Nat'l Park senior discount, too cheap?

[jolooote]

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 set at 50%. The DW always calls me "CHEAP". She'll be proud of me. lol :B Whats U'r opinion?:h

[answerswillvary]

This thread has gone down hill. Too many posts are political and/or flaming other members.

Thread Closed.

Sandi (Moderator)

[tpi]

jolooote wrote:
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 set at 50%. The DW always calls me "CHEAP". She'll be proud of me. lol :B Whats U'r opinion?:h

Nah, just accept it as a nice little program aimed at seniors who tend to travel during off season times and may be on a fixed income. Those who want to can donate, volunteer, give a big tip, or spend more at a local business and help the economy a bit.

[D___M]

Dog Folks wrote:
Us old folks HAVE paid our dues.

We have? Nut's, were they tax deductible? I might have to re-file some past tax forms.

[Lauren]

In spades, Dog Folks, in spades to be sure. I am biting my tongue so badly on this thread it is shredded! 🙂

[Dog_Folks]

Us old folks HAVE paid our dues.

[Lauren]

Probably the vast majority of "rich old folks" (not sure how that is defined) are not caring about discounts.

Boy, this is getting testy.

[valhalla360]

travelnutz wrote:
"valhalla360" just has to learn that he has to/must PAY his dues for as long as us rich or poor old geezers have and then he too may get the discounts also.

However, not if he doesn't pay his dues until then to keep the parks in good shape as most would be closed or sold off!

The typical NOW NOW NOW and give it to me free still wet behind the ears generation just showing their immature age...

You have it backwards. I'm not saying the young should get a free pass. I'm pointing out the poor logic of giving rich old folks a free pass when poor young folks don't get one (GI benefits are a different scenario where they negotiated their years service for benefits when they get out).

What I propose is to start with a system where everyone pays then if you want to consider a needs based system for discounts we could discuss what would be an appropriately fair method.

By itself this isn't a major issue but it is systematic of our current political dilemma. As our population becomes top heavy with senior citizens who believe they "paid their dues", they demand more free stuff. Since they are large in number and they have lots of time to vote, politicians are hesitant to deny these demands.

[valhalla360]

Dog Folks wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

Dog Folks 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.

Excuse me! Not all us "old folks" are rich.

If we were we wouldn't care about the discount.

You may want to re-read. I'm OK with a low income discount.

But being old in no way implies you are automatically poor. Nor does being young automatically imply you have money.

I have reread your post, especially where you said: "....so we can give a discount to rich old folks makes no sense."

How did I go wrong in that statement?

You got it wrong because I said it MAKES NO SENSE to give rich old folks a discount and you came back talking about poor old folks.

[Dog_Folks]

bluie5 wrote:
I'm a retired LEO and would rather still be working but, I was shot in the line of duty and forced to retire due to my now being disabled. I think I earned my ATB Access Pass even though my disability doesn't always show. I feel fortunate to still be able to travel to national parks and monuments with my family and someday grandchildren.

Thank you for walking the thin blue line between civilization and chaos.

[bluie5]

I'm a retired LEO and would rather still be working but, I was shot in the line of duty and forced to retire due to my now being disabled. I think I earned my ATB Access Pass even though my disability doesn't always show. I feel fortunate to still be able to travel to national parks and monuments with my family and someday grandchildren.

[oldchief7155]

I retired from the AF reserves and get military benefits. I suppose you want them too. No problem. Join the military and earn them. 5 1/2 years active duty and then about 27 years of summer camps and monthly weekend drills later to equal what I EARNED just like the other old guys earned their discounts.

[Allworth]

I want mine!

I want mine!

To Hell with everybody else!

[Dutch_12078]

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...

[travelnutz]

Bob Landry,

Easily explained:

The youth simply don't know how the stay young and the old are wise enough to control their spending habits, thus keeping their wealth.