FAA is Technically Shut Down But America Doesn't Really Care

Why not?  Well, flights are still flying.  Air traffic controllers and still controlling.  And airlines are loving it because they're going to pocket about $200 million per week that used to go to the government in taxes.

Democrats, however, are quite verklempt:

Democrats try to end FAA shutdown before America actually notices FAA has shut down -- TheDC's C.J. Ciaramella reports: "Senate Democrats and House Republicans continued to snipe at each other today over the nearly two-week-long shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration, which will now stretch into September unless Congress takes special action. The FAA shut down on July 23rd when the Senate blocked a temporary funding bill passed by the House. The Senate objected to cuts in the Essential Air Service program, which provides federal subsidies to rural airports. The House and Senate went into recess this week, but both sides, including President Obama, are banking on a resolution to be reached by the end of the week. In the interim, Republicans have accused senators of blocking the bill to protect political pork in their states, while Democrats accuse Republicans of refusing to negotiate. In a press conference Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, flanked by fellow Senate Democrats Barbara Boxer, Chuck Schumer, and Jay Rockefeller, as well as Rep. Steny Hoyer, repeatedly accused Republicans of what Boxer called 'government by hostage-taking.' Democrats used the 'hostage' analogy no less than eight times in the press conference." Yes, that's their new favorite epithet. They think it will seem slightly more reasonable than calling their opponents "terrorists." They probably wouldn't like it if somebody pointed out that, judging by what they're doing to future generations of Americans, the Democrats are pedophiles. They'd probably howl that such a scurrilous accusation is baseless and inflammatory and really really mean. They'd be right, and they wouldn't even comprehend the irony. Or if they did, undoubtedly they wouldn't care.

Obama even scolded the airlines for daring to keep money they were not legally required to pay to the government, but it's the Democrats that are keeping Obama from getting his hands on this money. The House passed a new bill to authorize the FAA but the Senate refused to act on it. Why? The House bill would roll back some rules that would give unions an easier time in unionizing airlines, and it also reduced money used to subsidize fares for airports that nobody uses. There are some small airports which might serve a handful of people every day (sometimes flights even go out empty), but every one of those tickets ends up costing the taxpayers several hundred dollars in subsidies. It's pork, pure and simple, and we can no longer afford those luxuries.

If Obama and the Democrats want to fix this problem before Congress returns from recess and the government loses over a billion dollars, all they have to do is pass the House bill in the Senate and get Obama's signature and it's all done.  Until then, it's not the Republicans who are holding anyone hostage.