GAPILOT has a better quote ref-R Smith.
Smith quoted in user fees fight-
AOPA US has quoted former CASA chairman Dick Smith in its fight against user fees in the US.
Phil Boyer told the panel members that the FAA had manufactured the funding crisis they claim to be addressing with the proposal.
Boyer said Dick Smith, a former proponent of a fee-based system in Australia attributes a 28% decline in GA activity over the past 20 years in that country to user fees.
User pays (as we call it here) or the commercialization of CASA and Airservices has been a disaster for GA in Australia and I believe the same will happen in the USA if it goes ahead
quote-GAPilot AOPA magazine. (my italics)
ATC is a safety provider, first and formost. A second set of eyes to facilitate the expedicious movement of aircraft in high traffic areas. What some make it out is a barstardised version of a lollypop operator that lets only trucks through and no one else because they pays the bills.
In reality this is far from the case. Granted limited experience, have nothing but positive praise for the people behind the scope and the binos.