12 thoughts on “An End To Flight Instructors”

  1. Apparently this was a result of the bankruptcy of Silver State Helicopters, which had required students to pay 100% up-front and then took the money and ran. The correct response to that should be to treat it as a case of fraud, which it was.

    This is what “big government” and more regulation means to me. With this gulf oil leak, people are acting as if the request for government resources is a request for bigger government, while conservatives asking for less government/less regulation means something like no government. But that’s not it, and let’s use this story as an example.

    Silver State Helicopters appears to have defrauded students. The solution is for government to prosecute the company’s management for their criminal activity. “Liberals” claim that doing so is simple “vengeance” that also results in the students unable to get their money back. Instead, more regulation is needed, which ends up costing everybody more money. And the students would still have the recourse to try suing in civil court for damages. The other school instructors, burden by a new fee, won’t have that recourse.

    Of course, for greedy politicians, this is an easy vote. They’ll take the fees, and instead of setting up a fund to protect other students; they put the money into the general fund to pay for whatever earmarks they want. The result is innocent business losing money or going out of business. More people are also without a job, and students will have to pay more for limited education sources. Is it any wonder why the economy is hurting?

  2. It just goes to show yet again that when it comes to stupidity from government (especially California’s government), the sky is truly not the limit.

    Politics: Poly means many and ticks are bloodsucking parasites.

  5. quote:
    The fees are $5000 up-front just to register, $3500 recurring renewal fees and a percentage tax on total school revenues.

    In effect, this would put fees that are usually charged to private universities on small flight school businesses, flying clubs and even out of pocket for individual flight instructors.
    …endquote

    Sounds like the state is hostile to private higher education in general. The correct response, meaning the inmates will never do it, is to cut the taxes on private education in general.

  8. If you decide to get it, don’t forget to click through Rand’s amazon link!!

    Rand, does the “Go” button work as well as the black portion that reads “Search new and used at Amazon.com”. I made two purchases last week, and I think the first time I used “Go” and I noticed no mention of “Transterrestrial” and then the second time I clicked the bottom and see “Transterrestrial” as a reference.

  10. The “Go” button that is mostly hidden by spacing problems, next to the text box for the Amazon Search tool.

    I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that thinks that Amazon needs to do a better job of allowing people to see which of their partners will be getting money from a purchase. I wisit a number of sites with Amazon ties, and I’d prefer to pick and know who is getting the small cut from my orders.

  11. I wrote the following this morning to the Governor, my Assemblyman and Senator:

    Dear ____

    This is in response to AB-48 which was passed and signed into law last year. This bill imposed new regulations and fees on private flight schools in California. Apparently this was done in response to the bankruptcy of Silver State Helicopters and subsequent loss of up-front tuition paid by students.

    The proper response to a case of apparent fraud such as this, no matter how large, no matter how many victims, is to prosecute it vigorously as a case of fraud.

    It is horribly unjust to sanction an entire industry, simply because of the fraudulent actions of one party. To do so is, in effect, to declare them all guilty. The only people or corporations who should be the object of government action are those who have been proven guilty, in a court of law, of a specific crime against another. The idea that government is legitimate in taking regulatory action against innocent businesses, who have done nothing wrong, is the complete inversion of the American concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

    The proper legislative response, if any, would be to examine the laws around fraud that exist already, in an attempt to determine if there are any legitimate failings, loopholes, or other weaknesses in the law, which might create difficulties for the investigation and prosecution of actual fraud.

    Many flight schools will be forced to close as a result of this bill. That this sort of action, which will cost hundreds of good jobs, and destroy the hard work and dreams of many individuals, is perpetrated by the State of California on its citizens during the worst econonomic downturn since the Great Depression, speaks to the viciousness of those in power.

    This bill will do nothing to protect the innocent from the unscrupulous, and will only make it harder for honest, hard working people to puruse their own happiness.

    I urge that this action be repealed immediately.

    Sincerely,

  12. The “Go” button that is mostly hidden by spacing problems, next to the text box for the Amazon Search tool.

    Egads… I hadn’t noticed that problem before. You are correct, on my 4×3 monitor, it is mostly hidden. But on my 16×10 laptop, I see it clearly. Since I purchase at home with my laptop, I always used the “Go” button.

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