I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the ins and outs of this story, but as a resident in a highly taxed and user-fee-centric environment I can tell you that this is a cause worth fighting for. The landscape of GA is already riddled with excessive costs, mark ups and fees just because of "who we are." Namely, "Oh.. you have a private plane, then the hamburger is twice what the menu says." That kinda thing. Don't get me wrong, I have just as much Proletariat Power stirring in my blood (yes, Proletariat Air Taxi) but when it comes to reallocating who funds the "21st Century needs" my good buddy Norm Mineta refers too, all I can think is that the ATA might have his privates in a rather tightly held set of pliers. Why else would you come after the little guys and make them shoulder so much of the burden? It would seem that airline problems (and politics) should not spill over into our world, but alas they have.

We could point the finger at VLJ marketing folks who claim to soon darken the skies with their small, cheap and efficient units, but the natural culprit is perhaps just politics as usual. The chest pounding of immiment success of the micro-jet was cute for awhile, and certainly enough to trick dim-witted FAA & DOT folks to believe that it would actually happen and consequently ask for big salary increases - after all, more responsibility, right?

But wait.. who will fund this? Ah... yes, the guys with the little planes! This story gives a good overall perspective on what is happening.