The Donald (Duck!) and the New Age of Political Hackery
April 21, 2011 No CommentsBy: Noah Fram
For all the Trump-Mania dominating political news of late, the politics of reality seems to have been swept under the rug to some extent. It’s a common problem in election season (which apparently now starts before anybody’s actually officially declared their intention to run): the candidates take first priority, often even over legitimate policy questions. Pundits spend hours discussing how easily different people can weather the frequently personal allegations leveled against them, which voter blocs they can effectively mine for support, and the merits of their fabricated positions as if they had some immediate effect on the economy (“The Donald took on Karl Rove! Quick, everybody sell Halliburton and BP!”). As a result, things that actually — dare I say — matter are chronically ignored.
My personal favorite example of a story we all should care about, but seemingly don’t, is the recent controversy over air traffic controllers falling asleep at their posts. Air travel is among the safest forms of travel in existence almost exclusively because, although a single accident can cause hundreds of fatalities, such accidents almost never occur. In fact, the likelihood of two planes colliding in transit is all but nonexistent. Far more likely is a collision at an airport, but those are staved off by the air traffic controllers…who are having trouble staying awake. The debate over how to fix this has included options such as doubling the number of available workers, changing scheduling practices, or allowing controllers to take naps during their breaks (this last option was rejected primarily because it’s somehow “un-American.” Don’t ask me how). As of now, a whole collection of previously unknown policy-makers, ranging from the Secretary of Transportation (quick, name him!) to the head of the FAA at least have something to say. But no word on The Donald’s position, so let’s talk about Obama’s birth certificate instead.
So, at risk of being disbarred from the American Association of Political Editorializing, I’d like to discuss the air traffic issue. First of all, although I normally wind up on the workers’ side, in this instance I think the union has been irresponsible. They negotiated a scheduling methodology which was intended to give controllers longer weekends by making them work more hours per day for fewer days; predictably, this is resulting in fatigue problems. Long weekends are generally a desirable thing, as anyone could attest, but the situation here is a little different. An air traffic controller is essentially a high-stakes, much better-trained traffic guard. Given how much we all fly, the idea that there might be problems around takeoff and landing is, frankly, terrifying. These men and women essentially have thousands of lives in their hands each day, and all scheduling practices should be devised with that in mind.
Second, the idea that allowing controllers to sleep during their breaks is un-American is patently ridiculous. How? At what point in the Constitution does it say “workers shall not be allowed to rest during breaks”? To quote the aforementioned Secretary of Transportation (look him up): “On my watch, controllers will not be paid to take naps.” Which would you prefer, Mr. Secretary: 1) having controllers fall asleep at their posts, or 2) allowing them to take naps during their breaks?
Frankly, the only reason I can think of for statements like the Secretary of Transportation’s is the idea that saying that somehow had political benefit. Is he planning on running for President, too? Otherwise, what business does he have allowing politics to get in the way of doing his job? Now, I understand this is a tricky issue, especially with the budget the way it is, and that it is a microcosm of the debate between labor unions and employers. But the air traffic controllers are federal employees, so the situation here is a little different. Most notably, the conflict here is not pitting cost-effectiveness against worker rights; rather, this is worker rights and/or cost-effectiveness versus consumer safety. But even more fundamentally, this is indicative of the scenario the government currently faces. The Republicans are right about one thing: we don’t have a budget problem.
We have a priority problem.
The basic mission of our government, as clearly stated in the Constitution, is to protect its citizens. In fact, that’s in the only part of the Constitution virtually every public school student was at some point required to memorize (the Preamble). It applies to virtually every area of government involvement, and is all too frequently ignored by people on both sides of the aisle. We have no business talking about saving money when saving money would mean endangering the public. And we certainly should never let politics interfere with the general welfare, either by enacting bad policy or preventing any policy at all from passing.
So please, can we all quit the posturing, recognize that in the midst of all this speculative campaigning, there is legitimate governing to be done, and then go make the country a better, safer place instead of just talking about it on The Today Show?
Featured, Online Exclusive