4711, doesn't TAAATS provide a level of protection by alerting controllers to conflicting traffic in conjunction with transponder-equipped aircraft and SSR? Obviously you wouldn't want to use this as a last line of defense, but this is something, like TCAS and GPS that we didn't have some years ago. There has also been the comment that we don't want to use TCAS as a last line of defense either, but these are all technological advances that we didn't have when the current airspace system was devised. How many 'last line(s) of defense' do we need? What was the 'last line of defense' 30 years ago? Whatever it was, I know I'd put my trust in modern technology over the system we had then. Taken in isolation, each one of these technologies would not be trusted as a 'last line of defense' but when the entire system is considered, then I don't have a problem with this aspect of NAS.
I am still in two minds about NAS, but surely if the technology allows us to advance and make the airspace more user friendly for all while raising capacity and at the same time without impinging on the operations of the big boys, then I am all for it.