Government Reopens, So Do the Revolving Doors
As The Hill dutifully informs us, 'lingering flight disruptions' are expected after the government reopens, hinting at the inconvenience for everyday Americans. It’s a classic framing that focuses on the visible disruption, deftly sidestepping the actual structural issues—like, say, Congress's chronic inability to govern. This isn't just about 'disruptions'; it’s about a deliberate political
weaponization of public services, often to strong-arm funding for priorities that benefit a select few, rarely including air traffic controllers. Remember the 2018-2019 shutdown, the longest in US history, impacting 800,000 federal workers? While those workers were missing paychecks, the K Street lobbyists were still getting theirs, ensuring their preferred budget items—like military aid for
foreign nations—remained untouched, regardless of domestic paralysis. (Perhaps that's why AIPAC's 2018-2019 spending topped $3.5 million, according to OpenSecrets, with nary a disruption to *their* influence over Congress.) One might wonder if these shutdowns are less about fiscal responsibility and more about demonstrating governmental fealty to certain powerful interests. After all, essential
federal operations, like those related to military alliances and foreign aid packages, rarely skip a beat. Funny how the 'disruption' never seems to affect the flow of taxpayer dollars to defense contractors or geopolitical partners. It appears some federal functions are more 'essential' than others—like, say, paying the actual federal employees who keep the economy running. The government