In short, sex (and scaremongering) sells. I'm no politician and I barely follow most of the crap that comes out of the sacred halls of DC even as I fall right under their control, but the opposing party holds control of Congress (barely, yes, but still) so I can't help but wonder how much of this is actually lead-up to The Blame Game, Federal Style.

I realize that's not an earth-shattering viewpoint.

Better yet, WHAT IF IT DOES? And my apologies to anyone here who may have the misfortune of needing to be out in the trenches this weekend, but I can't help thinking WHAT IF IT DOES? What if the airports are full of grandmas and people with antsy small children and fidgety FF types and they're all there waiting in this completely ridiculous line for no good reason...and then people say, to hell with this - and, after they get to where they need to go and do what it is they need to do, they simply don't fly after all that melodrama? And people see it on TV and go, oh, no way in hell I'm going anywhere, and they just don't buy plane tickets and either drive to their vacation or they just don't go at all (because gas is fifty bucks a tank plus)? I find this possibility fascinating and truly scary....

I 'll bet there are a lot of folks out there in the Great Ether who just don't see that this could have major economic implications outside of the obvious ones. I don't see how it couldn't. And that goes back to my Federal Blame Game Theory and how much of this is simple scaremongering. Really, it's a great chance for Congress to shoot themselves in the other foot even if they are the ones setting up the whole thing, which is what makes the whole situation surreal to me. *shrugs* Who knows? Like I said, I'm no political science guru so maybe I'm just talking out my behind...