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United States Pilots Association |
It was no shock to me to read that once again the individual's rights are being trampled upon in the name of "The greater good for the greater number.” Apparently the court in a divided opinion feels that the home you own is not equal to the new shopping center a developer wishes to erect in its place. Just look at the justices who voted for this absurd decision.
However, I have a solution to offer regarding airport expansion. Since the law now permits condemnation for the greater good of the greater number; lets begin by taking the homes of the most vocal opponents of airports where greedy developers have built right up to the airport boundaries. It is obvious to me that the airport provides far greater tax benefits to the community than a lowly one family home. Perhaps we could expand that 3,000 foot strip to 8,500 feet, eliminate a lot of pesky homeowners, and turn the remaining property into an industrial park (as they did in Kansas not too long ago).
Why, the options are limitless. Every town could have its own intermodal facility combined with their airport. The fact that a percentage of the population would be forced to move elsewhere is irrelevant, especially considering they might lose their new homes to yet another "public good" scheme. Yes, I am kidding. What do you want to bet that someone else will come up with a similar idea soon?
On another subject, I noted today that the Congress increased the funding to the FAA with a proviso that user fees are out. I find it highly coincidental that one week after AOPA's plea for donations to the Air Safety Foundation to combat user fees, Congress takes user fees out of the equation. Regardless of what you and I think, we are still going to be faced with late night tower closings, elimination of NDB approaches around the country, cutbacks in the safety programs, and a great reduction in other services offered by the Feds. If you want a type rating in a DC-3 today, just call the FAA and see how long it takes to schedule a ride (if you can).
Fly unannounced into the Washington D.C. ADIZ. Then you will really see the FAA operate to peak efficiency. Something is radically wrong in Washington. We seem to be more concerned with Flag burning than running our country.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association