NY Times Story on Pilot Population Decline

Mxsmanic wrote:

Maxwell writes:


Then someone is buying way too much house!


How much house can you get for $60,000 (1.5 times the average salary in the
U.S.)?

Well obviously it depends upon where you live... you couldn't buy a
house in Kalifornia for $60,000 but in other places of the country
you could.

Mxsmanic wrote:


If you can't get past partisan politics to see the individuals who cause the
problem, you're part of the problem yourself.

Excellently stated...

The tendency for people to polarize into club mentality of partisan politics,
as opposed to considering each candidate or elected official as an individual
and each issue as independent of party lines, is a serious problem that tends
to afflict all democracies eventually, and it is part of what leads to their
demise.


You nailed it. Too bad few people will actually read your post but its
right on.

Mxsmanic wrote:

Larry Dighera writes:


That is as it should be, in my humble opinion. Folks who consider
aviation a hobby belong on the ground.


You may find that aviation will no longer be possible at all in the future
with an attitude like that.

Well, in essence, that is the way it is in European countries.
Flying is basically not possible for an average person due to the
high costs.

The two biggest impediments are due to government... high taxes
on fuel and various user fees and lots of government regulation.

Anytime you want to destroy a particular human endeavor all you
have to do is get government involved.... education comes to mind.
But I digress.

"kontiki" wrote in message
...
Mxsmanic wrote:

Maxwell writes:


Then someone is buying way too much house!


How much house can you get for $60,000 (1.5 times the average salary in
the
U.S.)?

Well obviously it depends upon where you live... you couldn't buy a
house in Kalifornia for $60,000 but in other places of the country
you could.

There are very livable homes in every state for $60k,,,,, but you said 10
time retard,,,, can't you follow your own posts???

Besides, you are either to ignorant or to impatient to accept the fact, that
in every state - you can buy a $60k home, live in it for 10 years, and
usually trade up with your equity, and have a $100k to $120k home for the
same monthly payment. So quit whining, and living in France on hand outs
from you friends. Life is still very livable for those who CHOOSE to live
it.

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:44:36 GMT, kontiki
wrote in :

Larry Dighera wrote:

Consider $3-billion a week in Iraq for five years, or much longer
depending..., and the money-sink of a blundering Department of
Homeland Security. It is those useless expenditures that are
consuming the wealth of our nation.


Larry please... please research and discover that the US spends
THREE times as much on entitlements (welfare and other handouts)
as it does the military.

Unlike the examples I mentioned, Social Security and Medicare benefit
the people of this country directly, and do not _needlessly_ squander
our nation's treasure for the benefit of large corporations like
Bechtel and Halliburton.

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:49:52 GMT, kontiki
wrote in :

Mxsmanic wrote:


If you can't get past partisan politics to see the individuals who cause the
problem, you're part of the problem yourself.


You nailed it. Too bad few people will actually read your post but its
right on.

Anthony's comment was written in response to what I wrote, and it
completely misses the mark. My comment wasn't intended to be
partisan, but circumstances have made it appear to be.

The war in Iraq and the DHS are disasters. Face it.

Larry Dighera wrote:


Unlike the examples I mentioned, Social Security and Medicare benefit
the people of this country directly, and do not _needlessly_ squander
our nation's treasure for the benefit of large corporations like
Bechtel and Halliburton.


The Constitution does not anywhere authorize the taking of taxpayer
money to be given away in welfare and social programs. It does
in fact authorize an Army for the defense of the country. You
can argue that the war in Iraq is stupid, but the expenditure of
money on defense (i.e. the military) is Constituional.

You apparent consistant disdain for corporations illustrates
your displile for free enterprise and your bias toward big
government.... be we already know that.

This country was founded on the principle of limited government.
For the first 150 years of its existance we had politicians
that understood that concept. To wit, the founding fathers were
all mostly businessmen of some sort or another. The trend today
is that politicians seldome have real world experience in busines.
Far too many of the have never really held a job outside of
government... and too many are simply one in a long line
od political figures... ever inbreeding their government ideas.

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:01:58 GMT, kontiki
wrote in :

Mxsmanic wrote:

Larry Dighera writes:


That is as it should be, in my humble opinion. Folks who consider
aviation a hobby belong on the ground.


You may find that aviation will no longer be possible at all in the future
with an attitude like that.

Well, in essence, that is the way it is in European countries.

Without the rationale behind Anthony's statement, I do not find it
particularly compelling.

I would venture a guess, that those dilettantes who consider flying to
be a hobby are of a much lesser proportion of European airmen than
they are in the US.

Flying is basically not possible for an average person due to the
high costs.

While that is unfortunate if true, it probably tends to keep the
majority of the accidents-waiting-to-happen out of the sky, as only
those who possess adequate passion for aviation to overcome the
financial disincentive are able to fly.

The two biggest impediments are due to government... high taxes
on fuel and various user fees and lots of government regulation.

Without a clue of how effective public outcry is in shaping
governmental policy in Europe, I would also blame the silent airmen
who failed to protest the imposition of the stifling measures you
mention.

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...

Unlike the examples I mentioned, Social Security and Medicare benefit
the people of this country directly,


If the people of this country believed that to be true they wouldn't have to
be forced to participate in them.

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in
:

My personal theory is that flying is no longer the source of hero
worship it once was. Is there a current Lindberg? How about an Amelia
Earhart? Maybe a John Glenn? Not really. Flying has lost the public's
imagination, and therefore the publicity.

I'd take it even a step further. 30 years ago, there was a "glamour
factor" to any sort of flying - even Airline. It was relatively more
expensive, there were fewer available flights to fewer destinations, the
flying experience was made to be pleasurable and comfortable, and unless
you were travelling between major cities or vacation spots, it was fairly
expensive in both time and money. You needed to make reservations through a
travel agent, who generally provided full service and took care of you and
made you feel important, and also increased the price by 15%.

Today, you can fly to just about anywhere in the US for a few hundred
dollars or less, and rarely have to wait more than an hour or two between
stops. The advent of web sites like Expedia and Kayak have made it easy to
find cheap fares without being made to feel important. The flying
experience has gone from a full service, comfortable, special experience to
a cattle-car style bus ride where you get nickel-and-dimed for even the
peanuts you eat. Regional carriers with Captains who are substantially
younger and less experienced have deteriorated the "Pilot Hero" image.
Instead, today's American Idol's are the music and sports stars whose
incomes have skyrocketed as compared with pilots. Airline pilots have
become bus drivers with wings.

Flying in general has become a commodity. It's just not special anymore to
most people. It's happening in many other industries as well. It's a shame,
but the truth is, the entire world is evolving in this way as the internet
makes information freely and readily available to the general population...