Originally Posted by
bedrock
When an accountant makes an adding mistake, a 100 people aren't killed or maimed. How much subsidy does the military industrial complex get? The pharma, then energy? I am not saying the government should subsidize any of these, what I saying is pretending the the airline industry is or should be turned over to the "free market" is ludicrous. Having an industry that is heavily regulated in terms of safety and access, yet totally unregulated in terms of pay and conditions does not work. That is one reason they have the RLA, to attempt to balance this dichotomy, but it hasn't worked either. The public safety is more important than the bottom line--that's the bottom line.
Free markets will cure all ills of this industry one way or another; we are really close to regulating and taxing this industry offshore or out of existence altogether. I have no problem allowing this industry to be re-regulated and looking like the early to mid 1970's.