How's 'bout the info within this article on how the Mount's paying passenger numbers have declined from 120,000 in the 1980's down to 70-80,000 in recent years.....or a drop of about 37%......ouch! As a very casual observer, it seems to me watching the Mount glide by from about two hundred yards away, that September and October with its busloads of leaf-peeping tourists from all the world over has the most full boat, daytime cruises on-board.
Did u know that the Mount's two new Caterpillar diesel engines were purchased thanks in large part to the Cash for Clunkers program thunk up by the Obama Administration back in 2009,
http://www.epa.gov/recovery/ or so! Click on "clean diesel." These two new engines save a lot of expense by using less diesel and pollut'n less than the old 1940's engines they replaced so's the money can be used for other improvements to the Mount instead of just spending it out on fuel and engine maintenance. Plus, they are more quiet as well.
A New Hampshire company helped the Mount apply to the federal government for the grant to buy the new engines:
http://www.mjbradley.com/about-us/ca...epower-project
And, just like you learned in high school history class, there will always be those who hold a different opinion on how your federal tax dollars get spent:
http://www.nhinsider.com/steven-j-co...pork-boat.html