From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to Harford Air Park off of Aldino Road located in Churchville MD with regards to a reported plane crash Wednesday afternoon.
Upon arrival, just after 12:30 pm Wednesday, the deputy observed a blue single engine aircraft north of the airpark in a field located approximately 200 yards north of the airstrip. The HCSO deputy made contact with the pilot, who was injured and being treated by the medic from Level Volunteer Fire Company. The pilot was able to walk to the airport office to get assistance after his crash.
The pilot, James Calvin Walker, age 75, of Baltimore, told the deputy that he was attempting to take off from the airfield when his engine quit. He was transported to Bayview Medical Center with a laceration to his forehead. No other injuries were reported at the time of the accident.
Federal Aviation Administration will be conducting the investigation in to the plane crash. The plane was removed from the site.
Great, a 75 year old man flying a private plane, alone. When is the last time he had the damn thing inspected? While I am sorry he was hurt, things could have been much worse if he crashed into a house or school.
Who pays the costs associated with cleaning up this accident and transporting the guy to the hospital?
Maryland should raise revenue by charging a fee to inspect private aircraft, raise the licensing fee for those with private aircraft and by increasing the fee to register private aircraft. After all, these are luxuries that the average person does not have.
Revenue? The government does not run like a business, therefore any monies collected are usually squandered on pet projects; very rarely do they go for what the blowhards say they will. Yeah, collect more money, that’s the answer!
Ever hear of insurance?
I am sure of one thing, you are far more likely to kill a innocent victim driving your car than a private pilot is flying their aircraft. And the class envy thing at the end is just a bunch hogwash. Private aircraft are obtainable to average persons, if that is a priority for the individual. I have a friend who is a machinist and one who is a programmer both of whom own airplanes. Not exactly jobs for the rich and famous.
The planes are inspected annually, and the pilots (depending on the type of license) are tested either every year or every other. Furthermore planes are not nearly as expensive as on may think, once again depending on what you buy. There is no indication in the article as to type of aircraft. Cessna 150s and Piper Cherokee series aircraft can often sell for less than 20K, and rarely more than 30k for a 150 unless it is mighty nice. With car prices often exceeding 30k, a plane for that amount is hardly more of a financial expenditure than a 2nd car, and in fact holds its resale value MUCH more than does a car.
Why is it that the Tax Evaders of America types immediately think of how much money something might cost them and start attacking the government? It costs money to have a great country to live in. Taxes are the lowests they have been since the 1950s. If you want small government, no gun control, unbridled free enterpirse, and low taxes consider emigrating to Somalia.
I am glad to hear that someone 75 years old is still getting out and doing something they like. I see a lot of them on motorcycles as well but I guess that is different.
I don’t think of myself as what you call a “tax evader” simply because I would like to see some fiscal responsibility on the part of the people seeking to “serve the public”. Yes, it takes money to have a great country, apparently $1.3 trillion more than the government takes in. That’s the expected deficit for 2010 and I fear it’s going to bankrupt this nation. I also fear that is the intention. It’s not just the feds either. No one seems to know how to trim wasteful spending – not that they won’t promise to do just that in their campaign. We saw it recently when the only solution that came to mind was to jack the sales tax to 6% within months of taking office – I was amazed at how quickly they exhausted all other possibilities. Gosh, they must be so much smarter than any of us.
Patrick –
Growth of government has increased the amount of taxes people pay over the past five decades.
“Your Parents Would Be Stunned At The Taxes You’re Paying”
http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-government-spending-per-household-2010-4
You can’t simply look at tax rates without considering deduction(s) changes over time, new taxes/fees, FICA/Medicare increases, Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT, etc…and the fact that 47% of people pay no federal income tax at all.
If you feel you are under-taxed you can contribute more of your money to local, state and federal government today!
BR
Hows it going Joe Caruso? New name same game.
ok, lots of unhappy folks out there. Its clear that State revenues are down, and unfortunately, State spending is up. Not too smart.
Taxes or user fees are going to have to go up. Private plane ownership and private boat (non-commercial) ownership are luxuries, whereas car ownership is far more of a necessity. Not all private planes or boats are extravagent, that’s not the point. All I am saying is that the fees to register these items should be raised (reasonably) to increase state revenues. That’s not too much to ask for.
Very interesting how a news report about a plane crash leads to discussions about revenue/taxation. That’s why I enjoy the Dagger. Thanks for the entertainment guys.
Generally, raising fees is more politically palatable than increasing taxes, and for that reason, they have long been used to balance budgets. But there is a limit to what the public is willing to accept. The reality is that fees and taxes are both ways to raise dollars to fund government services. MD needs to raise money to keep us from cutting services and to avoid an increase in state income tax.
The public is far more tolerant of raising fees for services that are not typical average Joe items. For example, airport safety inspections of private planes. Most people in MD do not own such items. Not sure when the last time MD raised the fee for inspections on planes, but why not increase it by $25 year. That certainly will not bankrupt anyone or convince them to register the plane in another state. Same thing with power boat/sailboat inspections and registrations. You get the picture. I am not picking on just these two areas. There are probably many more ways to increase fees on less pedestrian things. I’m sure some of you guys can think of them.
How the government spends money is an entirely different argument that we can all offer opinions on. I think most everyone is not happy with overall government use of tax dollars.
Re. BulleRocker comments:
I looked at your chart on Government Spending per Household, which shows spending since 1965. It appears to be going up at a rate of less than 4% per year compounded annually. The article also claims that it comes from the President’s 2010 Economic Report, which I also downloaded and searched. Surprise, surprise–it is not there. It actually comes from a chart prepared by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative “think tank”. Since we lived through those years, it should be obvious to us all that the majority of that spending went for defense during the coldwar era.
This is not necessarily bad but it has to be paid for. During those same years, tax rates decreased tremendously for the wealthy and stayed more or less constant for the rest of the public. In the 1950s, the marginal tax rate for the top income bracket was about 90%. Now it is about 35% before tax deductions.
On the state level, the lowest income Marylanders pay an average of 9.9% of their income in taxes and the richest pay 6.2% (Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy; 2007 data). The middle class and lower income groups have a gripe. The rest are just greedy.
Wave the flag, put bumper stickers on your car to support the troops, but unless you are willing to pay for it, it is all BS.
Patrick,
The chart is clearly a Heritage Foundation work product and it cite’s it’s data sources as U.S. Census Bureau, White House Office of Management and Budget, and 2010 Economic Report of the President.
BR
I heard he was circling the airport looking for a parking spot.