That rip-off, GOP airline bailout -

[shadowsource]

It's now coming clear that the way the airlines were bailed out last week is incredibly corrupt. To start with, the airlines were already in trouble because of the economic recession that pre-dated the terrorist attacks. But the world insurance companies' decision to yank up rates astronomically has spawned government intervention across the planet to keep planes flying.
I believe some help was needed.

BUT, the airlines got too much money. They also won a congressional agreement that executives would not suffer any pay cuts! American Airlines is now saying it won't pay SEVERANCE to its thousands of laid-off workers! GOP House Speaker Hastert implied strongly last week that he'd be up for a national unemployment-term extension (it is customary during particularly bad recessions to extend unemployment eligibility from 6 months to 1 year, though this recession has only just started). Now it seems Hastert is reneging on that arrangement.

With this kind of doubledealing on "emergency" legislation, we'll be back to politics as usual in DC in no time.

 

[WriterDom]

Hmmm... wondering how something that passed the senate by a vote of 96 to 1 can be called a GOP bailout.

 

[Mischka]

from cnnfm.com:

"AMR Corp., the largest airline company and owner of American Airlines and Trans World Airlines, reversed course late Wednesday to say it would make some kind of payments to the 20,000 employees who will lose their job there, although it would not give details of that assistance. The company's statement said the $900 million it expects to get from the federal government will make the payments possible."

 

[shadowsource]

Assurances that they gave the Dems -

Hmmm... wondering how something that passed the senate by a vote of 96 to 1 can be called a GOP bailout.

The GOP senators insisted there was no need to ensure that employees would receive severance, that it wasn't an issue, that all unemployment issues could be handled later. Yes, Daschle got bamboozled in his patriotic haste; he trusted them.
This well illustrates the problems inherent in these "emergency" bills that no one reads. Apparently our new chief of Homeland Security got bamboozled last year into signing a bill that made the State of Pa. guarantee a bunch of money for a Pittsburgh sports stadium that Ridge had vowed not to fund. Haste makes waste, to say the least. I am, of course, thinking of Ashcroft's anti-terrorist plan.

In the event that the airlines do not pay severance, the Dems are prepared to attach conditions to the pending airline security bill. Bush will scream. As I said, business as usual.
And Mishka: It's nice if American nows says it will pay its workers. Yesterday, long AFTER the bailout passed, American Airlines spokeswoman Karen Watson said they would NOT pay the severance in accordance with an emergency clause in the airline's contract with the unions. US, United, and others are all citing similar emegency clauses.