senior pass

Lynnmor wrote:

aftermath wrote:


The new administration, yes this one, upped the fee from $10 to $80 and I agree it still is a bargain if you use it. We are heading toward a place where the wealthy can afford it so the rest of us will be staying home. It used to be camping and seeing the national parks was something everyone could do. Tents are being replaced by motor homes just like housing tracts are being replaced by gated communities. I suppose when you run a trillion dollar dept you have to look for places to cut back. Setting up a fair system of taxation is pretty tough to do, no doubt, but squeezing the little guy has always been easy.

The fee increase was mandated by Congress as part of December 2016 legislation to raise money to pay for park projects and visitor services. That legislation requires the price of the lifetime Senior Pass to be the same as the Interagency Annual Pass, which is currently $80 for one year, according to a NPS press release.

Since the 2016 congressional session ended before the current executive branch of government went into office it appears the vitriol directed at the current administration is in error. What it does point out is one of the broken points of our current political system, voting in laws where the potentially negative impacts only come into effect after the politicians that approved them have left office.
And for what it is worth, what I have heard is the effects will only be on things like discounted camping. Admission to the parks will still be at no charge for owners of lifetime passes.