There are many reasons I refuse to fly if I can get to someplace by other means, this only adds another!

I'll have to see if I can locate my copy of 'The Fear of Flying'... oh wait... never mind... ;o)

This ongoing abrogation of basic governing responsibilities is unconscionable.

That is all.

@ Feisty -- If you can't fly in fact, that sounds like the next best thing. Enjoy. ;-)

@Anna Molly - LOL! You betcha!

The Great Shepherd Limbaahhhh told his flock of sheep to make Obama fail. Remember? I hope you remember, because the Right is still on track and following orders. Unfortunately, it's going to work, too. Obama and the Dems will never truly figure out the depth of underhandedness that they are up against. The Right will take this country down, if that is what it takes to regain power.

And then, they'll take it down some more.

The Teatards are destroying our country. Never in our history has a "minority group of people been so destructive to the basic tenants of how our government functions.

These people are insane, and they are not in touch with reality at all. Norqusit their guru is the new Hitler and anti-Christ rolled into one.

Here is a quote from Norquist who was not elected by any of us to represent our interests. He's a lobbyist! He is his own interest.

"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

HE WANT'S!...and screw what we want! WHO ELECTED HIM?

He wants our Country to FAIL to Function. One piece at a time.

The TEA/GOP are his instruments and doing a good job too.

I think the republicans goal this year is to destroy unions. Not only do they make good money, they tend not to vote republican.

That last election sent them into attack mode. So now they are holding airports hostage and will start killing them in a couple days one by one if the democrats don't agree to kill union rights. Isn't this how terrorist work? The government will lose money, but this whole fight never was about the budget in the first place.

Bye, bye tea-baggers I think the public just realized just how bitter the tea is, undrinkable.

The Repugs and their masters the Tea Baggers will stop at nothing to make this nation into a third world bannana republic with very, very few having virtually all the money and the vast majority living in abject poverty and government providing nothing except to those with the money. This is their ultimate goal. They want to make slaves of the middle and working classes and run this country into the ground. Then they wrap themselves in the flag and do all of this in the name of false patriotism. These people are evil and will stop at nothing to destroy this nation. I can't wait is until 2012, because it has become obvious to the American people what going on. There are 87 new freshman Tea Baggers in the House this year. In 2013, there will be 87 fewer Tea Baggers in Congress. I just hope we can keep them from destroying this nation until then.

Why does this Tea Party remind me not of the one in Boston Harbor, but the one with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare? Could it be because they are all insane? I'm pretty sure Grover Norquist could pass as the Cheshire Cat, pulling strings and vanishing, while smiling the whole time.

So the Democrats insist on another pro-union rider, and the Republicans say no.

Offhand, I'd say the Democrats have the weak hand here. The Democrats want to increase costs (by unionizing the FAA), and the Republicans won't budge on saving money. What was it that Obama said? Oh yes - "Elections have consequences". Eventually, the Democrats will have to cave. Maybe we'll find that many of the 'non-essential' employees truly ARE non-essential.

lol

Jody you are simply precious.

Ok Jody I can see you are, as usual, totally clueless on this issue. You clearly do not understand how this agency is funded, or the pattern and practice that has always been employed in designating its funding, i.e., via long term bills.

I can also see you are ignorant that the prior long term bill came up in 2007. Now, you are a big girl and despite exhibiting a very clear pattern of concious ignorance, I bet even you know who was in control of congress in 2007.

Jody - that'd be the democrats. So Jody perhaps you can tell us all why the democrats, who controlled congress in 2007 failed to complete a new long term authorization bill for the FAA?

Go ahead Jody, you obviously must know, given your comments above. Please set forth the reason, then link it to your comments about the outrageous ineptitude of the democrats, as it was their ball Jody.

Seriously - you cannot be happy being this ill informed. Can you?

Actually it was the Republicans with the their dirty handed tactics.

1. They wanted to strip workers rights to unionize in the airline and train industry.

2. The wanted to strip only rural airports with democrats of any funding.

Spanky being condescending to Jody doesn't help the 4000 people who are out of work right NOW. 2007 is irrelevant, it didn't happen because of politics but at least then a short term extension got passed. Instead of using a partisan attack to try to make the GOP look good maybe you should think of all of the people who are suffering because of the politics of people in Congress on both sides and people like you. This is shameful, playing with people's lives so you can score some political points and break up unions is sick and cruel. If it was your job on the line you might not have the same opinion. This whole thing was about breaking up the unions the entire time, that was the GOP's plan for people across the country. This is wrong unions have brought protections for all workers and employers want to bust up unions now so they can take away workers rights. If you want to live in a country where employers can decide how they treat workers that's fine with me, but everyone doesn't feel that way. The FAA should not be a pawn.

I have a good idea.... Lets not pay the House and the Senate for 2 weeks and see how fast things get passed... I bet if the tides were turned there wouldn't be any problem and people would start working together to get the issues passed if their paychecks were on the line. If that doesn't work then lets take away the wonderful health benifits they get for life. It has gone past the point of Republicans and Democrats it is now affecting the people on America and will soon affect the people of the world.

I think they should get the exact same retirement we do. Might change their minds about a lot of things.

If these people work for us then we should hold them accountable. If this was the real world most would have been fired by now. The only recourse the American people have is to send the tea bagger, Republicans packing.

If these people work for us then we should hold them accountable.

And the way to do that is on the ballot - whichever party, and I think it's the Republicans who've been teabagging their associates, is responsible for this inaction and the budget fiasco. Send the bastards home!

I sent a e-mail to the President stating he shoul drefuse to accept his check if there is a shutdown and NONE of the members of Congress or Senate should be paid.

And just how will all those people with private planes and jets be able to fly their planes without the FAA to direct traffic? GROUNDED! So how is that pledge signing with NOrquist working out for ya? Drown that government FAA in the bathtub, NOrquist?

Hey, maybe you should read the article. Republicans also voted to strip workers rights to unionize.

sfcret

Jody, It appears you don't even know what is going on, you just want to sound off without any facts. It is the republicans in the Senate that has refused to extend the funding and not the house. The house passed a bill, but the senate democrats won't pass it because of 3 rural airports (one each in NV, Mont. & W.VA), and a union provision. The senate is trying to protect it's union base and their own neck of the woods.

So put blame where blame should be on the back of the democrats in the Senate.

And the Republicans will shut down the FAA if they don't get to bust the unions. And they will bring down the entire economy of the United States if they can't protect the tax rates for the wealthy...WHO'S IRRESPONSIBLE?!!!

When they show you who they are...believe them!

Maybe both of you should read the article, the only thing pertaining to the unions was the way votes were to be counted and had nothing to do with stripping workers rights to unionize. The major reason is the democrats in the Senate, mainly the three who wanted pork for their 3 small rural airports. That the problem with the democrats like Reid, won't vote unless he gets his way, to hell with putting people out of work. The democrats are like little children, if we don't get our way we won't play.

sfcret As usual, a Republican telling only half the story. It was ONLY the FAA bill. REPUBLICANS were trying the same stunt as STATE REPUBLICANS arfe trying to do. ELIMINATE UNIONS. PERIOD. The threat was IF you won't eliminate the UNIONS we will close the airports in Ely, Nevada and two other Democratic Lawmakers district to start with and go from there.

Chuck, maybe you should learn to read better. No where did anyone threaten to eliminate the UNIONS, it was over how the votes were to be counted and that is all. The republican bill also saved the government 13 million dollars. Now read the article before replying.

sfcret, you are right. It was about how votes are counted. What difference could that make?

Oh, wait...

Sponsored by House Transportation Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.)—a major recipient of campaign contributions from the airline industry, totaling more than $620,000 in his career—the controversial provision states if an eligible voter fails to vote for union representation, he or she will be tallied as an active vote against representation.

Such a policy, which puts an extra burden on union organizers to round up all voters, rather than a simple majority, existed up until last July, when the federal National Mediation Board, which adjudicates labor-management disputes, ruled that absent votes ought not be counted against unionization. Labor officials hailed that decision as one of their signature victories last year, and the proposal to strip it away has sparked an equally emotional reaction.

"This was the one advancement that you had seen in organizing rights and here they have launched an all-out effort in the House to go after unions again," said Shane Larson, the legislative director for the Communications Workers of America. "Currently, this is the biggest issue federally right now in terms of organizing rights. There is nothing else that is on the table."

www dot dailykos dot com/story/2011/03/08/953974/-House-GOP-quietly-pushing-anti-union-legislation-in-FAA-reauthorization-bill

Get Rosetta Stone and start learning Chinese. Savvy?

BIGGEST problem, is they are all MILLIONAIRES or better. Some are DOCTORS, some are LAWYERS, some are LOBBYISTS, and they are all on the take.

Here's a question; If the Republicans are willing to take down the economy, put millions out of work, dismantle the social safety nets, privatize Social Security and Medicare, all to regain power...why would any rational person want them back in power?

Ol Doc - You and liberals plans are all the same, spend, spend and spend then tax, tax, and tax. Government to take care of everyone from cradle to grave. Some how the insane spending that has been taking place the past 40 years has to stop. We do not have a revenue problem, but a spending problem.

sfcret,

Where were you when GW grew the national debt by $5 TRILLION (and increase of almost 100%)? The liberals may tax and spend, but it is the so called conservatives that borrow and spend. Bush and the Republicans (2002 - 2007) decreased revenues while spending $10 billion a month OVER BUDGET for military operations that weren't in the FY plans. How is that fiscally conservative?

@sfcret, your ideology is all well and good. I'm sure you're repeating things you have hear over and over. The problem with this nation is the extreme amount of debt that has been racked up over the past 50 years. While this problem has been accumulating over the past 50 years (starting around 1958 actually), the two periods during which this country has racked up debt faster than any other period was in the 1980s and the 2000s - when Reagan and Bush Jr were president. The problems we face as a nation are largely the result of the excesses of those two periods. So cut our you ideological rubbish and get with the facts.

Jim, You say Bush grew the national debt by $5 Trillion and I was not happy with it and I was not happy with his invasion of Iraq. Obama has increased it by $4 Trillion in 2.5 years, it took Bush 8 yrs. So who is the biggest spender. We have to cut spending that is all there is to it. It does no good to reminisce or go back and say if that or that had happened things would be different none. What is done is done.

GCV, in my original post I acknowledged that the debt has been built up because of wild spending, but just because it was done in the past doesn't mean we have to keep it up. Actually the biggest increase in the national debt based on yearly average is by Obama, around 2 trillion a year, at the rate we are currently going we will hit $20 Trillion unless we reel in spending.

I was not happy with his invasion of Iraq. We are still paying the principle AND interest on that illegal war, unfunded by RECONCILIATION frolm 2001-2006. The poor, the elderly asnd lower middle class are still paying for the BUSH giveaway to the richest Americans and Corporations, No wyou want us to pay more, while the rich and corporations still pay NOTHING.

The irony is that we went to war against the Taliban. We have our own extremist group right here in the US.

Not all Seniors are completely self absorbed selfish pigs. The majority are concerned about what the lives of their children and grandchildren will be if the unsustainable entitlements are not adjusted, changed, or done away with.

I hope that there are enough of the handout crowd in every age group that has a brain and a heart strong enough to understand there will be sacrifices if we are to survive.

But if the spend crazy politicians scare enough of the mentally deficient with "grandma's gonna starve in the street" BS, versus the "we got elected to change this insanity" crowd they just might default.

I say if you really want these sacrifices to come at you fast and hard, default. It might be the only way to force Washington to spend within it's revenue.

GCV, stupid decisions were made in 2008. The correction began in 2010. More to come.

Amen Steve, amen.

2 words..........TERM LIMITS!