If user fees go into effect I'm done

BDS writes:

What is your definition of GA?

Anything that's not a commercial transportation service for pay.

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

Mxsmanic wrote:
BDS writes:

What is your definition of GA?

Anything that's not a commercial transportation service for pay.

That conflicts with the FAA definition.

ktbr writes:

They are ignorant. Every day in this country GA is used by businesses
large to small.

Forget it.

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

Gig 601XL Builder writes:

I can think of 3 major companies that together employee ~2500 people in my
town of ~20,000 that would not be here if it weren't for the availability of
GA flight. In fact, the town would probably dry up and blow away if any one
of these left and would certainly do so if any two of them did.

What type of business are these companies in?

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

Gig 601XL Builder writes:

And where exactly do you get that 1/3 of the US population is illiterate?

A number of studies that I've read, in the days when I was interested in
trying to help reduce illiteracy. As much as half the population cannot even
understand a help-wanted advertisement or a W-2 form.

The CIA world fact book says...

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)

Most countries, including all developed countries, dramatically overstate
their literacy figures. The United States is no exception. Furthermore, most
countries count a person as literate if he knows the alphabet and can
recognize simple words. In fact, that isn't even close to literacy in any
practical sense, and the number of people who are _functionally_ literate is
generally only a fraction of those who meet these minimal criteria.

But this link http://www.theglobalist.com/DBWeb/St...x?StoryId=2553 is
written by a guy saying that Cuba is doing a great job and compares the US
to Cuba and even he says 97%.

That may be true, as a rigid and compulsory educational system can raise
literacy rates by forcing everyone to learn to read. However, 97% is probably
optimistic.

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

ktbr wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:


People who are not interested in GA don't see it that way. To them,
GA is a
hobby for the rich, and they are justifiably curious as to why they
should
subsidize GA in any way, since they receive nothing in return.


They are ignorant. Every day in this country GA is used by businesses
large to small. We have two UPS contract flights in and out of our GA
airport daily and two check hauling flights daily. Business jets come in
and out of here several times a week on business purposes with any of
dozens of business located in this town or nearby. All this is GA, not
Commercial.

Most people have no clue that much of the products that get shipped to
their homes come via GA.

"elitist hobby" clearly does not include FedEx, et al feeder flights,
medical flights, or serious business aviation. It does include "$100
hamburger" flights, personal transportation flight, personal sightseeing
flights, and warbird activities.

Smart non-flying folks I know clearly know the difference.

I bring this aspect up, because it will become part of the debate about
user fees. To ignore the argument does not make it go away.

ktbr writes:

Besides, one way or the other you WILL pay for it, sort of like
increasing taxes on corporations... I wonder what the airlines can
charge to ship a package from point A to B once the competition
of GA is history.

About the same as now. It's mostly an administrative distinction.

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

My idea would be to draft people into elections. Instead of letting anyone
who wants to run enter the election, you'd choose people based on some sort of
objective criteria and then draft them into the election (they'd have the
option of declining). Then the candidates would all be qualified, rather than
simply ambitious and self-centered.

Well, MX, this is a most excellent idea. In my future, perfect
political party, this will be a main plank in our platform.

Take the rest of the day off...with double pay.

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Gig 601XL Builder writes:

Tort reform would help. As it is now if you go to the Doctor with a cold he
is more likly than not to run tests that aren't going to find anything other
than you have a cold because of the off chance that you might have something
else.

How would you handle doctors who are truly guilty of malpractice? What sort
of reforms would you enact?

Higher deductible are a good thing for a couple of reasons. They make the
insured take more care when they decide to see a doctor. In the US it is not
unusual for people to go to the doctor when they really don't need to
because all it is going to cost them, out of their own pocket at that moment
is $30.00. When they do the first issue comes into play.

I've always thought it would be nice to have a policy that requires you to pay
back any medical expenses in the last six months of your life out of your
estate. Most people run up more than half their lifetime medical bills during
their terminal illness. If you exclude these bills from coverage, you can
dramatically lower premiums. And since you can't take it with you, there no
reason not to use the estate to pay the final bills.

A better fix than the higher deductable is a Health Savings Account. It has
all the systemic benefits of the high deductable and really causes people to
take ownership of their health care.

People have very little control over whether or not they get sick. Most
cannot save enough to pay for major medical care, no matter how hard they try,
and no matter how healthy they stay. The first hospital visit will wipe out
their savings (as it routinely does already for many people).

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

The "hobby" flying that people, including the wealthy, do adds so
little to the cost of maintaining the national airspace system that
it is hardly worth mentioning. The things that get money spent on
them like airports are helping the struggling masses by supporting
businesses that create jobs.

I strongly suspect that GA is more of a burden than an asset for the
population and society at large. Commercial air travel is a
necessity; general aviation is not.

I can think of 3 major companies that together employee ~2500 people in my
town of ~20,000 that would not be here if it weren't for the availability
of
GA flight. In fact, the town would probably dry up and blow away if any
one
of these left and would certainly do so if any two of them did.

And since one of these companies just decided to pay for the college
education of every single person that graduates from our school system I'd
say that means pretty much everybody here benefits from GA.

I might go so far as to say that GA, Freight, and Military are necessary and
that Air Taxi is usefull.

OTOH, the east usefull, to the healthy functioning of our economy is
scheduled pasenger service.

Peter
Just my $0.02
(Wearing Nomex, of course)