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Should Traffic Controllers be paid during shutdowns? And should private planes receive the same access as commercial airlines during flight restrictions?

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There are many private businesses that BOTH deliver a great product to customers and profit to the shareholders.  It’s not mutually exclusive, even though thats the narrative many here love to promote.

It didn’t used to be mutually exclusive. It shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. But it is increasingly becoming so. See “enshittification.”
But to the original point, “we should run all govt functions like a business” is almost always really stupid, because business and government have quite different missions, even when business is at its best.
The purpose of govt services is to serve the public/common good.
The purpose of a business is to make money. Even if it’s run at its best, its purpose is to make money, by serving consumers in a good way so they’ll continue to buy your services.
  • Author
On 11/15/2025 at 10:30 AM, Incredulity said:

There are many private businesses that BOTH deliver a great product to customers and profit to the shareholders.  It’s not mutually exclusive, even though thats the narrative many here love to promote.

I am super confused? What does this have to do with, with incredibly stupid decision making by this FAA?

In this instance the only decision made by the FAA was to inflict the maximum possible economic damage to the economy.  Nothing more nothing less. Maximum economic damage for the American taxpayer. THe damage was the goal, not avoiding the damage.  The good news is the second dumbest policy I have ever seen implemented from an economic perspective.  

But it would be nice to codify something into law so future incompetence at the highest levels of government can be muted in the future.  What a strange world we live in today.  When supposed public servants choose the paths of maximum economic damage as the "smart choice" for the American taxpayer.

2 hours ago, horn4life said:

I am super confused? What does this have to do with, with incredibly stupid decision making by this FAA?

In this instance the only decision made by the FAA was to inflict the maximum possible economic damage to the economy.  Nothing more nothing less. Maximum economic damage for the American taxpayer. THe damage was the goal, not avoiding the damage.  The good news is the second dumbest policy I have ever seen implemented from an economic perspective.  

But it would be nice to codify something into law so future incompetence at the highest levels of government can be muted in the future.  What a strange world we live in today.  When supposed public servants choose the paths of maximum economic damage as the "smart choice" for the American taxpayer.

did you read the, "businesses only exist to squeeze pennies from customers" post directly above it?

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