The FAA is shutting down tonight for a simple reason. Republican extremists have decided that they need to pass anti-union legislation more than we need a functioning government. As the AP writes*:
The House bill also seeks to undo a ruling by the National Mediation Board approved last year that allows airline and railroad employees to form a union by a simple majority of those voting. Under the old rule, workers who didn't vote were treated as "no" votes.
Democrats have made clear they will not stand for this hostage taking by conservative extremists. Now New Jersey, and Atlantic City in particular, are getting hammered:
As a result, a partial shutdown of the FAA will occur tonight at midnight, furloughing nearly 650 workers at the FAA Tech Center in Atlantic City, delaying Teterboro Airport construction projects, and jeopardizing future airport construction projects in New Jersey and across the country.
Frank LoBiondo has been missing in action, sending out press releases blaming Harry Reid, but failing to get his Republican colleagues to compromise. That's always the problem with LoBiondo, who sometimes casts himself as a 1994 conservative revolutionary and sometimes as a moderate, but never has any actual influence with his party or its leadership. He relies on union support to discourage a Democratic challenger, but won't block anti-union legislation, even when it hurts his own people.
Now if Frank LoBiondo believes a real principle is at stake, he should resign from Congress and send his time suing to block every New Jersey school budget, because if not showing up for an election is a no vote none of these elections were ever valid. It might be crazy enough to make the Tea Party like him. Otherwise, he needs to be effective for the first time in his career, even if it annoys some extremists.
*The above AP link was actually recommended by Rep. LoBiondo's own website. |
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