And the Worst Is Yet To Come!

Reuters news service has a story out today that includes a shocking number: so far this year, delays in security lines have caused 70,000 American Airlines passengers to miss their flights. That’s 14,000 people a month on average and—God help us!—that’s just one airline!

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 Here are a couple more numbers to consider: The TSA estimates that the number of people passing through U.S. airports this summer will be 15 percent more than a couple of years ago. Meanwhile, there has been a 12 percent cut in the number of TSA screeners.
 
Oh, wait … add one more: the guy in charge of security for TSA, Kelly Hoggan. He was sacked yesterday. Well, that ought to fix things in a jiffy.
 
What the hell are we thinking as a country? Millions of airline passengers are standing in line for hours, and thousands are missing their flights, because TSA doesn’t have enough screeners to process them fast enough. Why don’t they hire more people? They don’t have the money.
 
Then there’s Amtrak. Ridership has increased in 19 of the past 20 years; yet trains are crowded, equipment is old and wearing out and maintenance of the infrastructure is constantly being deferred. Why? They don’t have the money.
 
Out on our highways, the official estimate is that more than 60,000 bridges are, to one degree or another, in need of repair. Why don’t they fix the bridges? They don’t have the money.
 
Apparently, there is no circumstance dire enough to convince Congress to undertake any reforms, initiate any projects or —God forbid!—raise any taxes to pay for any of this stuff. Click on this link while you contemplate that.