Nat'l Park senior discount, too cheap?
I am a senior, soon to be 68 years old. My opinion is that FREE is too cheap. On the other hand $25 entrance fee is too much. I'd like to see all Nat'l Pk. entrance fee set at $15 and senior discount ...
Forum Discussion
valhalla360 wrote:Dutch_12078 wrote:valhalla360 wrote:Dutch_12078 wrote:valhalla360 wrote:
The "I pay taxes" doesn't hold up. I'm in my 40's and I pay taxes also.
Keep on paying them then, until you catch up and earn your old age perks. I started paying income and other taxes around 15 years before you were born... :W
Whats the total dollar amount you paid so I know when I'm caught up and should be entitled the freebee?
Again, if they want it income based, I could buy it as the parks should be available to all citizens but to price poor young families out so we can give a discount to rich old folks makes no sense.
The available senior discounts are no different than any other discount extended by retailers, regardless of whether they are government or private enterprises. Discounts are offered to bring in customers, increase business volume, and promote future business. When a senior citizen takes their kids, grandkids, etc, to a national park or monument for instance, they are encouraging future generations to also enjoy these treasures. Even if the seniors only talk about their experiences at these facilities, they are still hopefully creating an interest in them among the younger folks. How does using my ATB Senior Access Pass 50% discount at various public campgrounds differ from using my Passport America 50% discount at private campgrounds? Should that one be "income based" as well?
What private companies do for profit is entirely up to the owner and the owner doesn't have to explain it to anyone as long as it isn't illegal.
The govt is a public entity. As such they have a responsiblity to treat all citizens fairly and equally in so far as they reasonably can.
If it's such a great idea to encourage the next generation to cherish these parks (and I think it is), why shouldn't working parents enjoy the same discount when they directly encourage thier kids to cherish these parks?
"Fairly" does not necessarily mean "equally". There are many segments of our society that receive benefits that are not available to other segments. Some of those benefits are income based, while others are not. Do you also feel that the free ATB Access Pass benefit extended to the disabled, regardless of income, is discriminatory against healthy individuals? Isn't the free ATB Access Pass available to active duty military personnel discriminatory against non-military personnel? How about the free ATB Access Pass given to agency volunteers with enough accumulated hours? Seniors as a group do receive various benefits, both public and private, that are not available to younger folks, but as a group we also receive those benefits for a much shorter time than would younger folks. Then again, the younger folks also have benefits available to them that are not available to us seniors. You have around 15 years to go before you're eligible for some of my senior benefits. If I'm very, very careful and very, very fortunate, I just might still be alive when you reach that milestone. The statistics say that's unlikely though. You can look forward to receiving my senior benefits. I can look forward to a few more years of enjoying them. Hopefully...
