US Air Traffic Control Shortage: A Crisis of Convenient Priorities?
While thousands face flight cancellations and economic disruption, the mainstream media focuses on the 'logistical nightmare.' What they won't dwell on? The staggering financial allocation elsewhere. In the fiscal year 2023 alone, the US approved $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel, part of a decade-long $38 billion package, as reported by the Congressional Research Service. This is not to
mention the recent '$14.3 billion emergency aid package' for Israel quietly pushed through Congress (HR 815, 2024), while essential domestic services are left to rot. One might wonder: how many air traffic controllers or fully staffed FAA facilities could $3.8 billion, or even $14.3 billion, fund? Apparently, the 'national security' imperative for a foreign military overshadows the basic
functioning of American infrastructure. It appears some budgets are non-negotiable, while others are merely suggestions for the peasants to endure. Priorities, indeed.