USA Today hates aviation, don't they?

Maybe not, but they most certainly don't have a problem throwing us under the bus to boost their ratings.  I can just imagine two or three people sitting in an office at their headquarters thinking about what controversy they can drum up to draw readers' attention.  The 'ahaa' moment had to be when they linked us already politically battle-scarred aviators with the use of tax money to maintain public airports.

I know, I know; it's ridiculous.  It's akin to me running out to the local fire department and complaining about how much the new truck cost and how much money is wasted on keeping this 'barely used' fire department open; after all, my house has never burned down and when was the last time they were called out to an emergency?

Not that airports are emergency related.  Emergency services tax everyone, airports only tax those that use the NAS.  If you've read my Examiner Article on the subject, you've seen my road system analogy.  Maybe one day, the news outlets will refrain from picking on aviation when they have nothing else to do.

I would like to take this time to remind them of another not-so-obscure federal system that collects much more money from people that will never see it.  On average, I send around two to three hundred bucks a month to this system and will never see any benefit from nor return of this money.  What system, you ask?  They call it Social Security, USA Today should write about that a little more.