And I am scared to death. I am so sick of having to live in fear because Republicans want poor people to suffer.

We're doing okay... but we have definitely cut back on a lot of things in order to remain at "just okay". I know that I'm fortunate to have that luxury were a little belt-tightening is enough. I know that there are many families and vulnerable people who were already living on the edge and no amount of cutting back will help. I feel for them (except for the ones who are "finding out" what their vote and support means and are living with the consequences.)

Thinking about driving instead if weather in mountains not to bad, I am just going from OR to Bay Area .

it's not a viable option. would take days.

I know long distance on the train is expensive and time consuming. Unless you make the journey adventure.

I was thinking about the OP which I understood to be a trip from Oregon to NY.

I"ve taken the train from LA to SLO before. Maybe a bit longer than driving, but it was good, I had 3 young kids with me for the trip.

A bear going over the mountain
To see what he could see…

Onwards!

Here in Medford. Klamath Falls is nearest station and would travel down to Sacramento. I would have to go over pass to get to Klamath Falls so might as well go from here. Besides kids in Santa Rosa two hours away from Sac. I have flight going into Sonoma County airport if not canceled and safe?

to that. JFK would be on the list for a 10% cut in flights.

i travel from NC to LA regularly, and I don't know what I'll do if this shutdown continues.

Trigger an impromptu general strike. I know a lot of people who travel by air for work, this is impacting them bigly.

the goal (among others) is for ATC to be privatized.

The private companies aren't going to foot the bill without reimbursement - i.e., FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MONEY.

Right now, there are millions of federal contractors who are not only not getting paid, but who will NOT receive back-pay from the federal government (and any such that they might receive would be as a nod from their prime contractor).

The alternate scenaro to that is that the private entities charge the airlines for that cost and the airlines aren't going to eat that, so they will pass it onto the consumer by way of exorbitant ticket prices - bringing flying back to the realm of the old days - for "elite customers only".

Right now, there are more than TWICE as many federal contractors ( "privatization" ) as civil service FTEs (Full Time Equivalents) in the government -


(above from here - https://www.brookings.edu/articles/is-government-too-big-reflections-on-the-size-and-composition-of-todays-federal-government/)

Government still pays but it's private companies that profit. Airline tickets do increase, but not exorbitantly, while the pay and health benefits of controllers decrease.

The idea is not to save the government money, but to give it corporate cronies.

Most private contractors for the government ARE already like that and getting a profit.

You may have some non-profits doing specialty work for the feds, but much of that was done via grants, and the whole grants thing, and the rest, have recently been targeted by 45 (and Muskrat's DOGEshit), and have been or are being purged

Contracting Officers have different types of contracts that they can solicit for - like "fixed price" or "cost-plus" (the latter with extra financial incentives, often to have the work done by a certain date and/or for specialized fields needing an expertise that is difficult to find).

Even with the "fixed price" contracts, the prime is going to make sure they make a profit somewhere (including hiring lesser-paid workers and/or using cheaper parts, etc).

ever since Reagan fired everybody in the '80s. But the private companies contract with the FAA, which actually pays for the work, though the airport authority pays for the tower itself and the equipment. The controllers are paid less than directly-paid FAA controllers, but they also handle less traffic. When I worked part-time as a flight instructor, my flight school was based at an airport with an FAA tower, and the controllers were always worried that if traffic fell below a certain level ("operations," meaning takeoffs and landings), the tower would go private, which they very much did not want. So we tried to help them out by doing takeoff and landing instruction and practice at this airport rather than going to one of the nearby uncontrolled airports. This was some 20 years ago, and checking a recent list I see that it's still an FAA tower.

there are a pile of little "commuter plane" sized airports,

But the point is that right now, the idea of them "privatizing" it all would mean either they are PAID by the feds under contract and that money goes bye bye during a lapse or that large contingent of privately-owned/run airports would have to pass that full cost onto the consumer.

Even as it is now, the only privatized facilities are the smaller towers which don't have a lot of regular traffic; all of the TRACON and en-route facilities are FAA. Also, "privatization" in this context means only that a private company manages the operation under contract with the government, just like the government contracts with private companies to build roads, etc. True privatization would mean that the government isn't involved at all, and that the operator would be paid directly by the users. A number of other countries have privatized their ATC systems, usually by making them quasi-government agencies like AMTRAK or the USPS, supported by user fees but with some level of government involvement or control.

"Waste. Fraud. Abuse. Redundant".

but can't pay air traffic controllers to keep flying safe.

Somebody's priorities are all out of whack.

They are just blatantly violating the law.

There are certain funds that are "multi-year" (allowed to go across fiscal years). But using funds designated for a specific fiscal year, that haven't been reprogrammed with Congressional approval, is a violation of the "Antideficiency Act".

republicans

When they call in sick they're really on a job interview. When they get an offer they say goodbye. It seems as though people prefer to work for employers that give them a paycheck at the end of the day.

His best acting role was as a hypocrite when the long-time president of SAG-AFTRA actors union led strikes and won important benefits for this group of organized labor but later was responsible for firing members of the PATCO air controllers organization and even pursuing criminal charges against the organizers. What a phony! Later, as President of our country, he was one who started to reduce "big government" by cutting back needed government functions and denigrated government employees by saying things like, "I think you all know that I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help." So the Death Valley Days and Bedtime For Bonzo actor was one of the principal players in the Republican act which brought us to Trumpism.

that trump isn't governing.

That will be a while.

Stop all flights for NFL, NBA, NHL, & NCAA teams now!! Folks not getting their sports fix would be a huge impact to the great majority of people and they’d lose their shit and this could quickly come to an end.

That would get Congress' attention.

Mandatory retirement age for controllers is 56.

Fewer people are going to want to be ATCs directly because of MAGA. So shortages are going to be a problem long term.

Not sure MAGA pipe dreams of using AI for automating air traffic control is going to work out well.

out of the orphan Port Authority airport Stewart in the Hudson Valley. Years ago it operated on instrument and radar when there was no tower personal present. I hope they don't kill the flight

I'm already a fearful flyer. 😰

But I don't blame people for taking care of themselves and their families first.

I believe they have to use the same airports and air space as the rest of us. I might be wrong, perhaps Bezos has his own private airports, but I doubt it. I sure hope they're finally feeling pain.

Every time those Republican fuckers get control, they shut our government down.

I'm sick and tired of their bullshit and I'm not even trying to live without a aycheck while men like Johnson thrown their tantrums and refuse to show up for work.

every pilot, flight attendant, mechanic, baggage handler, fueler, should declare that they will not come into work for a week out of public safety and there safety................these CEO's and wall street would be screaming for Thune and his maga gang and Johnson and his maga gang and that guy Duffy person and that orange hair 34 count convicted fraudster ( who's bald head is starting to show) will maybe rethink there playbook of creating let them eat cake, but I am not holding my breath.............because come next Friday when they implement the 10% rule...........

take this job and shove it. The working man does have that option.

A President typed in a fury,
Declaring his loyalist jury.
Controllers, he warned,
If absent or scorned,
Would be “replaced” in a Patriot hurry.

He promised ten grand on the spot,
To “Patriots” who’d never forgot
That shutdowns are fake,
A “hoax” they should shake—
If they’d work without pay (quite a lot!).

At airports from Boston to Phoenix,
Fatigue spread like budgetary Kleenex.
Short-staffed and unpaid,
The system decayed—
Yet tweets kept supplying the remix.

Said Duffy: “They’re hungry, you see—
They’re feeding their kids, not the T-R-A-C.”
But logic and need
Could not supersede
A Truth Social tirade at three.

Said Daniels, “We’re flying the planes,
While juggling mortgages, bills, and refrains.
We’re not just some pawn
To tweet anger upon—
We’re humans with stress in our veins.”

So while Donald typed, fiery and grand,
About patriots saving the land,
The towers stood tall,
Though weary of all—
Still guiding each flight to its stand.