Is it necessary, or a step in the "wrong direction" with respect to open access for all?
http://theknow.denverpost.com/2017/10/24/gate-fee-rocky-mountain-nationa...
A year after celebrating its 100th anniversary with record crowds, the National Park Service is proposing steep increases in entry fees, more than doubling the peak-season gate fee to $70 at Rocky Mountain National Park and the 16 other busiest parks.
The “targeted fee increases” are intended to fund overdue improvements to aging infrastructure, including park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, restrooms and visitor centers, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement announcing the proposal.
“We need to have the vision to look at the future of our parks and take action in order to ensure that our grandkids’ grandkids will have the same if not better experience than we have today,” Zinke said. “Shoring up our parks’ aging infrastructure will do that.”
Rocky Mountain National Park two years ago raised the cost of its weekly vehicle pass to $30 from $20. On Jan. 1, the park raised the annual pass fee to $60 from $50 but kept its weekly vehicle pass at $30.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________ Heybrochacho
on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – 11:27 pm
Fuck you! Pay me.
Fuck you! Pay me.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees FaceOnMars
on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – 11:47 pm
Aren't you supposed to be
Aren't you supposed to be subject to random "message board etiquette testing"?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________ Heybrochacho
on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – 11:49 pm
Are you a “goodfella”
Are you a “goodfella”?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees FaceOnMars
on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – 11:53 pm
Not sure about goodfella, but
Not sure about "goodfella", but I am busting your balls ... so don't take it to heart.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________ Heybrochacho
on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – 11:56 pm
Oh thanks. Very cool of you
Oh thanks. Very cool of you to clear that up.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High Surfdead
on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – 11:56 pm
Prefer tax-funded
Prefer tax-funded infrastructure improvements to fee-based funding.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees FaceOnMars
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 12:06 am
Prefer tax-funded
Prefer tax-funded infrastructure improvements to fee-based funding<<<
I would tend to agree.
Also, if there are fees to be paid, lets not subvert the existing revenue streams that some of the individual National Parks depend upon:
An annual peak-season multi-visit pass to a single park would cost $75. But let's be realistic: nobody who can afford $70 or $75 will pay it to visit a single Park! They will instead buy an annual all-Parks, all-seasons "America the Beautiful" pass for $80. For only $5 or $10 more (for now) than the single-visit or single-Park fee, you can visit all the Parks all year long. Clearly, that $80 price is not sustainable so you can bet they'll be raising it sooner rather than later and by a substantial amount - think double or even triple!
The revenue from annual pass sales stays at the site where the pass is purchased, even if that's a Forest Service, BLM, or other non-NPS site, or an NPS site that's not increasing entrance fees, so many Parks will miss out on the hoped-for funding. At the same time, basic economics says that raising the price will deter visitation, especially by families and lower-income visitors - groups that the Parks claim to be trying to attract.ded infrastructure improvements to fee-based funding.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________ Heybrochacho
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 12:10 am
>Prefer tax-funded
>Prefer tax-funded infrastructure improvements to fee-based funding.
Peoples republic of America
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Skitime Wngfan
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 12:49 am
Fug no, these parks should be
Fug no, these parks should be free like the Smithsonian. They are our public lands after all and we all pay a boat load of taxes, the parks should be free.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________ Heybrochacho
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 12:53 am
Thom says only a small
Thom says only a small portion of Americans pay federal taxes
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Keithk1 Keithk1
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 07:35 am
Do you get a MAGA hat with
Do you get a MAGA hat upon entry for that $70?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Tim Wheres My Flashbacks
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 08:21 am
Just paid $30 and $35 for
Just paid $30 and $35 for Death Valley and Sequoya parks and thought it was steep but I concluded it is worth it to keep our national parks open. A lot of people did not pay at all.
70 is steep
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly Orange County Lumber Truck
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 08:36 am
Is that $70 for an annual
Is that $70 for an annual pass?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _ ender
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:23 am
>> Prefer tax-funded
>> Prefer tax-funded infrastructure improvements to fee-based funding.
Natural parks aren't infrastructure. (I was going to include the definition of infrastructure here, but it seemed snooty.)
I like use taxes for things like this exactly because they aren't necessary for our economy to function. I'm glad to pay the annual pass for state parks where I live.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High Surfdead
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:34 am
The parks are already there..
The parks are already there.. The money would be used for things like "park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, restrooms and visitor centers".
Infrastructure.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lucky Day Timmy Hoover
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:35 am
>>>>>Just paid $30 and $35
>>>>>Just paid $30 and $35 for Death Valley and Sequoya parks and thought it was steep but I concluded it is worth it to keep our national parks open. A lot of people did not pay at all.
You could have gotten an interagency annual pass for $80 and it would have been good for all 3 parks plus every other national park.
Are they proposing to raise the price of the interagency pass too?
Shit, most Zoners probably qualify for the Senior national park pass and it’s only $20 and good for life.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lucky Day Timmy Hoover
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:36 am
From the OP:
From the OP:
”The “targeted fee increases” are intended to fund overdue improvements to aging infrastructure, including park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, restrooms and visitor centers, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said”
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________ Heybrochacho
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:40 am
What will the OP complain
What will the OP complain about next?
Im sure this guy is single
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _ ender
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:40 am
>> The money would be used
>> The money would be used for things like "park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, restrooms and visitor centers".
Yeah, that's infrastructure to the park, not infrastructure in a global sense. It's necessary for the park to function, but the park is unnecessary for the federal government or the economy to function.
If you want to pay for the parks' infrastructure, pay the park's taxes.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High Surfdead
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:45 am
>>>>>the Senior national
>>>>>the Senior national park pass and it’s only $20 and good for life.
I got mine.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _ ender
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:48 am
>>the Senior national park
>>the Senior national park pass and it’s only $20 and good for life.
The $20 one is only good for a year.
What if a senior citizen is on a fixed budget?
The legislation also establishes an annual Senior Pass for $20. That pass is valid for one year from the date of issuance. Four annual Senior Passes purchased in consecutive years can be traded in for a lifetime pass.
The lifetime pass is now $80.
Why did the price of the Senior Pass increase?
The price of the America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass increased as a result of the Centennial Legislation P.L. 114-289 passed by the U.S. Congress on December 16, 2016.
Why $80?
The legislation states that the cost of the lifetime Senior Pass be equal to the cost of the annual America the Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which is currently $80.
https://store.usgs.gov/faq#New-Senior-Pass-Update
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High Surfdead
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:51 am
I got mine for $20 - didn't
I got mine for $20 - didn't realize they had gone up.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lucky Day Timmy Hoover
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 09:58 am
It went up to $20 from $10
It went up to $20 from $10
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lucky Day Timmy Hoover
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 10:00 am
>>>>>Four annual Senior
>>>>>Four annual Senior Passes purchased in consecutive years can be traded in for a lifetime pass.
Cool. I wonder if you can trade in non senior ones for a lifetime pass? Anybody know before I start wading through that website?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune Turtle
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 10:17 am
we can't have nice things.
we can't have nice things.
corporations need tax breaks.
ceo's need pay increases.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aiq aiq
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 10:28 am
One had to buy one earlier
One had to buy one earlier this summer to get in on the $20 lifetime pass. If you snoozed you lost.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune Turtle
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 10:33 am
my cal st. beach pass is $195
my cal st. beach pass is $195/yr.....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lord Kalvert Lloyd_Klondike
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 11:16 am
seventy bucks? - fuck no
seventy bucks? - fuck no
raise taxes on billionaires instead- that should cover it
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees FaceOnMars
on Thursday, October 26, 2017 – 11:24 am
Yeah, that's infrastructure
Yeah, that's infrastructure to the park, not infrastructure in a global sense. It's necessary for the park to function, but the park is unnecessary for the federal government or the economy to function.
If you want to pay for the parks' infrastructure, pay the park's taxes.<<<
Is the military "infrastructure"?
Do National Parks have significant value beyond their "utility" to the economy?