I just joined the AOPA, and I urge anyone who flies and is not a member to join at this critical time.
I was a member when I lived in the US years ago and they were one of the few voices for GA during the dark days when Cessna and Piper quit making airplanes due to product liability. The AOPA and others advocated changes to legislation in what eventually became the General Aviation Revitalization Act in 1994, which, the Wikipedia article on the matter states, has been responsible for the creation of 25,000 new jobs in the industry. In Australia we have faced a different but more dire situation with the three-act tragedy of GA (the Civil Aviation Act, the Airports Act and the Aviation Transport Security Act) and the cascade of capricious regulation and costs the ill-conceived legislation has imposed on the industry. The AOPA took a leadership role in the US years ago, effected meaningful change, and has continued to do so since. The Australian AOPA has also taken a leadership role and change appears to be "in the air" (please excuse the pun). Dick Smith has been great, but the issue is larger than one person: he needs the critical mass behind him that the AOPA's membership can bring.
For the first time in years I am encouraged whereas before I had given up hope.