Pilot's Political Orientation

"TTA Cherokee Driver" wrote in message
...

Sounds to me like pilots are a lot like farmers, sqawking for the gumbit
to cut their taxes and stay out of their "self-reliant" way, while
refusing to acknowledge (even to themselves) the massive government
spending, protection, and subsidies that make their activity
economically feasible.


What is this massive government spending, protection, and subsidy that makes
flying economically feasible and what is the source?

How much did you pay the FAA last year, other than the same amount that
non-flyers in your tax bracket paid?


"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"TTA Cherokee Driver" wrote in message
...

Sounds to me like pilots are a lot like farmers, sqawking for the gumbit
to cut their taxes and stay out of their "self-reliant" way, while
refusing to acknowledge (even to themselves) the massive government
spending, protection, and subsidies that make their activity
economically feasible.


What is this massive government spending, protection, and subsidy that
makes
flying economically feasible and what is the source?

"Bill Denton" wrote in message
...

How much did you pay the FAA last year, other than the same
amount that non-flyers in your tax bracket paid?


Considerably more, as the primary source of FAA funding is user taxes which
are not paid by non-flyers.

The local small airport near me was bought by the government to stop it from
being bought by a home builder. Now tell me that it is the free market at
work there. The land is worth millions, but the government wants to keep it
an airport. I guess government spending is not so bad after all!!!

Jason


"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
link.net...

"Bill Denton" wrote in message
...

How much did you pay the FAA last year, other than the same
amount that non-flyers in your tax bracket paid?


Considerably more, as the primary source of FAA funding is user taxes
which
are not paid by non-flyers.

"Jason Peterson" wrote in message
...

The local small airport near me was bought by the government to
stop it from being bought by a home builder. Now tell me that it is
the free market at work there. The land is worth millions, but the
government wants to keep it an airport. I guess government
spending is not so bad after all!!!


Why did the airport owner sell the airport to the government instead of the
developer?

Jason Peterson wrote:
The local small airport near me was bought by the government to stop it from
being bought by a home builder. Now tell me that it is the free market at
work there. The land is worth millions, but the government wants to keep it
an airport. I guess government spending is not so bad after all!!!

Free markets are a good in a great many ways, but they are far from
perfect. Basic infrastructure is one area where they fall down. If we
only got roads and bridges from a free market economy, you would only
have paved roads between major urban centers and nothing in the country.
Likewise with power and communication services. Same with airports.
Another area where free markets would fail us would be pollution.

Government involvement is necessary in certain areas, but I believe we
have moved beyond those areas and that is the problem.


Matt

Wish the government would buy 2 airports near me, 1 airport's runway housing
semi trailers the other is going to be destroyed by a developer that will
only leave 1 airport here that the city owns but for how long who knows?


"Jason Peterson" wrote in message
...
The local small airport near me was bought by the government to stop it
from
being bought by a home builder. Now tell me that it is the free market at
work there. The land is worth millions, but the government wants to keep
it
an airport. I guess government spending is not so bad after all!!!

Jason


"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
link.net...

"Bill Denton" wrote in message
...

How much did you pay the FAA last year, other than the same
amount that non-flyers in your tax bracket paid?


Considerably more, as the primary source of FAA funding is user taxes
which
are not paid by non-flyers.

Steven P. McNicoll wrote:

"TTA Cherokee Driver" wrote in message
...

Sounds to me like pilots are a lot like farmers, sqawking for the gumbit
to cut their taxes and stay out of their "self-reliant" way, while
refusing to acknowledge (even to themselves) the massive government
spending, protection, and subsidies that make their activity
economically feasible.



What is this massive government spending, protection, and subsidy that makes
flying economically feasible and what is the source?



Who pays to build and maintain all those airports we fly out of?
Who pays to build and maintain all the navaids we depend on?
Who pays for all those air traffic controllers that are available for us
24/7?

etc. etc.

If you honestly think the user fees you pay in taxes on your 100LL cover
the cost of your use of this stuff, you are seriously fooling yourself.

"xyzzy" wrote in message
...

Who pays to build and maintain all those airports we fly out of?


We do.



Who pays to build and maintain all the navaids we depend on?


We do.



Who pays for all those air traffic controllers that are available for us
24/7?


We do.



etc. etc.

If you honestly think the user fees you pay in taxes on your
100LL cover the cost of your use of this stuff, you are
seriously fooling yourself.


Am I? The last figures I saw had user fees covering about 85% of these
costs. Am I wrong?

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

Am I? The last figures I saw had user fees covering about 85% of these

costs. Am I wrong?

Most of it comes from taxes on airline tickets.

The average G/A guy who flys a Cessna 182 100 hours a year doesn't begin to
pay for the system.