Here's a related news article. Note how the writer is suggesting that the increased postage rate to 49-cents is yet another reason why it gets harder to get kids interested in stamp collecting today. While it certainly has an impact, you can collect other aspects of stamps and not every new issue. Even some seasoned collectors note that they can't keep up with all the new issues, either.
http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_2499322...t-collecting