Your Sequester in Action: Small Airport Control Towers Won't Close

As part of the bill that ended the furloughs for air traffic controllers, funding has been found to keep from having to close small airport traffic control towers for the rest of the fiscal year. Courtesy of the Associated Press:

The Federal Aviation Administration will keep open for now the 149 control towers at small airports that were slated to close as the result of governmentwide automatic spending cuts imposed by Congress, the Transportation Department said Friday.

The towers, which are operated by contractors for the FAA at low-traffic airports, had been scheduled to close June 15. They will now remain open at least through Sept. 30, the end of the federal budget year, the department said in a statement.

Why don't we just privatize our obsolete, terrible system? Reason.tv explains it all below:

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Comments

[Brandon]

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMED.

[lisaruth0321]

Alexis. I agree that Frank`s blog is unbelievable, I just got a top of the range Subaru Impreza after having made $4745 this month and-a little over, ten-grand lass-month. with-out a doubt this is the easiest-job I have ever done. I started this three months/ago and practically straight away started making more than $86, per-hour. I work through this website… http://WWW.DAZ7.COM

[Archduke Pantsfan]

NO FUCKING SHIT!!!!

[A Serious Man]

OT, but still fascinating: Saskatoon police mourn death of town drunk.

You got to admit it would be nice if our cops were more Canadian.

[General Butt Naked]

I really need to clean up in here, this damn room is so dusty.

[jesse.in.mb]

Chucking beer all over the walls will tamp down some of that dust.

[General Butt Naked]

Good idea, be right back.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Saskatoon is still a dump.

[db]

A scout from the Flames came down from Saskatoon…

[General Butt Naked]

I fucking love that song.

First thing I thought of upon reading “Saskatoon”.

[db]

me too

[db]

I had a chance to see Zevon perform live in Forth worth in 2000, and missed it. I am such a fucking idiot.

[db]

“Fort Worth…”

[General Butt Naked]

You think people are gonna be around forever, then they die.

It’s always someone like Zevon too. Fucking Obama will live to see a hundred.

[db]

Believe me I know. My Dad died early–one of the best men I’ve ever known–and there are shitheads all over who will live out more decades making others’ lives miserable than he had total.

[General Butt Naked]

That’s too bad.

It seems to be a story everybody can relate to: the joy-bringer drop off while the walking miserable live on and on and on…

[db]

Yuuuup.

BTW, how’s the pistol shooting going?

[General Butt Naked]

Was going great, right up until January. I went from down/left of the paper to down/left of the bullseye thanks to the info I got from you and others. What helped a lot, don’t know if you told me this, was having someone load an empty in the magazine to see if I flinch. I was, and once I figured that it was a matter of calming down and being deliberative. But…

The ammo stash got down to about 300 rounds (9mm) and I stopped shooting my 9mm. I found some ammo here and there and have maybe gone 3-4 times in the past 2 months.

My dad bought a taurus .22/mag* and since I have a shitload of 22lr I’ve been using that on loan. It’s a super accurate gun. Really fun for plinking.

Also picked up a 12ga and have destroyed some scrap doors my dad had.

*matte stainless w/ 4″ barrel

[db]

Honestly the .22lr will help you quite a bit. Do dry fire with your 9mm. Dry fire is a seriously important (now more than ever) part of mastering the art of handgun.

[General Butt Naked]

Yeah, I dry fire watching teevee or sitting around. I do the balance a coin on the barrel thing too. It’s tough but I think it helped quite a bit.

It’s strange but the gun I do the best with is my dad’s .357 revolver. I can put holes in holes with that damn thing.

[db]

Practice drawing and getting on target too. It’s a way to make dry fire more fun. Just make sure you’re always “dry.”

[General Butt Naked]

I do need to practice drawing, because usually when I do dry fire exercises I’m in sweats or shorts. Not really conducive to holstering.

My method for always being dry is by having three magazines for my carry piece.

Two are always loaded and one is NEVER loaded. When practicing the two loaded ones go into a drawer, in addition to a visual and tactile confirmation.

[db]

You should ( if you can) load one with dummies or get a weighted dummy mag to practice reloads with.

Anyway,

the offer still stands if you’re available on Thursdays. We’re shooting outdoors now that the weather’s broken.

[General Butt Naked]

Thanks man, one of these days the stars will align and I’ll have a day and some ammo to spare.

[SweatingGin]

My favorite is my Steyr M, in .40. The trapezoid sites work real well for me.

I’ve did have an awesome grouping with an IMI Jericho, .40, as well. Still need to get one of those.

[General Butt Naked]

I was looking at the Steyr in 9mm. The trapezoidal sights with really low barrel axis would seem to help with quick acquisition and accuracy. They’re supposedly super reliable as well.

[db]

A friend has a Steyr in .40. I do like those sights.

[SweatingGin]

They’re either love it or hate it.

[SweatingGin]

I love it, and have always had good accuracy with it. Very much the more-glock-than-glock feel to it. Not my usual carry, though, as it’s huge, but sometimes.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

REALLY?

[SweatingGin]

I have 15.5 hours of Zevon on my laptop. 1.36 GB. This is the first time I’ve heard this song. Awesome.

[db]

Holy shit.

[Tricerabottoms]

Nice cops. I met one once. He was a state trooper. They’re out there.

[Fist of Etiquette]

J sub D’s tribute at reason was two years ago tomorrow.

[db]

*pours bottle out in memoriam*

[General Butt Naked]

*throws half-empty beer can at wall in memoriam*

Another good man that died too early. He was a Reason commenter when that meant writing notes on the margins of a newsletter.

[db]

Fuck Death, and Fuck Cancer.

[SweatingGin]

Gah. I had seen he was from Detroit and always meant to say we should meet up for a beer. Had no clue back then. Read the Albom column, then found out here. Shook me up a lot

[General Butt Naked]

I remember when I saw his name thinking that it was some sort of constant or variable. Me and my girlfriend tried to figure it out, but didn’t find it. I didn’t want to ask ’cause I wanted say “AHA I know what yer name means!”

Never did find out.

[db]

Me too. I always thought I’d figure it out…

[Frank_Carbonni]

His name meant “John from Detroit”.

[db]

I just tried to make another donation in J sub D’s name to the shelter but their Paypal account appears to be not able to accept donations. I’ll try to find out what’s up.

[db]

It appears that the pastor of the church that ran the shelter has recently passed on and they may be accepting payments to benefit his family now, but that link doesn’t work either.

[SweatingGin]

What’s the name of the church? I may convince myself to do some footwork.

It’s a helluva thing, ’cause I knew there were 3 or 4 other Reasonites around Detroit, and especially with Geoff being right at WSU. I’ve done a bunch of business with WSU up until a few years ago, and I’ve seen/known a lot of the areas around there.

[db]

Here’s their web site: http://www.iammybrotherskeeper-pc.org/

I have contacted the reporter who wrote the original story on J sub D asking if he knows anything of the fate of the ministry. I’ll post here if I find anything out.

[SweatingGin]

thanks, I might ride by there in the next few days and see if I can come up with any information.

[Ted S.]

I presume, then, that the town drunk was a cop?

[Fist of Etiquette]

What the hell. The American public isn’t going to feel the full destructive power of the category five sequestercane if agencies are forced to direct it away from the population.

[A Serious Man]

When you think about it, how is this a bad idea? ‘Cuts’ (I know, not really cuts but let’s play along) are automatically made and Congress gets to allocate funding more efficiently and according to need when a problem pops up. That almost sounds entirely reasonable, which is why it is freaking Democrats the fuck out.

[Anonymous Coward]

The FAA began paying contractors to staff and operate towers at a handful of small airports after President Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers in 1981. Today, there are 251 towers operated by private contractors at airports across the country at an average annual cost of more than $500,000 each.

I wonder how much the government-operated air traffic control towers cost to operate. $500,001 or $499,999?

Critics have questioned whether the program is still needed. The FAA has acknowledged using 30-year-old data on aircraft collisions to justify the cost of operating many of the control towers, even though accident rates have improved significantly over that time.

Yum. Truthiness.

[wingnutx]

BOMBSHELL: Mayor Sarah Palin Denied Police Protection To Family, Resulting In Their Murder

[Irish]

The mother allegedly (there is no proof) went to Palin’s office to put in a formal request for 24-hour police monitoring of her house.

The request was allegedly denied for some yet unknown reason.

They allegedly went to Palin’s office, an assertion for which there is no proof. It was allegedly denied for, another assertion for which there is no proof, for reasons that may have been valid since we don’t know what they are.

BOMBSHELL! WE DON’T HAVE PROOF OF ANYTHING!

[Irish]

Oh, I didn’t read the whole thing. It’s a Benghazi spoof. Oops.

THIS IS WHY YOU READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE!

[wingnutx]

Reading is 4 faggets!

[Tricerabottoms]

What’s writing for?

[darius404]

Yes, this is why WE read the article, so we can laugh at you as you flail about in ignorance.

DANCE FOR US, DANCE PUPPET DANCE!

[Dweebston]

Dance, magic, dance.

[Irish]

Yes, this is why WE read the article, so we can laugh at you as you flail about in ignorance.

The calories I burn through ignorance flailing is how I maintain my girlish figure.

[Dweebston]

It isn’t whiskey-induced bulimia?

[VG Zaytsev]

Why would they go to the part time mayor instead of the cops?

[General Butt Naked]

Why would they go to the part time mayor instead of the cops?

What difference, at this point, does it make?

[VG Zaytsev]

Murder is a federal issue, of course, so, several months later, Sarah Palin herself was questioned before Congress on what exactly transpired with regard to the stalker, the family of four, and their murder. (If you were up until this point unaware of these congressional hearings, that can be attributed to Palin’s not being a major figure in politics at that time.)

WTF???

[A Serious Man]

http://www.reactiongifs.com/tag/orson-welles/

[Brandon]

Under oath, Palin claimed that no security of any kind was ever requested. At one point, the strain of being questioned having evidently taken its toll on her, she attempted to deflect the questioning and suggested it doesn’t matter who is to blame. “What difference, at this point, does it make?” she erupted indignantly.

This was extremely well done. I wonder who had actually posted it without reading the whole thing?

[wingnutx]

I had one person on facebook share it, furious at Palin for saying “At this point, what does it matter?”.

She deleted it after she figured out it was actually Hillary.

[General Butt Naked]

That’s awesome. Reminds me of the fake Brady campaign rape ads a few months ago.

[wingnutx]

Those were great.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I SAID BLIND FEMALE POLE VAULTER ONE OF THE BEST IN TEAXS

[Dweebston]

Archduke Pantsfan, however, still cannot qualify for the spelling Olympics.

[Tricerabottoms]

She would dominate the Special Olympics.

[Suthenboy]

Why would anyone write an article about a blind pole vaulting girl and not have photos or video? And where in the fuck is Teaxs?

[AlmightyJB]

Here’s a hot chick that pole vaults. Scroll to bottom for best pic.

[AlmightyJB]

Ok, lets try these links again

jailbait

scroll down

[AlmightyJB]

Make sure you scroll all the way down on the second one

[General Butt Naked]

As for the second one…

You remember my bunk?

Well, I’ll be there.

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, she can definately use my pole for whatever she wants.

[AlmightyJB]

Here’s a pic of the blind girl. Cute but unfortunately jailbait.

[General Butt Naked]

What the fuck is this?

You goddamn tease.

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, not sure what happened. Links are above.

[AlmightyJB]

Teaxs is below Oklahomo.

[Rich]

funding has been found

What, from that guy who buried Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

Seriously, has anyone done an analysis of how much all the sequester bullshit is costing relative to what is “being saved”?

[AlmightyJB]

funding has been found

It was in Obamas sock drawer

[db]

“Obama’s Stash”

[General Butt Naked]

Obama’s stash = what he can bogart off of others

[WomSom]

Sounds like some pretty crazy smack to me dude. Wow.

http://www.GotDatAnon.tk

[General Butt Naked]

Speaking of the sequester, I was on a flight and an old dude told me he was amazed that we were on time…

Ya know, with the sequester and all.

[Ashlee76]

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