Full disclosure, I’m the person who gets dropped off at the airport two
hours before a flight. I’m paranoid like that. I’m convinced I’m always going
to miss my flight. Alex
Pareene did a piece on Congress’s rush to making flying easier because of
flight delays.
So we know the sequester is having a horrifying impact on the poor, but
Congress doesn’t care except when it fucks with their travel plans. The FAA
furloughs have resulted in lengthy flight delays. Now, Congress is all about
helping the “regular Americans” not to be confused with the poor ones or those whose
jobs are being furloughed. The Senate rushed to action last night to vote to
let the FAA transfer some month from the Transportation Department to pay air
traffic controllers. This of course is for the good of the people, and those people
would be members of Congress flying home to their locals this weekend. Victory
(for the wealthy).
As Pareene reminds us, the Senate can’t confirm a judge without months of
delay and constitutional crisis, but this bill passed in minutes with unanimous
consent. So if the House can get it through today all members of Congress can
fly without interference.
Of course, Congress (at large), but the House specifically will do
nothing to come to a boarder deal on the across-the-board cuts. House GOP
claims the White House is lying about the impact of the sequester except of
course the flight delays. After all, who cares about the poor especially the
homeless or children, it isn’t like they vote.
Earlier this month Huffington Post pulled together some actual issues
because of the sequester which can be found
here. They range from travel delays and inconveniences to jobs lost and
food pantries closed. I do hope everyone in Congress enjoys their flights home
though to their districts where the sequester might be having disastrous
consequences.
