Message from Mr. Fuller

poadeleted21

poadeleted21

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
12,332
Saw this on the RB.

General aviation is in the crosshairs – Help us fight back!

The Obama administration has taken dead aim at general aviation. And pilots like you and me are now looking at what may be the biggest threat we’ll ever face.

As you know, the sequestration mandate will soon force the FAA to cut its budget by 5%. But instead of making across-the-board cuts, or trimming waste, the Obama administration has deliberately chosen to impose huge, lopsided cuts on general aviation airports that will jeopardize the safety of general aviation pilots.

More than 75% of the towers in the Contract Tower Program are about to close – towers that handle 28% of ATC operations nationwide, while accounting for just 14% of the FAA’s tower budget.

The FAA’s own officials have admitted that these closures will have a huge and disproportionate impact on general aviation. But in fact, this is only the first round of attacks we’re likely to face. The administration has also announced plans that would derail certification of new aircraft and parts – with a ripple effect throughout the industry that will only drive the cost of flying even higher, and drive GA pilots out of the skies.

And I fully expect President Obama to once again demand a $100-per-flight user fee when he announces his 2014 budget.

President Obama has directly attacked general aviation in recent emails to his supporters, claiming that we’re somehow robbing needy Americans of essential services – despite the fact that GA provides 1.2 million jobs and contributes $150 billion to our economy.

There’s no doubt in my mind that these tower closures and other cuts are designed to inflict maximum pain on general aviation, in the hope that we’ll cave in and accept President Obama’s user fee proposal. But the lesson we’ve learned – from every other country that has imposed
per-flight fees – is that user fees will cripple and eventually destroy our freedom to fly.

The bottom line is that general aviation is being played like a pawn in the administration’s budget game. The future of our flying is now at risk. More than ever before, general aviation pilots like you and me need to circle the wagons and fight for our freedom to fly.

AOPA is working around the clock to stop this anti-GA steamroller. We’re demanding that FAA use common sense to cut waste where it won’t affect GA or scheduled airline service. We’ve identified key areas where tens of millions of dollars can be trimmed from FAA’s budget.

But we need your help. I need you to keep in touch with your elected officials in Washington in the days and weeks ahead, and urge them to fight the Obama administration’s attacks against GA. To preserve the Contract Tower Program. To demand that the administration cut waste within the FAA instead of targeting general aviation. And to fight back against further administration efforts to impose one-sided, unfair budget cuts aimed squarely and solely at general aviation.

And, I need you to step forward right now and give your support to our AOPA Political Action Committee. I know that the next elections seem like they’re a long way off. But to demonstrate our strength and commitment on Capitol Hill, we need to rebuild our AOPA PAC coffers and do it now.

As you read this message, we have good friends in Congress who are fighting day and night to protect general aviation against these lopsided budget cuts – in subcommittee and committee hearings, on the floors of the U.S. House and Senate, and at the FAA. They need to know that they have your 100% support right now, and that they’ll have AOPA PAC’s 100% support in the next election.

And every member of Congress, friend and adversary alike, needs to understand right now that AOPA PAC will have the dollars we need to have a real impact when the next election rolls around.

Please, give what you can and give now. If you can afford to “max out” with a $5,000 contribution this year, please do so. If you can only afford to give $25 or $50, please do so – knowing that every dollar helps, every dollar counts, and every dollar sends an important message to elected officials who will decide general aviation’s future.

As this battle develops, I’ll be back in touch with you on our AOPA website and by email, to give you the facts you need to be an effective advocate for GA in Congress, and to keep you up to date on our political and legislative efforts.

But in the meantime, one of the most effective ways to fight for your freedom to fly is by making a generous and immediate contribution to AOPA PAC – the only arm of AOPA that can give direct support to candidates who support GA.

This isn’t politics as usual. We’re talking about massive, lopsided and unfair cuts that would jeopardize aviation safety and push general aviation to the brink. The only way we’re going to win is if pilots like you are strong and united in your commitment to fight back. And there’s no better way for you to demonstrate that commitment – and strengthen AOPA’s hand in upcoming battles – than to make a generous contribution to AOPA PAC today.

Thank you for your support, and for standing with us at a time when we’ve never needed your help more.

Craig L. Fuller
Chairman, AOPA PAC

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
421 Aviation Way | Frederick, MD 21701-4798 | www.aopa.org | 800/872-2672
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It worked for me until the second half of the letter where he asked for money. The last time I saw their figures AOPA, and their PAC's were far from being broke.
 
They brought it on by protecting biz jets from user fees now they want to cry about this? WTF should I care?
 
douglas393 said:
It worked for me until the second half of the letter where he asked for money. The last time I saw their figures AOPA, and their PAC's were far from being broke.
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+1.

Agreed, Fuller is an idiot, or at the least trying to play us as idiots. Don't let the doorknob hit you in the a$$ on the way out.
 
Wait; isn't this the Fuller who about 4 years ago said that the AOPA and other GA support groups should 'work with this new administration to further the goals of aviation...'? I clearly remember that cause that's when I knew we had been had by a socialist with NO idea what the deal with this current devil would be.

Interesting that it's taken him about 4 years to wake up and realize that you don't extend and olive branch to a venomous snake in the grass. Didn't Fuller see this coming? Could he be so blind and deaf that he thought GA would be spared from the 'you have made enough' lying facists?

Sorry Craig, I could see what you can't and I have no crystal ball, or special insight. You've been played like a ten dollar whore, and now you want more money, to set things right? AOPA deserves to die a merciful death. Maybe after that we will have an organization with some cojones to take on the conniving thieves in DC.

Fuller is indeed an idiot.
 
What AOPA needs is a Charlton Heston (pry it from my cold dead hands). And what they'll get is some Quisling spineless turkey on a spit.

Jeez this makes me angry. These are supposed to be professionals in the field of public relations and politics. I could do better with a staff of Stooges.
 
Henning said:
They brought it on by protecting biz jets from user fees now they want to cry about this? WTF should I care?
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Why even head down the user fee path when an easier collection mechanism is in place? Add another two cent to the Jet A taxes if necessary, but lets not add another collection bureaucracy for future abuse.
 
Wait - whut? Aren't biz-jets GA too? so, we should allow the facists to extend their hegemony over biz-jets, and just be thankful that the piston fleet was spared?

Who do you think is next -- carrier pigeons?

stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid
 
I will give AOPA money when they need it - they have a ton of cash - sounds like its time to start spending it. Until they no longer have a hoard of cash, they get no more of my money.
 
comanchepilot said:
I will give AOPA money when they need it - they have a ton of cash - sounds like its time to start spending it. Until they no longer have a hoard of cash, they get no more of my money.
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Aopa PAC isn't quite as flush, not by their dec 31 reports. Looks like they spent the bulk of it on the last election. See opensecrets link above.
 
Why to they think those plssant contributions will buy anything? We got hairdressers who pony up more than that.

bartmc said:
Aopa PAC isn't quite as flush, not by their dec 31 reports. Looks like they spent the bulk of it on the last election. See opensecrets link above.
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Agreed.

Aopa start spending some of that cash before asking for more ! And show us what you are doing to protect us from these issues. Don't just say if we weren't fighting for you it would be a lot worse..

Pretty amazing the strong feeling against AOPA these days!
 
tinerj said:
Haven't seen Quisling in print since I read SF written by 1950 authors. Good choice for describing how AOPA works.
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It was the first thing I thought of after reading Fuller endorse the new messiah back in 08. So very apt.
 
I can't say I know what AOPA stands for anymore. From their public statements on the tower issue they are actually advocating AGAINST the memberships desires. Why donate money to that?
 
Somehow I doubt the AOPA staffer who jumped into the "wow, what a hunk of crap the new flight planner is" thread will be joining this one with any good news about how they've written down a list of features they want Fuller 2.0 to have, and expect a release to fix him soon.
 
docmirror said:
It was the first thing I thought of after reading Fuller endorse the new messiah back in 08. So very apt.
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Not to overly defend Fuller, but I think in politics you can't have an openly hostile relationship with a new president, no matter what you think of him in private. I have seen the heads of Ford openly smiling and nodding at an administration, when in reality, they knew the guy was a weasel that would cut their throats in a second! This was a couple presidents ago.;)
In politics it's never smart to **** off the president, especially if you are in the lobbying business, you can disagree, but they can make life even more difficult for you if they choose. Remember elections have consequences and once it's over you have to live with them for 4 years.:mad2:
 
bartmc said:
Aopa PAC isn't quite as flush, not by their dec 31 reports. Looks like they spent the bulk of it on the last election. See opensecrets link above.
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So AOPA gives them some of their cash to do the basic work of AOPA which is advocacy. ..
 
Henning said:
Did that money come from his AOPA expense account? Reimbursing employees for personal campaign contributions is an easy end run around contribution limits.
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So then what's the purpose of AOPA donating to itself?
 
Everskyward said:
So then what's the purpose of AOPA donating to itself?
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More money outbound than they could legaly do as a single entity. AOPA hits their limit then funds individuals in their organization to contribute under their name as well. Not saying this did happen, just wondering.
 
Henning said:
More money outbound than they could legaly do as a single entity. AOPA hits their limit then funds individuals in their organization to contribute under their name as well. Not saying this did happen, just wondering.
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If you look through the list, none of the other bigger donors is from AOPA. I didn't look through the whole list, just the ones donating $1,000 or more.
 
I was outraged at the fundraising letters from AOPA in the last election cycle. The whole pitch was that members of the GA Caucus who've been just fine with runaway government spending might lose their districts, and they need our support.

We constitute a special interest group, no more righteous than any other, but I'm offended that AOPA's assumption is that aviation is the only government issue I should care about, to the point of giving campaign contributions to lawmakers I believe are a threat to the future of the nation.

I used the return envelope from that one to send a letter suggesting AOPA could save a lot of money by educating new, incoming lawmakers than by clinging to the corrupt gasbags being unseated.
 
Not sorry I dropped them one stinking bit. Not one. Was thinking about re-upping. Not any more.

And the sad thing. I would have respected a petition, a call for letters to Congresscritters, anything. But a shill attached to that. They can pound sand.
 
bartmc said:
Saw this on the RB.

The Obama administration has taken dead aim at general aviation....
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Sequestration is part of the austerity package included in the 2011 Budget Control Act - The House passed the Budget Control Act on August 1, 2011 by a vote of 269–161. 174 Republicans and 95 Democrats voted for it, while 66 Republicans and 95 Democrats voted against.

So Fuller thinks Obama wrote it?
 
Silvaire said:
So Fuller thinks Obama wrote it?
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No, Fuller knows Obama administers it. The Bill doesn't stipulate beyond "FAA" what gets cut. You can cut fluff or you can cut core services.

Because government is incentivized to grow always, both sides will cut core services first and claim politically it was the other side's fault to gain low-information voters who have no clue how out of balance the spending to income ratio is.
 
denverpilot said:
No, Fuller knows Obama administers it. The Bill doesn't stipulate beyond "FAA" what gets cut. You can cut fluff or you can cut core services.

Because government is incentivized to grow always, both sides will cut core services first and claim politically it was the other side's fault to gain low-information voters who have no clue how out of balance the spending to income ratio is.
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:thumbsup::thumbsup:..

And for a slap in the face.... Most, if not all towers scheduled to be closed are contract towers... All the union controllers at FAA towers are still employed...


Coincidence..?? I think NOT...:no:
 
I'm pretty sure the FAA is determining what gets cut. Why would the President be involved with internal budget issues of any specific bureau?
 
N801BH said:
:thumbsup::thumbsup:..

And for a slap in the face.... Most, if not all towers scheduled to be closed are contract towers... All the union controllers at FAA towers are still employed...


Coincidence..?? I think NOT...:no:
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..

and why would contractors not be cut before core employees? Are you saying you would gut the company prior to letting any outside contract work go? That doesn't even make sense.

Oh I get it - the "union" bug-a-boo. Can't have working folk garner any power over their own fate now can we.
 
Silvaire said:
..

.....Oh I get it - the "union" bug-a-boo. .
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You are starting to get it...:yes:.


Look at how the GM bail out played out..... Stock holders and bond holders lost it ALL... Every penny.....

Surprisingly...... the union pensions were funded completely.....

Who says you cannot buy votes..:mad2::mad:....
 
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