Friday, April 26, 2013
Just in time to fly home for the weekend
Congress has passed a bill to alleviate the furloughs of air traffic controllers and end the flight delays that have been inconveniencing so many travelers.
The House gave quick and overwhelming approval Friday to legislation to give the secretary of transportation enough financial flexibility to bring the nation’s air traffic control system back up to full strength and end the mounting flight delays that had become a political headache for Congress. The vote came despite objections from some lawmakers that the nation’s air travel was being given special treatment.How easy to forget about all the people who are not rich enough to buy their own Congresscritters.
The 361-to-41 vote came less than 24 hours after the Senate reached accord on the measure, which effectively undoes one of the thorniest results of “sequestration,” $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts that took effect March 1. That is remarkable speed for an issue that has been brewing for more than a year, with ample warning of the consequences...
Democrats fumed that Congress had effectively come to the rescue of an affluent and elite slice of the public affected by the cuts, including lawmakers themselves, while leaving the poor to continue to fend for themselves
“We’re leaving the homeless behind,” said Representative Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont. “We’re leaving a lot of National Guard folks behind. We’re leaving seniors who depend on Meals On Wheels in the dust. Children who rely on Head Start can teach themselves to read. That’s basically what’s happening.”
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