Pilots and all Americans will have a unique opportunity this November. When you and I go to the polls on November 7, we will have the chance to elect the first president of the twenty-first century. Make no mistake. The choices that you and I make for who will be our president, vice president, senators, and representatives will have a deep impact on general aviation for years to come. Many political analysts expect this year's presidential election to be the closest since the Ford/Carter race of 1976.
Your association reached out to Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore this year, asking them to respond to a series of questions relating to general aviation. You will find the answers printed in this issue of Pilot, and hopefully they will give you some insights into who is more likely to protect your right to fly. It is incumbent on you to read "between the lines," as is often the case when politics is involved.
In response to a question regarding financial support for the FAA from the U.S. Treasury's general fund, Gore states that the FAA will be forced to compete for scarce discretionary resources. He goes on to say that he would work with Congress to make sure that the FAA has the resources it needs to fund the air transportation system in America. Yet, he does not say where this money should come from. While he was vice president, the Clinton administration repeatedly proposed user fees and elimination of the general fund contribution, which supports an important part of the FAA's budget. As you will notice, he gives no indication that he would change this position, although he states that general aviation would continue to pay the fuel tax.
Bush clearly indicates that air safety programs are a responsibility of the federal government and that their support should come from the general fund. He even goes on to clarify that the federal government should continue to pay for military and other government use of the ATC system. These are just a few of the differences between the positions of Bush and Gore that you and I should keep in mind as we head to the polls on November 7.
Operating just a few blocks from the White House and the steps of Capitol Hill, AOPA Legislative Affairs works hard for pilots to make sure that those who decide the future of general aviation hear our concerns. This election year, AOPA Legislative Affairs Executive Director and Vice President Bill Deere and Political Action Committee (PAC) Director John Williams traveled to both the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. While the major airlines were out in force, AOPA was the only general aviation entity present at both events. Deere and Williams spent time attending meetings and briefings, as well as fundraisers with key Republican and Democratic legislators and their staffs, in order to promote the aviation issues important to AOPA members.
Their ability to capture valuable "face time" with a range of Republican and Democratic lawmakers is what helps to make AOPA's lobbying efforts so effective. Meeting with those who oversee aviation issues such as House Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) and Ranking Minority Member Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), and Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Minority Member Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-S.C.) is what helps AOPA continue to protect your right to fly.
During a recent trip to Oregon, where I told pilots of our victory over user fees in the AIR-21 legislation, I visited with Senate aviation subcommittee Chairman Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) at his home in Seattle. Gorton and I discussed a wide range of aviation issues so that we could better understand each other's views of ATC privatization, user fees, and the major airlines' push for FAA reform. In fact, he had just used a general aviation flight the week prior to my visit to return from remote Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to Seattle. It is this type of meeting that allows AOPA to discuss face-to-face with decision makers the role general aviation plays on the national level.
Many of these elected officials attended AOPA's very first Capitol Hill Pilot Town Meeting this summer. The meeting brought together more than 20 pilot members of Congress, including Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and House national parks and public lands subcommittee Chairman Jim Hansen (R-Utah).
These are our friends, members of Congress who understand and are willing to support general aviation initiatives. Many of them are pilots just like you and me. Others are simply general aviation enthusiasts. On page 27, you will also find profiles of a few candidates for Congress who we feel deserve your support. Read a little bit about what they have done for general aviation and why they need your support. As the election cycle nears its end, check back on our Web site ( www.aopa.org/whatsnew/caphill.cfm) for an update on the closest races in the nation.
These are the folks we need to keep in Congress. To make sure our friends are reelected, we created the AOPA PAC. Using money you send in response to our requests, we make sure that those who support general aviation return to their elected positions to keep fighting for GA.
It is this kind of outreach that makes AOPA one of the most powerful lobbying organizations on Capitol Hill. In fact, we are so strong that other lobbying groups have publicly recognized our ability to work with members of Congress to block legislation that would damage general aviation. This is what we do. Your support has allowed your association to make sure those on Capitol Hill know that when it is time to gauge the feeling of those in general aviation, it is time to call AOPA.
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