Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Reid Is the Reason for the FAA Partial Shutdown

Something you won't glean from the MFM....

While the public was focused on the potential government shutdown over the debt ceiling debate, Harry Reid quietly forced a partial shutdown of the FAA. For months, Reid has blocked a long-term extension of the FAA reauthorization, while forcing Congress to pass reckless short-term measures that lacked much-needed reform. The last extension expired July 23, but Harry Reid has refused to consider the House-passed extension through September. The House bill cut a subsidy program to three rural airports, where the cost of subsidized flights was hopelessly uneconomical. One of those airports, White Pine County Airport in Ely, Nevada, enjoys a subsidy to the tune of $3,720 per passenger! [Read more about it here] Yet, Reid refused to relinquish his selfish pork, causing a partial shutdown of the FAA and the furloughing of 4,000 employees.

What we have here is one excellent example of pork. Fortunately, Reid and his ilk are dinosaurs.

4 comments:

Jim said...

"Reid refused to relinquish his selfish pork"

This is untrue. I heard him on the radio today saying that he offered to take Nevada off the table. GOP wouldn't have it. They want to bust the unions.

Dad29 said...

BS.

Has nothing to do with Unions.

Has everything to do with YOU paying for ME to fly to East Bumf(*k, where .01 passengers/day land and depart.

Dad29 said...

And as you know, the Temporary Fix passed by the House does NOT have a union-"busting" requirement.

Harry and Rocky still don't like it.

Jim said...

"And as you know, the Temporary Fix passed by the House does NOT have a union-"busting" requirement."

Correct. But it only extends FAA authorization through mid-September. So the union deal is not over.

The ESA provision makes sense. I learned more about it on POTUS on Sirius Radio tonight. It doesn't make sense to subsidize air passengers who don't want to drive 90 miles to a hub airport.

"Has nothing to do with Unions."

Nonsense. The ESA is $16 Million. The value of Delta Airlines not having a union is worth many millions more. And if you think that's not the issue, ask yourself why the GOP was willing to forgo $1 billion in tax revenues to pass a bill that would save $16 Million.

(BTW if you think corporations pass tax savings on to customers, you've just been proved wrong.)