Quote:
Originally posted by Yorick:
Ryanmur, I think you're missing the things the goverment is doing to help stabilise the airline industry, and the economy as a whole. The focus has been far more than just Bin Laden.
Just the other day Bush announced measures to increase air security from Air marshalls, stronger doors, federal training for security etc etc. This was publicly announced to increase confidence in air travel - the lack of which is responsible for it's dire situation. Couple this with bailouts and packages to bolster the industry, a huge funding package to rebuild New York, dropped interest rates, public encouragements to visit the theatre and live how you normally would, and you have a government very concerned with getting the economy back on track. To claim no realisation on their part is an error.
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OK, the Government is helping a bit with the airline industry. Now, my question to you is who's responsible for national security issues? If I'm not wrong, it's the government. What we have here is a government that is helping but that is not ready to acknowledge a direct failure to perform to expected standards, a government who's not ready to take responsibility for it's lack of performance, a government who's not ready to guarantee stability and pay for damages done because of the lack of professionnalism of some of its employes and a government who is not ready to prosecute those individuals that have ingnored warning signs for the last decade. By not providing security to both the people and economy, the government as put us all at risk.
However, I have to be fair. This is not solely the fault of the Government (aside from the guilt laying at the feet of the terrorists), part of the guilt also rest on Society itself for it's failure to accept reality and because it wasn't ready to peak out of it's little soap bubble (and we're just starting to look around 'cause believe it or not, that soap bubble hasn't been broken yet).
No, what the government needs to do is first of all go through a cleansing process. Get rid of all the crap that's incapable of taking the decisions that need to be taken and replace it with elements that are not political sluts, are capable and ready to actually make the though decisions. We need to actually adopt the idea of "for the good of the many" rather than "for my good and that of those that support me".
Now, back to the original airline issue. What as been done is peanuts. Yes, we will now have airmarshalls on flights, security will be taken over by a federal agency, new metal doors, etc. etc... That's what people wanted: a sense of security: out of all the new "so called" security measures, the only ones that will really help are airport security taken over by the Feds (if the standards are high enough... 'cause they're not yet) and the metal doors. Having Air Marshalls on board of aircrafts is ludicrus. The idea is to have a plane that is sterile, not to have a weapon in the cabin.
Also, just to prove to which point this is only a facade, what as been done about the commuter planes and small business jets. Absolutely nothing (unless I'm wrong). Those planes, even if they haven't been used to commit a terrorist act could now become the weapon of choice for the simple fact that most of those small commuters operate on privately owned hangar and are more easilly accessible than commercial jetliner. 4-5 of them could probably do the same effect.
Now, about the money: injecting 5 billion + 10 billion in loan guarantees doesn't do ****. What those company really need if a nice blank cheque to continue operations like they were before the attack. But the government is not ready to do that because it costs too much. Guess what now, where stuck with 125,000 people that are out of a job even with a 15 billion injection. Now, those people are not spending anymore, that means that business is going down, which leads to more layoffs and the whell just keeps turning.
Yes, the government says it's concerned about the economy and everything but it's not ready to take the actions that need to be taken. Maybe to claim that they do not realize what's going on is an error but to claim that they are not willing to do what needs to be done certainly isn't.
Encouragements don't do Jack. What the world needs right now is Action.
BTW: I'm not an expert on terrorism or the world economy but I'm a commercial pilot and I know what I'm talking about when I'm talking about that industry. The Aviation industry itself was and is still very safe.
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If I am because I think, then, if I talk without thinking, I'm not really talking! Am I?
[This message has been edited by Ryanamur (edited 09-28-2001).]