to change the way our park system is managed?