With this in mind, if you are considering investing in a new or exsisting business, here are some things to consider before signing on the dotted line.

Given the economy, there may some very good deals out there making this the best of times to purchase a new business.  Be smart and careful, but do not let risk be the sole concern in whether you will be moving forward in your endeavors.

The foregoing was inspired by an article written by Joseph Anthony.

“The legislature, with a desperate need for additional revenue, has already thoroughly vetted the idea of increasing taxes on general aviation aircraft,” said AOPA Director of State Government Affairs Mark Kimberling. “And, they have concluded that such an increase—with a resultant decrease in flying activity and increase in out-of-state aircraft migration—would actually do more harm than good in terms of lost jobs and an actual net loss in revenue for the state.”

On Nov. 21, Gov. Chris Gregoire presented lawmakers with a supplemental state budget containing “more than $2 billion in spending cuts, reductions to local revenue sharing and fund transfers to leave a $600 million reserve.”

“The Great Recession—which has lingered longer and resulted in more job losses than any downturn since the Great Depression—has taken an almost unprecedented toll on our economy and on state revenue collections. Over the past three years, we have had to reduce existing and projected spending by nearly $10.5 billion,” she said.

Gregoire’s three-phase fiscal plan does not include a tax on aircraft. However, she planned to review “even more ideas for reforming government” from the public, and said she would announce additional proposals in the coming weeks.

In the current charged atmosphere of street protests and continued economic stagnation, local news coverage has speculated that possible tax increases, such as a half-cent increase in the sales tax to ease the shortfall, might ultimately pass. An initiative to increase income taxes on wealthy residents of the state, backed by Bill Gates Sr., failed last year.

One group, the Economic Policy Institute, is reported to be urging scrutiny of “luxury taxes” on yachts and private aircraft, as well as estate taxes, for additional revenue production.

“Private aircraft have, unfortunately, been caught up in a lot of symbolic rhetoric emanating out of recent protests and discussions regarding income inequality. Yet, the irony is that ‘luxury tax’ proposals like these may take aim at so called ‘corporate fat cats,’ but at closer glance actually hit middle-income aircraft mechanics and other middle-class industry workers the hardest,” said Kimberling.

The defeat in February of using an aircraft excise tax as a funding mechanism for health insurance marked the second time in two years that a levy on aircraft was rejected. AOPA pointed out during that debate that the cost of aircraft ownership, maintenance, and operation in Washington state was already among the highest in the nation.

During that legislative battle, AOPA communicated with the pilot community regularly through action alerts and other updates. Kimberling credited pilots who contacted their lawmakers with getting out the message that a tax would do the state’s aviation industry even more harm.

Now, with lawmakers divided on the approach to take to plug a $2 billion gap, The Olympian newspaper reported that a sales tax increase was gaining momentum, although other lawmakers were calling for an overhaul of the state tax system.

The problem was that the cops did this without a warrant and when prosecutors tried to put Jones away, Jones raised a Fourth Amendment defense claiming that the GPS tracking device was tantamount to an illegal search and seizure of his car.  Jones faced a life sentence for his alleged crime, but the circuit court agreed with Jones’s argument and vacated his sentence.

Traditionally, the courts have held that technology merely enhances what the police could do on their own, there is no violation. Examples of enhancement are as simple as the use of a flashlight, the use of a helicopter, or use of binoculars.  But this new use of technology – namely a GPS tracker, seems a bit over the top to me.  All searches require a warrant unless there is an exception to the rule.  With the advent of inexpensive GPS tracking devices, I can envision a day when all cars are simply manufactured with a GPS tracker already installed (the black box in modern vehicles do nearly the same thing).  The tracking of a vehicle could become a simple matter of a few computer key strokes at the local police station.  We already live in an age of “Big Brother.”  When and where will it end?

The Fourth Amendment has always pitted the values of freedom against the need for law enforcement.  The Constitution always seemed to default towards ensuring our freedom.  Is this the line in the sand that needs to be drawn?  It will be very interesting, and important, to see where the U.S. Supreme Court comes down on this decision.  What do you think?

Bring your own 110 v cord and plug in!  We support everything that electric vehicles do for our community.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) filed a joint opening brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit opposing the FAA’s major revisions to the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. The associations argue that the revisions are illegal and should be invalidated.

AOPA president and CEO Craig Fuller said: “…just because the government collects information doesn’t mean it should be broadcast over the Internet…”

The BARR program, which was put in place in 2000, allowed aircraft owners and operators the option to prevent public dissemination of flight information pertaining to an aircraft’s tail number. But under the new rule, detailed in a notice of modification to the FAA/Subscriber Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) issued on June 3, only certain aircraft with a “Certified Security Concern” are allowed to opt out.

Despite overwhelming opposition from not only industry organizations and aircraft owners and operators, but also civil liberties groups, business organizations and the U.S Chamber of Commerce, to name a few, the FAA put the new rule in place on Aug. 2. In the MOA, the FAA used the government’s focus on openness and disclosure and the Freedom of Information Act to justify its decision.

“Transparency” is the buzzword of the 2000′s thus far, but apparently not everyone supports the concept.  What do you think about the publication of flight plans based on tail numbers?