Dick,
I have just got back from USA, the place you quote as an aviation mecca (I agree with you, it certainly is). While I was over there I did quite a bit of flying, I spoke to quite a few pilots, there is no such thing as a landing charge, there is no such thing as being charged $40 for a practice ILS (the last charge I copped for an ILS), there is no such thing as 'user pays' it is considered national infrastructure. Dick, the inference from a lot of aviators is that you started user pays in Australia whether inadvertent or not.