Ibleedburgundy
08-02-2011, 08:36 PM
Holy cow.
The government is likely to lose more than $1 billion in airline ticket taxes because lawmakers have left town for a month without resolving a partisan standoff over a bill to end the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration.
....
The debacle could have had an upside for airline passengers because ticket taxes, which typically average about $30 on a $300 round-trip fare, are suspended during the shutdown. But airlines decided to pocket the windfall. Within hours of the shutdown on July 23, most airlines raised their fares by amounts equivalent to the taxes that disappeared.
....
Amazing coincidence that several large Airlines had precisely the same illogical reaction here.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate committee that oversees the FAA, held out the possibility that if the Senate were able to pass a bill acceptable to Democrats, it could still be approved by the House using obscure parliamentary procedures, and sent to the White House.
But his House counterpart, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., ruled out that possibility. The only way left to end the shutdown is for the Senate to agree to a previously passed House bill containing $16.5 million cuts in air service subsidies to 13 rural communities that some Democrats — particularly Rockefeller — find objectionable.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-government/senators-the-cost-of-faa-shutdown-could-exceed-1-billion-if-unless-action-taken-this-week/2011/08/02/gIQA3aZzoI_story.html?hpid=z3
So this Republican guy in the House passed a bill he knew wouldn't be passed to by the Senate, and then he skipped town for a Month long vacation before they could settle the matter.
The lost $1 billion in revenue is only one factor here. I work on large programs that have been shut down. The demobilization and remobilization costs will be huge. I issued 10 stop work orders. The agency has issued 219. Mine alone will cost the taxpayer millions in demobilization and remobilization costs. All of these costs could have easily been avoided if we elected reasonable representatives. Instead, they are creating 100% pure unnecessary waste.
If you can't compromise, you are incapable of Governing in a Democracy.
This is no way to run an organization.
BTW, I am an essential employee and not furloughed. Those who are will probably receive the full Month's back pay like they did last time. More pure waste to the tune of roughly $30 million.
The worst part about this is 74,000 Americans have been laid off as a direct result. Many of those are blue collar construction workers just trying to earn a living. In this economy, that is downright cruel.
/vent.
The government is likely to lose more than $1 billion in airline ticket taxes because lawmakers have left town for a month without resolving a partisan standoff over a bill to end the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration.
....
The debacle could have had an upside for airline passengers because ticket taxes, which typically average about $30 on a $300 round-trip fare, are suspended during the shutdown. But airlines decided to pocket the windfall. Within hours of the shutdown on July 23, most airlines raised their fares by amounts equivalent to the taxes that disappeared.
....
Amazing coincidence that several large Airlines had precisely the same illogical reaction here.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate committee that oversees the FAA, held out the possibility that if the Senate were able to pass a bill acceptable to Democrats, it could still be approved by the House using obscure parliamentary procedures, and sent to the White House.
But his House counterpart, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., ruled out that possibility. The only way left to end the shutdown is for the Senate to agree to a previously passed House bill containing $16.5 million cuts in air service subsidies to 13 rural communities that some Democrats — particularly Rockefeller — find objectionable.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-government/senators-the-cost-of-faa-shutdown-could-exceed-1-billion-if-unless-action-taken-this-week/2011/08/02/gIQA3aZzoI_story.html?hpid=z3
So this Republican guy in the House passed a bill he knew wouldn't be passed to by the Senate, and then he skipped town for a Month long vacation before they could settle the matter.
The lost $1 billion in revenue is only one factor here. I work on large programs that have been shut down. The demobilization and remobilization costs will be huge. I issued 10 stop work orders. The agency has issued 219. Mine alone will cost the taxpayer millions in demobilization and remobilization costs. All of these costs could have easily been avoided if we elected reasonable representatives. Instead, they are creating 100% pure unnecessary waste.
If you can't compromise, you are incapable of Governing in a Democracy.
This is no way to run an organization.
BTW, I am an essential employee and not furloughed. Those who are will probably receive the full Month's back pay like they did last time. More pure waste to the tune of roughly $30 million.
The worst part about this is 74,000 Americans have been laid off as a direct result. Many of those are blue collar construction workers just trying to earn a living. In this economy, that is downright cruel.
/vent.