No, you also said it's "not much in the grand scheme of things"
That's is where I got the impression you thought is wasn't a big deal.
I guess I misunderstood...still do.
Yes, I did say that.
When you rent an airplane to fly four hours across the state, then four hours back at one twenty an hour, you just paid 960. Add other expenses, the hotel, the time off work, normal landing fees, ramp fees, etc, the cost to maintain your currency, your medical, and all the associated costs, a hundred isn't a big increase in the grand scheme of things. Is it a lot of money? Of course it is. It's a lot less than what's being spent in Europe.
If you own an airplane and fly a few hours a year, like most do (in part because it's so expensive) between our hangar rental, your fuel, your insurance, your medical, your maintenance, and all the other aspects of owning and operating an airplane, user fees are really a drop in the bucket. It may not be a desirable drop, and nobody likes to pay any more than they must, but it's a burgeoning and oncoming drop and it's far less than many other fees, expenses, and costs that are staring us all down as we move day by day into the future.
Years ago I arrived in Las Vegas in a Learjet. I was sent to the Signature FBO by mistake. My purpose in being there was important; I was carrying a human internal organ for transplant. Time was critical. The sender had us going to Signature, and both FBO's were signed and labled as The Executive Terminal. The client actually wanted us at the other FBO, and the other end of the field.
Signature parked a fuel truck in front of the airplane. I advised them by radio that I needed to reposition quickly. We hadn't shut down the engines. We just needed them to move so we could transition the airplane down the ramp to the proper location, where a vehicle and agent was waiting to accept the precious cargo. Signature refused, and left the truck in front of us, the driver walked away, and we were forced to shut down and go inside to pay by credit card. We had to pay a ridiculous fee for a few moments on their ramp, while we were on a life-saving mission. I'll be the first to say I hate Signature with a purple passion, and that if they were the only FBO left on the planet I'd park on a dirt road first, but there we had little choice. Ramp fees, service fees, and a host of other fees are common and are here to stay.
If you think the cost of such fees in the US is expensive, you should see what others are paying in other parts of the world. Don't expect the restof the world to become like us: it won't happen. Gradually we're becoming more like them, whether it's desired or not. We'll see more UAV's in civil airspace, we'll see increased fees and costs, we'll see fewer airports over the years, greater legislation, more airspace restrictions as time goes on, and a gradual decrease in general aviation. I don't like it, but the trend has been ongoing for decades and will continue to be so.
What's happening in Europe is gradually creeping in here. We've adapted our weather forecasts and reporting, and our flight plans to conform to ICAO. We're seeing more fields where the wearing of bright safety vests are being required. No dumping of fuel when preflighting. A requirement on our pilot certificates to state that we speak English. Gradual changes, little by little, that are making our system become more like Europe. User fees are inevitable; not this year or next, but they will happen.
Is this desirable? No. However, general aviation has had a free ride for a very long time, as the airlines pay for virtually everything. Not much is contributed through general aviation. That's probably a good thing; general aviation, at least on the private level, is struggling, and always has. Which of us wants to pay a hundred bucks extra to fly his Corby Starlet around the pattern, or her Cherokee to Buck City?
User fees are common and expected in some metro areas. Been on the ramp at KSFO lately? Expensive, and not friendly. Been on the ramp at KLAS? Same. Many places already have ramp fees unless you buy a minimum value of avgas or Jet. It's the price of doing business. If you want to avoid such fees, you end up having to either not go there, or spend money in other ways.
Insurance has gone sky high for aircraft. Ridiculously so, especially for those who don't have much experience, or specific experience (tailwheel, multi, time in type, etc). I've often maintained that the hardest part of flying is paying for it. Flying is expensive. Very expensive.
The user fees in this discussion don't affect most of private or recreational aviation. They're irrelevant, and all the excitement for naught. They don't apply. The fact is, irrelevant non-applicable theoretical fees really aren't a big thing in the grand scope of things.