65 and older license exemption

[Blackdog40]

Might want to think about your dad and grand Dad

[Silent]

Oh so sweet...what a good laugh. Listening to you guys over this political debate. I will say I am bitter about my 400 boat taxes and that 7% goes to the Shawnee county public library. If you want a better laugh or heart attack read the back of your property tax form and the allocation of those funds. KDWP can save money. They don't need to drive new F150's, Chevy Silverados, with every bell and whistle. Do they need grasshopper mowers? They feed themselves off of golden spoons. This isn't an attack on the KDWP workers by any means, they have no control on the issue. The corp of engineers has mowing contracts coming out...I would really like to know what we pay a contractor to mow pomona's dam? Thats a contract. I will stop there before my .02 turns into 2,000. As for the 65 plus license. Give them a $100 option for a lifetime...or $50. That takes care of the diehards who are still buying yearly.

[imajigger2]

Crappiedoc has nailed this thing to a tee, the big T. Wait until this entity starts sucking the fed funding from the coffers, I can see it now since they will claim they are promoting the sport of fishing to all those people who can't wait to knock each other over converging on this State for the fishing opportunites. They will need more and more of your monies to reach the masses all across the USA to get to Kansas. Thats about as asinine as I can put it!! In the mean time you will be asked to just accept rising costs in the guise of helping yourself to better fishing opportunities, the kool-aid is starting to flow!! It is beyond me how anyone could accept change of this magnitude without going down with a fight. What about the promises of the past? Who is to be held accountable for this? Do you just give em a free ride because they say they need it? What happened to the word "LIFETIME" when you purchased that "LIFETIME" fishing license? Now you are willing to pay 10 or 15 dollars a year for your "LIFETIME" license to get a few and very few at that number of 65 year old fishermen to pay their fair share? That just tells me you don't want to hold anyone accountable and whatever the G-man says is okay cause you don't want accountability. One poster stated ALL or EVERYONE should pay, so again I say do you want our disabled servicemen paying or any of the other groups previousley mentioned. If you let this go down this way it won't be long before every other agency in this State is going to want a slice of your pie too. If you support any of this then why would you not want the DOT to get some of your funding to keep the roads nice on the way to your favorite lake after all they are with less funds now too and for all those tourists who are going to come and visit your beautiful lake and spend thousands of dollars in this State. As Crappiedoc stated, the T department was broke and mismanaged, if they weren't they wouldn't be trying to suck your funding for something that is doomed to failure. The people who come to visit Kansas will come to Kansas based on its merits not the commercialazation by a Government agency. If License fees need to be raised then raise them for those like me. I don't have a problem with that as long as i get some transparency and accountability on funding. They have started exactly what they intended, they will divide the players (you and I) and neither of us will win in the end with division and the politicians will line their pockets with your "LIFETIME" 10 to 15 dollar fee and the few 65 year olds.

[crappiedoc]

Guys, before I say this, I want you all to know I'm not picking on anybody here, I'm one very opinionated SOB. In my life I've seen this very agency slide into the gullet of political misuse. When I was younger it was called Fish and Game, a totally self-supporting agency with BIG MONEY on the books. The state stole it's money by combining that agency with Parks, it's basically been insolvent since. The generation of the time didn't stand up against this, now having done this once and being successful, history is going to repeat itself. The new generation for this, is mine and I'll tell you all if we just let it happen our childrens future is at stake. The reasons for license numbers declining are the same as the people wanting to charge this new fee. Where will it stop? If you think ante up, your feeding a progressive pot and folding before the flop. People get fed up and just quit, look at the license/permit sales. Next will be some form of ANS stamp and on and on.

[fishlessDan]

WOW! Some of you guys go so left wing it's crazy! If moneys aren't collected somewhere they will just start closing parks. If a fella over 65 can't afford to buy a yearly liscense for $20 how can they justify owning a boat or putting gas in the truck to head to a lake???? or buying minners to fish with???? if the retirees are so destitute they should just stay home and count themselves lucky that they were able to retire, us younger folks probably will have to work till we drop dead! Stop whinning over $20!!!! It's pathetic, man up and give back what you've been taking!

[Blackdog40]

I have never complained about any raise in license fees, I have always thought that this is good money spent to further the growth of our sport and outdoor experience. It now seems like the State is set on grubbing money from what ever avenue they can find. They are talking about eliminating state income taxes, when we are at a time that they say they do not have enough money for education, duh stupid dumb.

On a side note I do not think I will have any taxidermist work done in Manhattan, Ks I hope all near 65 and over fell the same.

[Fish Taxi]

On a side note I do not think I will have any taxidermist work done in Manhattan, Ks I hope all near 65 and over fell the same.

Geez man. It's unfortunate that a simple difference of opinion makes us enemies in your mind.

On a happier note, I think Imajigger raised some interesting points in one of his posts. Where should you draw the line? Would it be appropriate to make children buy licenses, disabled vets? I don't think so. But the line does have to be drawn somewhere, doesn't it?

The bad thing for the baby boomer generation is that there are so dang many of you that you end up getting the shaft sometimes. If you all quit buying licenses, then are there enough people left to support KDWP? Probably not... Recruitment of the generations that came after you wasn't too good. Which brings me back to my original point. If you are passionate about fishing, then you are going to need to support its future financially. If for no other reason, then because it's what you love to do and you want your kids and grandkids to enjoy the outdoors the same way you have done.

I agree that transparency seems like a fair demand. It seems pretty reasonable to me for a person to want to know how his tax dollars are being spent.

Crappiedoc, I like the idea of separating out Fish and Game from all the other BS. I think that would make a huge difference, and I would support an idea like that too. The proceeds from license sales should go back to support fish and game.

Finally, if my father couldn't afford a fishing license, I would buy him one.

[imajigger2]

What kind of Government do we have when we kick the "masses" to the curb to favor the few? I fail to see what makes us left wing when we are not asking for a redistribution of wealth. What we are asking for is transparency and accountability for the wealth that is already given, then if and only if there is an unwasted shortfall look at methods to be more effecient, that doesn't always equate to more money. How is that left wing? I don't think we should be throwing darts until we see some actual numbers. Just maybe the sportsmen of Kansas would be better served by the unfunding of some of these Parks. The ones that remain healthy will improve and survive, If they are so important to the few, then let them fund them. Again not asking for redistribution of the wealth here. User fees should be just that, funded by users that have traditionaly followed what the Government promised. I fail to see how that makes us left wing. There are many unanswered questions remaining before I part with my money and anyone who just throws money at the government without questioning it or is asking someone else to pay for their pleasure is about as far left as you can get. In my mind anyone who is asking to make these huge changes just doesn't care how their money is used. The few that are recieving those free fishing licences and being the mass of the users is unfounded at this point. they are in no different a catagory than those who purchased "LIFETIME" permits, and you support them paying more? What does "LIFETIME" mean to you? Again I would like to see the numbers of "LIFETIME" permits versus 65 year old retirees. At what point will you say enough is enough and you man up and hold your Goverenment accountable for promises made more transparency and acountability?

[kingfish387]

The only thing that bothers me is about the 65 and older and the vet's.Not all retired folks can afford it. Alot of retires have busted there butt's building this country thinking they would retire on SS.Well that's not hardly the case.I think we should pony up a little more and help take care of those older folks.As far as for the vets go,they take care of protecting our freedoms(for meager pay) I just want to say COME ON MAN!

[shane]

I am not 65 but I would like to know what other things to you get for free when you turn 65? I know you get 10% off at some stores. Maybe you should get 10% off of your new fishing license. I don't hear anyone complaining about the 3 rod and not getting them for free. You have to pay full price for them. Trout stamp??? Full Price... No complaints about that..... Camping?? Full price... Lake permits?? Discount.... 10% maybe. What if someone has never purchased a license until they turned 65? Does Kansas owe them a free ride. They haven't paid their dues by buying a license every year.

I understand that many people don't have much money at 65, but buying a license helps put more fish in the waters that we fish and other things. It's 20.00 bucks. Everything in this world come at a price. Thats government at its best...