Privatizing Flight Service Stations - AOPA

AOPA has an article online right now regarding an FAA study to
possibly privatize the operation of the FSS system.

(http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsite...03-4-164x.html)

AOPA says, as usual, that they will fight the privatization of the FSS
system as vigorously as possible. I fear that some privatization of
govt aviation infrastructure is inevitable regardless of whether we
like it or not.

If the government is hell-bent on privatizing FSS, the major aviation
support organizations (AOPA, EAA) and the US aviation community at
large should get together instead and step up to the plate to put
together an alternate plan to take over the FSS infrastructure,
modernize it, and operate and manage it instead of putting it up for
bid. The FAA seems to want to wash their hands of the expenses and
responsibilities of FSS and we need an FSS system we can trust and
rely on. I feel the aviation community, with guidance and support of
AOPA/EAA/whoever can likely do a better job of building a non-profit
organization to run the FSS system like a customer-owned co-op. I
wouldn't even mind paying some reasonable annual fees if I knew the
money was going directly to the operation of a non-profit,
run-by-the-pilot-community-itself FSS system, and preventing the money
from lining the pockets of some greedy, low-bidder corporation that
just exists to suck in all the money they can while giving out
half-assed FSS services run on a shoestring budget.

Thoughts anyone?