GREAT poll! I am 57, not quite there, yet, but I feel we need to do ANYTHING to keep Teddy Roosevelt's legacy thriving for all travelers to have the opportunity to continue to experience our nation's great natural last, unspoiled beauty that is our State and National Parks. However, I agree with a previous comment: does our usage fees go to keep them open, maintained, hiring, paying and keeping our wonderful rangers, guides and scientists and historians? Many of our parks have diminished services from cutting access hours and areas to downright neglect and eventual demise. As with all things, politicians are a necessary part of our system. Make it YOUR business to make it THEIR business to give a darn! We part time and full timers are an increasingly powerful voice. End of speech (speakin' to the choir, huh?) Thanks, Jamie, for all you do for the RVers!
James Okvist - 11 years ago
I have been using the senior pass for several years and it has worked out well.
I would be more than willing to pay more to use the National Parks if I thought the money would go to the national Park system.
I have zero confidence that our politicians could keep their hands off that money.
The answer seems to me to be smaller government. If along with increased fees there was a decrease in spending in other areas of government then I would go along with the idea.
Steven - 11 years ago
Our current "leaders" take a salary increase but skip our social security increase two years in a row. When they finally give an SS increase it's far below the 10% raise they gave themselves. Now they want to further penny pinch seniors. $10 more or less sure isn't going to affect most of us but it's wrong!! As a country we would save a whole lot more by forcing congress to give up all perks and adhere to the same rules (i.e., health care, insider trading, etc., etc.) as the rest of us.
Dan Bowles - 11 years ago
So let me get this straight, in 2004 our Federal government passed legislation giving this $10 perk to seniors 62 and over. This was done with careful thought and consideration. Now, barely 8 years later, we Baby Boomers are now to blame for the National Park system going broke? Maybe it's time for these illustrious legislators to put together a budget that addresses all these financial issues! I'm becoming a little irritated at being the scapegoat for all the ills of the government. We are already to blame for losses in the Social Security program, Medicare, and Medicade. Now it's the National Parks!
Jim D - 11 years ago
I'm 66 and have been enjoying my senior pass for 4 years. I love it and love a bargain, but the $10 for life is really way too inexpensive considering all that the parks, monuments, etc have to offer. We need to support our parks. I try to make up for it with donations to NPCA, but I'd certainly be willing to renew every year for $10 or $25 for 5 years, or something along that line. $10 for life feels like something-for-nothing, and when the something is as wondrous as our national parks, it's very unrealistic to think it's sustainable.
karyn - 11 years ago
I would be happy to pay $20 as long as it went to the parks and not the government aspect of it. Like any of the meberships we pay will RVing, $20 is a drop in the bucket.
Colleen Phipps - 11 years ago
It's kind of hilarious that someone from California is weighing in on this. They screwed up their own parks and they want to say something about National Parks.
Liz Bard - 11 years ago
I agree I wouldn't mind paying $20 a year, as long as the money was left for the parks to use to do repairs, replacement of equipment, and not taken over by congress for the general funds. We are constantly fighting the State of Texas to leave the fees for hunting and fishing licenses, vanity plates for Texas Wildlife and entrance fees. Too many times congress will put the money in general funds and dole out about 1/3rd which barely helps them keep staff much less do repairs.
Patrick Allen - 11 years ago
I have no problem paying a fee to use our National Parks and Bureau of Land Management Parks and Campgrounds, and National Monuments they do have to be paid for.
"Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, thinks that seniors should pay more to use our national parks." She needs to look at the California State Parks and figure out how they lost all the money that was going to force the closure of the State of California State Parks and Campgrounds
Get the states parks and the State of California's financial problems in order before she tries to tell the NPS & BLM be cost effective.
Sorry for the rant but it turns my stomach to go to a State Beach Campground with out hook-ups and have to pay almost as much or more than I get over charged at a KOA Campground.
Bobbie Chapman - 11 years ago
I'd happily pay $10 or even $20 per YEAR for my Golden Age Pass. Great bargain at that price.
GREAT poll! I am 57, not quite there, yet, but I feel we need to do ANYTHING to keep Teddy Roosevelt's legacy thriving for all travelers to have the opportunity to continue to experience our nation's great natural last, unspoiled beauty that is our State and National Parks. However, I agree with a previous comment: does our usage fees go to keep them open, maintained, hiring, paying and keeping our wonderful rangers, guides and scientists and historians? Many of our parks have diminished services from cutting access hours and areas to downright neglect and eventual demise. As with all things, politicians are a necessary part of our system. Make it YOUR business to make it THEIR business to give a darn! We part time and full timers are an increasingly powerful voice. End of speech (speakin' to the choir, huh?) Thanks, Jamie, for all you do for the RVers!
I have been using the senior pass for several years and it has worked out well.
I would be more than willing to pay more to use the National Parks if I thought the money would go to the national Park system.
I have zero confidence that our politicians could keep their hands off that money.
The answer seems to me to be smaller government. If along with increased fees there was a decrease in spending in other areas of government then I would go along with the idea.
Our current "leaders" take a salary increase but skip our social security increase two years in a row. When they finally give an SS increase it's far below the 10% raise they gave themselves. Now they want to further penny pinch seniors. $10 more or less sure isn't going to affect most of us but it's wrong!! As a country we would save a whole lot more by forcing congress to give up all perks and adhere to the same rules (i.e., health care, insider trading, etc., etc.) as the rest of us.
So let me get this straight, in 2004 our Federal government passed legislation giving this $10 perk to seniors 62 and over. This was done with careful thought and consideration. Now, barely 8 years later, we Baby Boomers are now to blame for the National Park system going broke? Maybe it's time for these illustrious legislators to put together a budget that addresses all these financial issues! I'm becoming a little irritated at being the scapegoat for all the ills of the government. We are already to blame for losses in the Social Security program, Medicare, and Medicade. Now it's the National Parks!
I'm 66 and have been enjoying my senior pass for 4 years. I love it and love a bargain, but the $10 for life is really way too inexpensive considering all that the parks, monuments, etc have to offer. We need to support our parks. I try to make up for it with donations to NPCA, but I'd certainly be willing to renew every year for $10 or $25 for 5 years, or something along that line. $10 for life feels like something-for-nothing, and when the something is as wondrous as our national parks, it's very unrealistic to think it's sustainable.
I would be happy to pay $20 as long as it went to the parks and not the government aspect of it. Like any of the meberships we pay will RVing, $20 is a drop in the bucket.
It's kind of hilarious that someone from California is weighing in on this. They screwed up their own parks and they want to say something about National Parks.
I agree I wouldn't mind paying $20 a year, as long as the money was left for the parks to use to do repairs, replacement of equipment, and not taken over by congress for the general funds. We are constantly fighting the State of Texas to leave the fees for hunting and fishing licenses, vanity plates for Texas Wildlife and entrance fees. Too many times congress will put the money in general funds and dole out about 1/3rd which barely helps them keep staff much less do repairs.
I have no problem paying a fee to use our National Parks and Bureau of Land Management Parks and Campgrounds, and National Monuments they do have to be paid for.
"Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, thinks that seniors should pay more to use our national parks." She needs to look at the California State Parks and figure out how they lost all the money that was going to force the closure of the State of California State Parks and Campgrounds
Get the states parks and the State of California's financial problems in order before she tries to tell the NPS & BLM be cost effective.
Sorry for the rant but it turns my stomach to go to a State Beach Campground with out hook-ups and have to pay almost as much or more than I get over charged at a KOA Campground.
I'd happily pay $10 or even $20 per YEAR for my Golden Age Pass. Great bargain at that price.