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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Sometimes, Mr. Hansen, you need to better explain your “heart of the matter” instead of leaving it to be summarized by sarcastic dismissals. I didn’t tie you to the “liberal/Democratic” … but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see you’re further left than I am. However, anyone left to simply “read beyond the short comment” (and thus filling in the gaps with their own interpretations instead of your ACTUAL opinion) would probably just peg you as a card-carrying member of the progressive movement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>It’s NOT “only logical”. By this are you saying that EVERY SINGLE FAA PROGRAM/EMPLOYEE IS TIED TO SAFETY? How much of the FAA do we actually NEED vs. WANT? Are we really so trusting of our government and its use of our monies that we simply default to an answer of, “GIVE THE FAA EVERY PENNY IT NEEDS, OR LIGHTS WILL START FLICKERING ON RUNWAYS”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>How much of the FAA can be turned over to local states or local airports, instead of a federal agency? How much of the FAA is a social agenda, as opposed to a NECESSARY service?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/budget/">http://www.faa.gov/about/budget/</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Take a peek at that and some of the budgets they’ve gone through… (though I would tend to look more towards the 2012 budget stuff rather than the older (2008 and prior) ones… as recent budgets have been bloated/blurred with the stimulus packages and federal grant money… )<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>“Reduction of Environment Impacts”… is THAT safety? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>“Improved Public Transit Experience”…. is THAT safety?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>“Improved Networks to accommodate Pedestrians and Bicycles?” (Really?). Is THAT safety?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>“Research Carbon Emissions, Improved Energy Efficiency, Reduce Dependence on Oil”… Is that safety?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>** Note: I’m skimming the proposed 2012 budget for the FAA… I haven’t read the details beyond this… I’m taking this stuff at face value... … but just at face value, I don’t see a lot of links between these items and having the runway lights flicker on final approach.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I should also be clear in my position here: I’m a fiscal conservative and social liberal… I don’t lean so far right that I don’t see a role for the FAA at all… but that doesn’t mean that we should be so complacent about spending that it isn’t scrutinized at least a LITTLE more before we start blindly start tossing around the notion that “cutting spending directly ties to a decrease in safety”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>(As a side note, Reagan fired something like 10,000 Air Traffic Controllers in 1981… that would just about represent the most EXTREME tie to safety I can think of, and I don’t remember reading about any airplanes falling out of the sky as a result… )<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Jay<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Tom Hansen [mailto:thansen@moscow.com] <br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, August 01, 2011 11:49 AM<br><b>To:</b> Jay Borden<br><b>Cc:</b> Mike Deleve; vision2020@moscow.com<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Vision2020] Impasses lead to shutdown of FAA<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Sometimes, Mr. Borden, you've got to read beyond a short comment to get to the heart of the matter.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>In my opinion, barring any evidence to the contrary, laying off 4,000 FAA employees, coupled with a drastic FAA budget cut, WILL adversely impact safety. It's only logical.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Simply because a liberal/Democrat says something, DOES NOT mean that I am in lockstep agreement with him/her.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>OK?<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Seeya round town, Moscow.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Tom Hansen<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Moscow, Idaho<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change <span class=apple-style-span>and the Realist adjusts his sails."</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>- Unknown<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br>On Aug 1, 2011, at 11:39, "Jay Borden" <<a href="mailto:jborden@datawedge.com">jborden@datawedge.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Ok… I get it… I’m a fiscal conservative and therefore my legit questions will be automatically met with snippy and “hand-waving” answers from the left.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>But the article that was POSTED FOR ME TO READ said that the “shutdown will not affect airline safety”… Yet in response to my question, folks are jumping on issues of SAFETY.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Either the folks who snipped back at my LEGITIMATE question didn’t read the article that was posted up/shared, or they believe that it’s all lies… </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>In either case, I’ll take the article at face value and assume that the folks that are furloughed are not part of a “safety” equation (however that equal sign pencils out).</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>How much do we ACTUALLY NEED some of this stuff? As a nation, we’ve taken such BROAD strokes to government and spending, we don’t actually look to see how the pennies add up to dollars. When my wife and I look at our home budget, we don’t just look at the BROAD spending we do in our home, we look at the NITTY GRITTY pennies… (well, we obviously can’t cut FOOD out of our budget, but maybe we can spend less name-brand cereal and get just the Malto-Meal stuff?)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>It’s a larger question…. (and keep in mind that I had my VFR rating, and was on the verge of my IFR before I let it all lapse just after 9/11)… how much of this needs to be kept? </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Jay</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Mike Deleve [mailto:coolerfixer@roadrunner.com] <br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, July 30, 2011 4:37 PM<br><b>To:</b> Jay Borden<br><b>Cc:</b> <a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Vision2020] Impasses lead to shutdown of FAA</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Well Jay-</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>These are the people that do those unimportant things like accident investigation, aircraft safety inspections and a really dumb one. Licensing of pilots. My application will be delayed even further now. If your privileges expire in the time frame that the FAA has no authority, you can no longer fly. Period. The airlines may be hit hard with expiring commercial pilot licenses. This is no small thing. You can also bet a certain moron senator from Oklahoma is involved in this because of his reckless activity, just to extract some payback.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>----- Original Message ----- </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:#E4E4E4'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:jborden@datawedge.com" title="jborden@datawedge.com">Jay Borden</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>To:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" title="thansen@moscow.com">Tom Hansen</a> ; <a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" title="Vision2020@moscow.com">Moscow Vision 2020</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Sent:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Monday, July 25, 2011 5:53 PM</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Subject:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Re: [Vision2020] Impasses lead to shutdown of FAA</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>According to the article, “the shutdown will not affect airline safety”… then what exactly are these 4000 people that are on the payroll doing? </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>And… do we need them? </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>(Generally, I’m in favor of many of these government/agency shutdowns… you’ll never really know how much government you can live without until you wake up and never even realize it was missing)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Jay</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com">vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</a> [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Tom Hansen<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, July 23, 2011 8:53 AM<br><b>To:</b> Moscow Vision 2020<br><b>Subject:</b> [Vision2020] Impasses lead to shutdown of FAA</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Jus' another attempt by our friendly, people-oriented Tea . . . er, uh . . . I mean Republican (it's gettin harder to tell them apart without DNA) Party to shut down 'nother one of them commie pinko socialist unions.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Courtesy of The Boston Globe at:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2011/07/23/impasses_lead_to_shutdown_of_faa/?page=full">http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2011/07/23/impasses_lead_to_shutdown_of_faa/?page=full</a><o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:3.75pt;margin-left:0in;-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469);-webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)'><span style='font-size:16.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Impasses lead to shutdown of FAA</span><o:p></o:p></h1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:15.75pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>WASHINGTON - Efforts to avert a shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration failed yesterday amid a disagreement over a $16.5 million cut in subsidies to 13 rural communities, ensuring that at midnight nearly 4,000 people will be temporarily out of work and federal airline ticket taxes will be suspended.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Lawmakers were unable to resolve a partisan dispute over an extension of the agency’s operating authority.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:15.75pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The subsidy cut was included by Republicans in a House bill extending operating authority for the FAA, which has a $16 billion budget. Senate Democrats refused to accept the House bill with the cuts, and Republican senators refused to accept a Democratic bill without it. Lawmakers then adjourned for the weekend.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><div id=page1><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>But underlying the dispute on rural air service subsidies was a standoff between the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate over a provision in long-term funding legislation for the FAA that would make it more difficult for airline and railroad workers to unionize.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Obama administration officials have said the shutdown will not affect air safety. Air traffic controllers will remain on the job. But airlines will lose the authority to collect about $200 million a week in ticket taxes that go into a trust fund that pays for FAA programs.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>FAA employees whose jobs are paid for with trust fund money will be furloughed, including nearly 1,000 workers at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, 647 workers at FAA’s technology and research center in Atlantic City, and 124 workers at the agency’s training center in Oklahoma City.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“These are real people with families who do not deserve to be put out of work during these tough economic times,’’ FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Airline passengers could see a big savings on their airfares, but the situation is complicated. Federal taxes on a $300 round-trip airfare are about $61, but about half of that is airport and security fees that will continue to be collected, according to the Air Transport Association.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Airlines, alerted earlier this week that FAA authority could expire, have been making adjustments to their computer systems and websites so that at midnight, taxes will no longer be added to airfares, the association said.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>One airline, US Airways, was already raising its fares. Other airlines may try to reap a windfall profit from the tax holiday.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Passengers who bought their tickets before the shutdown but who travel during the shutdown may wind up due a refund, Treasury Department spokeswoman Sandra Salstrom said. That’s because it’s not clear whether the government can keep taxes for travel that takes place during a period when the government doesn’t have authority to collect taxes, she said.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Likewise, it’s not clear if passengers who buy tickets after midnight with no taxes included will wind up owing taxes if their travel takes place after FAA’s operating authority is restored, she said.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div id=page2><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Long-term funding authority for the FAA expired in 2007. Unable to agree on new long-term funding legislation for the agency, Congress has kept the FAA operating through a series of 20 short-term extension bills. The extensions had been routine until this week.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The Senate passed a long-term bill in February; and the House a different version in April. Lawmakers have resolved most of the differences between the bills, but no progress has been made on a half dozen or more controversial issues.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Republicans said Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, is insisting that a labor provision in the House bill sought by the airline industry must be dropped before negotiations can go forward.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The labor provision would overturn a National Mediation Board rule approved last year that allows airline and railroad employees to form a union by a simple majority of those voting. Under the old rule, workers who didn’t vote were treated as “no’’ votes. The Republicans complain that the new rule reverses 75 years of precedent to favor labor unions. Democrats and union officials say the change puts airline and railroad elections under the same democratic rules required for unionizing all other companies.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The White House warned in March that President Obama might veto the bill if the labor provision is retained.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Just before he blocked the Democrats’ extension bill, Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, said he shared House Republicans’ frustration “that favors to organized labor have overshadowed the prospects for long-term FAA’’ funding.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p style='line-height:15.75pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Another unresolved issue involves about $200 million in air services subsidies to rural communities. The program was created when airlines were deregulated in 1978 to ensure continued air service on less profitable routes to isolated communities. The House long-term FAA bill would eliminate the program except for airports in Alaska.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt'>------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Seeya round town, Moscow.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Tom Hansen<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Moscow, Idaho<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change <span class=apple-style-span>and the Realist adjusts his sails."</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>- Unknown<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>=======================================================<br> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br> <a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a> <br> <a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>======================================================= <o:p></o:p></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></div><p class=avgcert>No virus found in this message.<br>Checked by AVG - <a href="http://www.avg.com">www.avg.com</a><br>Version: 10.0.1390 / Virus Database: 1518/3798 - Release Date: 07/30/11<o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal>=======================================================<br>List services made available by First Step Internet, <br>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br> <a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a> <br> <a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>=======================================================<o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote></div></body></html>