National Parks Senior Pass, in danger

[RangeMaggotBob]

Raising the fee will do nothing for us as citizens- except raise the fee. I'm sorry, but I can't go along with you guys on this one. Poor struggling young families- blah blah blah. I wasn't poor, but pretty much struggled and worked hard all my life. Now you want me to pay more for something everybody has gotten for the same price for many many years? I don't think so.

[RangeMaggotBob]

Originally Posted by rkresge

I have a 3-point followup to my previous post in this thread.

1. I misread the bill passed by the House. The price of a 1-year Senior Pass will be $20 under this bill. The lifetime Senior Pass will be set at the same price as the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which is currently $80/year. It's still a lifetime pass for seniors.
2. There's still no sign that the Senate will take up the bill before the holiday recess, in which case I'm not sure what will happen to it. In general, I've had the impression that bills do not carry over from one session to the next. Maybe someone who is more knowledgeable than I can help me out here?
3. If it's eventually passed, there's nothing in the bill that sets a date when fees, etc., will become effective. So it could be immediately upon getting the president's signature, if that happens. Who knows.

We all might want to follow the progress - if any - of H. R. 4680 here:


https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-...ouse-bill/4680


And a P.S.: I sorta think that even at $80 a lifetime Senior Pass may be a real bargain.


Roger

Please re-read post #20 of this thread.

[baraff]

Originally Posted by tdst51

Raising the fee will do nothing for us as citizens- except raise the fee. I'm sorry, but I can't go along with you guys on this one. Poor struggling young families- blah blah blah. I wasn't poor, but pretty much struggled and worked hard all my life. Now you want me to pay more for something everybody has gotten for the same price for many many years? I don't think so.

I agree. I also have an issue with the government constantly moving the bar for seniors. Social Security, Medicare, it's all in danger.
The problem is us Boomers are retiring and the government views us collectively as a huge cash cow.
Leave the seniors alone.

[4x4van]

Leave ALL of us alone. I'm not quite a senior yet, but our National Parks are paid for already by our taxes. Nobody should have to pay a dime to access them. The amount of money wasted here as well as sent overseas (also a waste IMO) is obscene, and it SHOULD be used here.

[twogypsies]

The National Park upkeep/maintenance is an ongoing issue. The infrastructure is very old and used by millions. If you want facilities in the parks - as all visitors expect - the money has to come from somewhere. We've volunteered in the parks and definitely know the need. We've also seen how many visitors trash the parks. They seem to think it's just another Disneyland.

How much do you pay for a movie for two with dinner? A concert ticket? Yes, a day at Disney? A carton of cigarettes? A bottle of booze? If you don't want to pay $80 for a lifetime then don't. I'm surprised the fee hasn't been raised years before this.

National Parks can't be replaced. They need care so future generations can enjoy them.

[rkresge]

Update: The Senate passed the National Parks bill today, by unanimous consent. I admit to being surprised, but this almost certainly means it will go to the president and be signed. If you want to get your lifetime Senior Pass before the price goes up to $80, I'm thinking you'd better do it now. If you have a national park near you, then you should be able to go there in person and get it for $10. Online, I think it costs $20. Which is better than $80.

Roger

[V3600]

We-the-People shouldn't have to pay a dime to visit OUR national parks. It's OUR land. The government stole the lands from us and is making us pay to use them. The White House gave $150B to Iran, money that could have been used to improve our national parks and done away with all the entry fees, probably even the camping fees.

[Old Radios]

The price of the pass is the least of our worries. Turning park lands back over to individual states so the states can oversee and lease park lands to energy companies as they each choose is coming back to the forefront lately.

[ArmandV]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

The National Park upkeep/maintenance is an ongoing issue. The infrastructure is very old and used by millions. If you want facilities in the parks - as all visitors expect - the money has to come from somewhere. We've volunteered in the parks and definitely know the need. We've also seen how many visitors trash the parks. They seem to think it's just another Disneyland.

How much do you pay for a movie for two with dinner? A concert ticket? Yes, a day at Disney? A carton of cigarettes? A bottle of booze? If you don't want to pay $80 for a lifetime then don't. I'm surprised the fee hasn't been raised years before this.

National Parks can't be replaced. They need care so future generations can enjoy them.

I agree.

Although I already have my senior pass, $80 for a lifetime of enjoying our national parks is a small price to pay. Since I received my pass in February, I've been to Yosemite twice and the Grand Canyon once. Already, even if I paid $80 instead of $10, it has already "paid for itself" by saving me $90.

If the revenue actually does go for the upkeep of the parks, I have no issue with it.

[bikerdavet]

I just turned 62. I am going to get my pass tomorrow. I am thankful this discussion was here!

[powderman]

Originally Posted by V3600

We-the-People shouldn't have to pay a dime to visit OUR national parks. It's OUR land. The government stole the lands from us and is making us pay to use them. The White House gave $150B to Iran, money that could have been used to improve our national parks and done away with all the entry fees, probably even the camping fees.

This is not correct. The $150 billion returned to Iran was their money that they gave up front to purchase military arms that were never provided because of sanctions that were put in place when the shah was overthrown, and has nothing to do with this discussion.

[dieselclacker]

The over crowded conditions in all of our national parks, is of more concern to me than an increase in lifetime entry pass fees. I reside 30 miles from the western entry to Glacier National Park in Montana. This past July I tried to show out of state visiting family members some of the sites within the park. I could not find a place to park our vehicle. Even the roadside pullouts were all full. Glacier as well as many other national parks have set visitation records the past few years, that makes enjoyable visits really difficult, for me anyway, to attain. Not even going to talk about our visit to Yellowstone in late June 2013!! I have had the 10 dollar Golden Age Passport for over 15 years, glad it is good for lifetime. I still use it, mostly off season now however.
,

[S Bradley]

So now it is done; isn't it interesting it doesn't matter which party is in power they act as if the people are a Piggy Bank.

I started this thread in hopes that we the users might have some input into the process. I had hoped we could insure the monies collected in the parks name would be use for parks but I am now even more concerned that this is another slush fund for congress.

I'm sorry I didn't find out about it earlier we may have been able to affect some change.

[rkresge]

FYI, I just bought my Senior Pass online, cost $20. If you want to do this you will need to upload a scanned image of a document that verifies your eligibility, like a driver's license, passport, etc., as part of the process. Relatively painless.

https://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/...000000004)/.do