Another Republican-sponsored, pro-business, slap-Obama-in-the-face amendment passed through the House of Representatives last Friday, albeit narrowly.
The proposal, which would make changing rules for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bureaucratically difficult by creating separate safety rules for cargo, charter and commercial airlines, has upset Western New Yorkers, many of whom have a personal stake in the matter.
In a 215-209 vote, the House has "spat in the face of the families of Flight 3407" by passing an amendment that would substantially limit the guidelines set forth by H.R. 5900, the bill signed into law by President Barack Obama last August, which was crafted by the families of those who died in the devastating Colgan Air crash two years ago. Under the bill, the FAA is charged with creating a national database to keep tabs on all pilots and stricter safety measures to monitor the training, rest and health of all pilots.
The eloquent spitting-in-the-face quote comes from Leonard R. Lenihan, a Democratic WNY politician set to run for Chris Lee's vacant congressional seat. His words were directed at WNY Republican Jane Corwin, another candidate for Lee's seat in the House.
Lenihan was addressing Corwin specifically because she has invited Speaker of the House John A. Boehner to her GOP campaign. Lenihan claims that having Boehner campaign for Corwin would be an insult to WNYers because the House proved unsympathetic toward the families of Flight 3407 with its recent vote.
Although Lenihan brings up a fair point, he's likely more worried about Boehner's clout and how it may turn the election in Corwin's favor. If an appearance by Boehner would spark negative sentiment among the WNY constituent, wouldn't it only help Lenihan's campaign?
The amount of money and support Boehner will garner for Corwin is Lenihan's real issue, especially since Corwin herself has spoken out against the House's recent decision.
But the real problems with the passed amendment, however, are far less narrow than the margin with which it was passed.
Firstly, Rep. Bill Shuster, Rep-Pa., a politician who has reportedly received over $115,000 in support from airlines throughout his career, proposed the amendment. The blatantly pro-business amendment is a clear case of back scratching; who in his right mind is against airline safety?
What's worse are the 214 other members of the House who signed off on such stupidity. This wasn't a wise piece of legislation, but more so a political move intended to set back any ground Obama manages to make.
Although it's unlikely that the amendment will pass in the Senate, half of Congress has disappointed yet again. Will the party politics ever stop? Bad legislation should be seen as bad legislation, but blue and red glasses continue to haze politicians' foresight.
Lastly, let's take a second to blame the infamous Lee. Having another WNY constituent in the House quite possibly could have swung the vote.
