Local Airport Closures Cause GOPers Sequestration Anxiety

[ProSense]

Local Airport Closures Cause GOPers Sequestration Anxiety

Brian Beutler

We’ve noted previously that outside Washington D.C. — where politicians and reporters obsess endlessly over inconsequential but high-valence things like White House tours and Easter egg hunts — sequestration is beginning to cause real harm, and political pain.

Now, nearly a month after President Obama was forced to issue the sequestration order, the central source of GOP’s real sequestration anxiety is becoming clear.

“I am disappointed to learn of the FAA’s decision to implement the budget sequestration by closing the air traffic control tower in Columbia,” wrote Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO). “This decision is disappointing not only because it presents a safety concern, but it is unwise from a budget perspective as Columbia’s tower is part of the Contract Tower Program that is cost-effective for taxpayers. There is plenty of waste that can be trimmed by administrators implementing the budget sequester and there is absolutely no need to put Columbia workers on unemployment because of the Obama Administration’s poor choices on where to cut.”

Sequestration generally provides agencies little flexibility to determine what parts of their budgets to cut — agencies with broad missions have to cut every program by the same percentage. But the majority of FAA’s employees are air traffic controllers, and as a result, FAA has identified and announced its intent to close nearly 150 relatively low-volume towers to help meet its $600 million sequestration this fiscal year.

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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/03/local-airport-closures-cause-gopers-sequestration-anxiety.php

It's amazing that these assholes are pretending they didn't realize that the government funds stuff. They certainly know about the hundreds of billions being lost to loopholes, offshore tax havens and other policies that benefit the rich. The policies that they're protecting as they whine about airport closings.

[dembotoz]

1. hard to attract business to your town when you fuck up the local airport

[Scuba]

2. Their donors fly a lot more than the rest of us.

[ProSense]

3. Yeah, it's all about the rich. n/t

[Aerows]

4. You mean the government funds stuff?!

Stuff that everyone uses?

Surprise, surprise. Since she took the opportunity to take potshots at the Obama Administration, that would be the *last* tower I'd reopen.