Ap Artilce bashes GA

[Roger (K8RI)]

An AP article that starts out

"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The federal government has taken billions of
dollars from the taxes and fees paid by airline passengers every time
they fly and awarded it to small airports used mainly by private
pilots and globe-trotting corporate executives." gives a very negative
spin to GA and our opposition to "User fees"

The article is available on the excite site, but may require free
registration to read.

http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8oh58q00&

They have just enough facts mixed with the misinformation to make it
dangerously misleading.

[BT]

sounds like a letter to the editor writing campaign in the offing..
let all those people know that GA aircraft also contribute to the same fund
through additional fuel taxes on aviation fuel and that a disproportionate
amount of dollars spent from the fund go to large "airline hub" airports and
not the small GA airport, and also that the fund contributes to the FAA
"general fund" to maintain ATC and aids to radio navigation.

BT (sorry roger, meant to hit reply to group)

"Roger (K8RI)" > wrote in message
...
>
> An AP article that starts out
>
> "SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The federal government has taken billions of
> dollars from the taxes and fees paid by airline passengers every time
> they fly and awarded it to small airports used mainly by private
> pilots and globe-trotting corporate executives." gives a very negative
> spin to GA and our opposition to "User fees"
>
> The article is available on the excite site, but may require free
> registration to read.
>
> http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8oh58q00&
>
> They have just enough facts mixed with the misinformation to make it
> dangerously misleading.
>

[Larry Dighera]

>"Roger (K8RI)" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> An AP article that starts out
>>
>> "SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The federal government has taken billions of
>> dollars from the taxes and fees paid by airline passengers every time
>> they fly and awarded it to small airports used mainly by private
>> pilots and globe-trotting corporate executives." gives a very negative
>> spin to GA and our opposition to "User fees"
>>
>> The article is available on the excite site, but may require free
>> registration to read.
>>
>> http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8oh58q00&
>>
>> They have just enough facts mixed with the misinformation to make it
>> dangerously misleading.
>>
>
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:14:07 -0700, "BT" > wrote
in >:

>sounds like a letter to the editor writing campaign in the offing..
>let all those people know that GA aircraft also contribute to the same fund
>through additional fuel taxes on aviation fuel and that a disproportionate
>amount of dollars spent from the fund go to large "airline hub" airports and
>not the small GA airport, and also that the fund contributes to the FAA
>"general fund" to maintain ATC and aids to radio navigation.
>
>BT (sorry roger, meant to hit reply to group)
>

GA is under attack by the airlines with all the unrestrained zeal and
mendacity of a Karl Rove campaign to usurp the US Constitution. Make
no mistake.

It is part of the job of government to maintain the nation's
transportation infrastructure. To fail to fund the needs of all
airports would weaken our nation. What a biased and shortsighted
point of view for a journalist to take.

I'll have to give the AP article a read.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
Larry Dighera > wrote:

> >"Roger (K8RI)" > wrote in message
> ...
> >>
> >> An AP article that starts out
> >>
> >> "SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The federal government has taken billions of
> >> dollars from the taxes and fees paid by airline passengers every time
> >> they fly and awarded it to small airports used mainly by private
> >> pilots and globe-trotting corporate executives." gives a very negative
> >> spin to GA and our opposition to "User fees"
> >>
> >> The article is available on the excite site, but may require free
> >> registration to read.
> >>
> >> http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8oh58q00&
> >>
> >> They have just enough facts mixed with the misinformation to make it
> >> dangerously misleading.
> >>
> >
> On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:14:07 -0700, "BT" > wrote
> in >:
>
> >sounds like a letter to the editor writing campaign in the offing..
> >let all those people know that GA aircraft also contribute to the same fund
> >through additional fuel taxes on aviation fuel and that a disproportionate
> >amount of dollars spent from the fund go to large "airline hub" airports and
> >not the small GA airport, and also that the fund contributes to the FAA
> >"general fund" to maintain ATC and aids to radio navigation.
> >
> >BT (sorry roger, meant to hit reply to group)
> >
>
> GA is under attack by the airlines with all the unrestrained zeal and
> mendacity of a Karl Rove campaign to usurp the US Constitution. Make
> no mistake.
>
> It is part of the job of government to maintain the nation's
> transportation infrastructure. To fail to fund the needs of all
> airports would weaken our nation. What a biased and shortsighted
> point of view for a journalist to take.
>
> I'll have to give the AP article a read.

Hey, Larry:

Please don't forget those stalwarts of the Left, such as Sens. Barbara
Boxer and Diane Feinstein, who refer to GA pilots as "hobby pilots" who
don't deserve any rights.

Also look at Charlie Shumer's record re GA.

[Larry Dighera]

On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 04:29:03 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
> wrote in
>:

>
>Please don't forget those stalwarts of the Left, such as Sens. Barbara
>Boxer and Diane Feinstein, who refer to GA pilots as "hobby pilots" who
>don't deserve any rights.
>
>Also look at Charlie Shumer's record re GA.

It's not about politics. It's about the airline manufacturers and
operators attempting to wrest control of the NAS from the
government/people.

If you have something to say about the politicians you mention, how
about putting forth the effort to provide some supporting citations to
bolster your assertions?

[Larry Dighera]

On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:44:45 GMT, Larry Dighera >
wrote in >:

>
>I'll have to give the AP article a read.

Bob Porterfield's AP article echoes the rhetoric of the large
corporate mouthpiece, Robert Poole's Reason Foundation. It is The
Reason Foundation who is the most vocal advocate of privatizing ATC,
and now he's attacking GA.

Here's my comment on Porterfield's article printed in the Sacramento
Bee:

General Aviation is under attack by the airlines with all the
unrestrained zeal and mendacity of a Karl Rove campaign to usurp
the US Constitution. Make no mistake.

It is part of the job of government to maintain the nation's
transportation infrastructure. To fail to fund the needs of all
airports would weaken our nation. What a biased and shortsighted
point of view for a journalist to take. Mr. Porterfield was
obviously taken in by The Reason Foundation's Mr. Poole who is
apparently a spokesman for large corporations.

NASA's and FAA's vision of the future for air travel, Small
Aviation Transportation System (SATS), is based on small airport
infrastructure as an alternative to short-range automotive trips
for both private and business transportation needs.


If I could find Mr. Porterfield's e-mail address, I'd send him a
comment too.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
Larry Dighera > wrote:

> On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 04:29:03 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
> > wrote in
> >:
>
> >
> >Please don't forget those stalwarts of the Left, such as Sens. Barbara
> >Boxer and Diane Feinstein, who refer to GA pilots as "hobby pilots" who
> >don't deserve any rights.
> >
> >Also look at Charlie Shumer's record re GA.
>
> It's not about politics. It's about the airline manufacturers and
> operators attempting to wrest control of the NAS from the
> government/people.

I agree with this assessment. the airlines wish to control the NAS,
without directly paying to support it. They pay no fuel taxes for use on
scheduled services and pass the ticket tax to their customers.

The article cited (it appeared in our local paper today) reads like a
press release from the Reason Foundation's Poole and the Air Transport
Assn, with a few bits of rebuttal from the GA side.

> If you have something to say about the politicians you mention, how
> about putting forth the effort to provide some supporting citations to
> bolster your assertions?

OK:

Boxer: When she was a Marin County Supervisor, she fought (successfully)
against conversion of Hamilton AFB to a GA airport, claiming that it
would turn it over to the "hobby pilots." She has never been a friend of
GA. Her political friends were partners in the real estate development
company that finally obtained the lion's share of the property.

Google "Hamilton Landing".

Feinstein: She has used the same pejorative term and, again is no friend.

Shumer: As a Congressman, he introduced mandatory flight plan
legislation (fortunately it went nowhere).

Remember, too, that these people are "champions of the poor" and wish to
portray GA as a "rich man's activity." As such, they will vote to soak
us as much as possible.

[Roy Epperson]

Orval Fairbairn wrote:
<snip>

Boxer: When she was a Marin County Supervisor, she fought (successfully)
> against conversion of Hamilton AFB to a GA airport, claiming that it
> would turn it over to the "hobby pilots." She has never been a friend of
> GA. Her political friends were partners in the real estate development
> company that finally obtained the lion's share of the property.
>
> Google "Hamilton Landing".
>
> Feinstein: She has used the same pejorative term and, again is no friend.
>
> Shumer: As a Congressman, he introduced mandatory flight plan
> legislation (fortunately it went nowhere).
>
> Remember, too, that these people are "champions of the poor" and wish to
> portray GA as a "rich man's activity." As such, they will vote to soak
> us as much as possible.

The same people, their spouses, and best "buddies" fly in their private
or chartered jets - whoops that's GA. When was the last time, they flew
"cattle car"?

[Mxsmanic]

Roy Epperson writes:

> The same people, their spouses, and best "buddies" fly in their private
> or chartered jets - whoops that's GA. When was the last time, they flew
> "cattle car"?

Even if GA is outlawed, there will always be exceptions for the people doing
the outlawing.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.