"Steve A" wrote:
...
If by facts you mean the budget and expense numbers from
FAA data, the debate is not over the those. It is over
whether the FAA funding mechanism is fair.....and everyone
involved defines fair in their own way.


I don't think the debate really is over fairness, as I read recent
Congressional testimony on this. Ever since Congress let FAA dip into
the improvement fund for, in effect, FAA operating money, the air
carriers' position is that fund is "broken" and is now inadequately
funded for capital improvements to big airports. The amount of money
which could realistically come from GA in user fees has to be petty cash
to the airline industry. Probably around 90% of GA would avoid using
any services where possible. Another aspect is much of the money now
comes from the airline ticket tax, and under user fees that's gone, so
the airlines would have to pay their user fees as a pure expense item.

Fred F.