Old 04-17-2015, 08:56 PM
  #85  
globalexpress
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Joined APC: May 2009
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Originally Posted by IQuitEagle View Post
Semantics. Whether a government gives cash to an enterprise, or allows it a system to eliminate tons of debt, the end result is the same. However, since you are so bent on seeing no evil where you don't want to see it, I doubt you will admit that.

And even if the U.S. airlines' total isn't "40 billion" as you say, you are now saying that the ME airlines' offense is worse, just because of the magnitude. Silly, because if subsidies are wrong, then they are wrong, period.
It's not a matter of admitting anything. I just don't buy the Chapter 11 argument. If you made a point, for example, that the 1B dollars of ATSB LOAN GUARANTEES** the US government made to some US airlines one time after 9/11 when our country was at war and when the financial market was pretty much shut down to the airlines, now you might have a point. Or when cities in the US offer revenue guarantees or other incentives for a low cost carrier, for example, to start service to their city, then maybe you have a point. I'd argue that IMO they aren't really good points, but I could see someone taking that position. Do you want me to make some more points for you, or are you going to hang your hat entirely on the whole Chapter 11 thing?

You're implying that the US Government somehow designed our nation's Chapter 11 laws to benefit US airlines and the US government transferred money from the government to the US airlines.....nah. Don't buy it. The US government didn't give American any money when they just went through Chapter 11, for example. You might not like our nation's bankruptcy laws, but that doesn't mean American, for example, was subsidized by the US government.

So I'll ask you the same question I've asked everyone else debating points in the paper...........did you even read it from beginning to end? Do you see a transfer of wealth from the US government to US airlines similar in scope and magnitude that the Big ME 3 are enjoying right now?

**unlike the "loans" provided to the ME airlines (see linked paper), these ATSB loans had terms, were paid back, and were a net financial gain to the US Treasury (i.e. us taxpayers) when it was all said and done.
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