And really- contorting Kennedy quotes? "Ask not what your hobby does for you."
Hey dude, it's a HOBBY! I want to kill a few hours a couple times a month. 99% of people flying fall into this catagory. It's not a nation, it's not my life.
The hobby did nothing to promote itself to me. I've had R/C cars for ages and wanted to try something else. Of course that R/C car didn't require me to shell out a couple hundred clams for membership dues just to play with it.
I think planes will be much more fun. But every extra dollar I dish out just to get into the playground saps my enthusiasm. As it must for a heck of alot of people.
Then to find out that it's really a wasted $58 (from my non-lifer status point of view) I really get frustrated. And oh yeah, it seems that a large chunk of the mandatory-to-join AMA membership dislikes it. Very encouraging.