OK CJ and Pete, no kicking, gouging, or biting..

I am of the inclination that no airport should close, but the reality
is that some airports are going to close just because of the nature of
our society - Meigs is a case in point - and that we/AOPA have to pick
our fights carefully...

I have had discussion with the county commissioners who 'own' my
airport... When they whined about $68,000 to subsidize the operating
costs over and above the income from rentals and fuel sales last year,
I asked how much they made from the brand new, multimillion dollar,
boat launch and park they had just built the year before (use is free
to the public), and how much income they got from stop signs, snow
plowing, or street lighting (big dollars for electricity 365 nights a
year), and so on... The answer was that the park, the streets, etc.,
were line items in the budget and therefore didn't cost them anything
!?!... Understanding the mind set I was dealing with - which is they
will fund politically popular programs and deny anything that doesn't
bring them relection votes - I suggested that they make the airport an
line item in the budget and then the airport would not cost them
anything from then on... The looks I got would curdle mothers milk...
Denny