FWAAA

Unbelievable. The reporter screwed up the numbers, but any talk of increasing taxes on air travel is just plane moronic.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...and_security_4

trixievictoria

Blame your airlines they are the ones who are contributing less and less ..and passing the cost on more and more.... But some how, I am sure, TSA will be blamed for this too....HERE....

exerda

I don't know that the TSA will be blamed for this, but to me, that will be that much more money wasted, because unless we get some proactive instead of reactive policymakers in place, very little of what the money is spent on will do anything to make us safer.

Dovster

From the article:

But Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, told department officials it was unlikely they would receive more money, so "I would urge a review of your situation as to how to get the job done better with the money that's there now."

It is good that the Senate feels this way. Of course, I have to wonder how it let those two dummies, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Senator Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, get away with banning Bic lighters.

Did it really feel that by hiring extra screeners to make certain that nobody is going to flick his Bic it will really "get the job done better with the money that's there now"?

SJCFlyerLG

Ah, but how do you feel about the anti-tax crusader (Bush, R-USA) proposing to double the ticket tax? Maybe we'll here that it was the largest tax increase in aviation history from the Dittohead society? I should live so long.

Dovster

There is a similar thread in Omni in which I just posted my answer. It is rather lengthy and I don't want to double-post by repeating it here. It comes down to this: This new tax may well force some airlines into Chapter 11.

flymeaway

Do you really think the airlines, already taxed to the gills, should foot the bill for national security - and for measures that many find to be inefficient and ineffective?

"...taxes are "choking the industry to death." He emphasized that airlines face a myriad of charges on passengers, fuel, cargo and security and stressed that airline travel is the highest taxed good or service available.
...
Airline passengers who buy a single-connection roundtrip ticket for $200 can expect 25.6 percent of their ticket charge to go to the federal government in taxes and fees, according to Woerth. In 1972 and 1992, the taxes represented 7 percent and 15 percent, respectively, of the total ticket fare. A comparable trip for $100 gets taxed a massive 44.2 percent. "The airline industry's tax burden must be reduced," he said."
http://traveltax.msu.edu/news/Stories/afn2.htm

SJCFlyerLG

I didn't know that Omni had been resurrected!

But seriously, I don't think adding $3 per segment would stop people from flying. Of course, I also think that the current airport security spending is completely wasteful, so I don't want to see this happen. I just found it curious that those who crusade against taxes seem to think this one is justified. I am still waiting to see something done about cargo, which is actually a threat.

FWAAA

I completely agree. The current $2.50/$10 max ticket tax has undoubtedly contributed to the financial distress felt by the airlines, and increasing it will only add to that misery.

OBL could not have planned our response any better: Make flying a huge hassle, and add a new tax on tickets to help pay for that hassle. And then increase the tax.

Further evidence that too many of our leaders are doing OBL's bidding for him. Shame on them.

laguardiaguy

ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

I've been reading this forum for a few months and this is the point both the TSA apologists/defenders and the reactionary anti's both miss.

The simple reason we have this security mess is all the branches of our government are scared the next attack will happen on thier watch and they will take the blame for it. So everytime something extraordinary happens a rule or a law is passed to prevent it from ever happening again. Regardless of the long term mess it creates. Short term thinking is a downside of free and frequent elections

Hire a bunch of poorly paid and trained cop rejects (or wannabes) to man the gates. Give them absolutely no discretion in following contradictory rules, then do nothing when the screening procedures annoy (harass is too strong a word in my opinion, reactionaries don't read further just start flaming now) the flying public.

Airport security is not there to catch hijackers. It's there to deter them and is probably doing a good job of it. Face it, the other side of the poor guy gets whisked to jail for the forgotten about pen knife but bad guys aren't getting caught story is the fact that real bad guys are not trying any more. The chance of getting caught is just too great. BTW it does'nt excuse the times the TSA DOES let something potentially dangerous through because it means a baddy may want to try his luck if the screen is percieved as too pourous.

Ridicuolous (sp?) and opaque screening procedures are not the beginning of the fascist take over of America. It is a scared s***less reaction by beaurucrats (sp?). The left is just as guilty as the right. Chuck Schumer is a strong supporter of CAPPS II and is constantly stumping for more security at NY airports. Hillary too. When have either of them ever been accused of being fascist. When did Ted Kennedy try to bring sanity to the management of the No Fly list after his problems. I've heard Ted called many names, including murderer, but never facist. I'm almost 50 and all my life I have been hearing about the beginning of the hijacking of America. This is not it.

The no fly list is very poorly managed, but if done correctly will serve a valuable purpose too. It will stop a baddy from even trying to get on an airplane.

I'm tired of ranting. I think I made my point.

LaGuardiaguy

Doppy

Blame the airlines? Where is the money going? The TSA! Why would we blame the airlines for the TSA's money wasting?

JS

This is a wretchedly AWFUL idea. The security tax needs to be eliminated, not increased!

The federal government gets enough money as it is in the 7.5% excise tax, the segment tax of $3.10 (or $3.20 or whatever it is now), and the airports' PFC. You have enough money; no more!!!

trixievictoria

Oh trust me I am not crying for the airlines.....at all...but how did I know the usual suspects found a way to twist it around....

I do appreciate the other insights concerning handling of the money and government spending...very astute... ^

channa

You should be. No airlines, no business for the TSA.

Here's a DOMESTIC ticket I bought recently:

1 Adult $89.77
Taxes $58.03
Total Price $147.80

What is that, a 65% rate of taxation?

trixievictoria

Check the taxes and compare to where you live....the airport gets it's cut, the locality who maintains the airport, and the federal gov't.....

Oh and the Airlines were so compassionate to the Travel Agents weren't they .....so now they cry....they pay so much less than they did years ago....

TSA is also at Ports and Train stations....so not totally out of business