You know who thinks $100K isn’t rich? Oliver Willis.

Democratic Senator Howard Cannon introduced the legislation and Jimmy Carter signed it.

To which Oliver responds:

its a conservative initiative that failed.

No, Oliver, it was a POPULIST initiative that failed. As Jay noted, airline deregulation was pushed by people who thought that air travel was too expensive. It was about de-elitizing (is that a word? It should be) air travel and opening it up for the masses. It was about making air travel affordable to everyone, so — to cite a personal example — I can fly from New Hampshire to Baltimore and back for less than $150.

It was not done for big business, which LOVED the regulatory climate that protected them from the vagaries of the free market.

Sully has an opinion on it. It’s even an informed, professional opinion. Doesn’t make him right, but does make him worth listening to. And he’s using his recent burst of publicity to stand on his soap box over his pet issue — as noted, kind of like Joe The Plumber. But where Joe happened to be in his front yard when Obama and the press came by, Sully had a once-in-a-lifetime (if you’re lucky) moment of extreme crisis and responded heroically.

The problem is, regulation was tied to high costs of air travel. Will the American people stand for those high air fares again in exchange for improved safety standards?

Again, I don’t have a personal opinion or stake in the matter, but my answer is no, they won’t make that tradeoff. Especially when one considers that there have only been ten fatal commercial air crashes since 1995 (about one every 17 months or so), with just over 750 people killed (just under 50 a year on average).

No, I suspect it would take a major crash, with several hundred dead in a spectacular fashion (no crashes at sea), directly linkable to some aspect of airline deregulation (inexperienced flight crew, shoddy maintenance, schedule crunch, running out of fuel for penny-pinching, or something like that — I’m no expert on the particulars) to get the people to back re-regulation. And even then, they’d demand that the government subsidize it so air fares don’t return to their regulation high marks.

J.

Sorry Matt but you make as much sense as a rubber nail.

What’s with the bitterness, still hurting over the thumping you 20%’ers took? Get over it.

Yes an IT Sys Admin with $100k/year is rich (no matter how many times you try to make a six figure salary into poverty it won’t work), and I hope for them to make more money if they can earn it. But I also think they should pay their fair share in taxes. Try to have more than 1 idea in your head at a time.

Sure it is. But Oliver & Co. still say that the IT Sys Admin making $100K a year is rich. Simple as that.

Deregulation has made air travel suck

Deregulation was designed to make air travel less expensive. The fact that air travel sucks has nothing at all to do with deregulation. Regulation is not meant to aid your comfort. Cripes.

its one of the worst run businesses in the world that gets propped up time and time again.

Then the government should let the big players fail.

Whether Carter signed it into law or not its a conservative initiative that failed.

Oh please. Now you’re sounding idiotic as you try to pass the buck to “conservatism” instead of POOR BUSINESS PRACTICES. First you claimed the airline industry was deregulated to drive up profits and to hell with quality. I already told you that airlines were far more profitable back then. But it was also very costly to fly and only those with the means and those in business did it often. Now you’re saying airline travel sucks and deregulation is the cause and that’s a conservative thing. This is funny because if that bill was never signed, you’d be railing about the government catering to THE RICH by not doing something to “lower ticket prices.”

You don’t have a freaking clue as to what you’re pontificating about.

Nice move on his part, at least as far as the stock market goes. Lessened the panic a little bit anyway, so that was a good thing.

Considering six figures goes up to 999,999, I’d say that’s pretty damn well off. Big difference though between say, an IT Sys admin making 100k and a Wall Streeter making 900k. Big difference, and that’s not even counting bonuses and perks.
…and you are an expert on pay scales for the airline industry? My bets are on NOT.

BTFO Sully, biotches. Go whine to your Congressmen who voted against the ARRA and yet gleefully hold out their hands for the DC Communal Wafers. High-pocrisy.

Amen. –steno

steno-

Seriously, good stuff. We all should have one good belly laugh every day and this blog thread just gave me a two-fer.

He’s making an issue of his pay and blaming it on poor relations between unions and the airlines which he says started with reregulation. According to you, somebody in his salary range is rich. Therefore he has nothing to complain about.

But getting back to the issue at hand, the deregulation that Sully is talking about goes back to the Airline Deregulation Act and had nothing to do with the airlines seeking “profit over quality.” In fact, it was the airlines themselves that PREFERRED that current system because rigid controls were in place that assured their profitability. It was the consumer that started to get fed up with extremely high cost of airline travel. Their discontent along with the nervousness of Congress with regard to the railroads spurred action. Democratic Senator Howard Cannon introduced the legislation and Jimmy Carter signed it. The deregulation had its desired effect. Rates went down as more routes opened up and more airlines were forced to compete with newer ones.

You really should educate yourself a little bit more about these times in our history before spouting off about it.

Thank you for your sense of humor. Thank you for giving me the wonderful OliverWillis.com website to visit every day for examples of the hilarity with which you have graced the world.

What else could it be, Lord, but your will that the only possible reasoned response to this website is gut-busting, tear-stained, roll on the floor, lose control of your bladder, uncontained, window-rattling laughter?

How could it be anything but a compete and utter joke that this post about the Right being “about to attack” Capt. Sullenberger a mere 11 minutes behind a post attacking Rick Santelli, Joe Wurzelbacher and President Bush!

It can’t be anything but a fool, Lord – but still one of your creations – who would think no one would notice him condemning the use of tactics that he used himself mere moments before!

That is cosmic and timeless humor, God. And it is worthy of much praise and thanksgiving. After I’ve caught my breath and climbed back into my chair, that is.

So thank you, Lord. Thank you again for giving me liberals like Oliver Willis to laugh at every single day.

Amen.

The bankruptcies were used to by some as a fishing expedition to get what they could not get in normal times,’ Sullenberger said of the airlines stimulus package.

FIFY