The recent aircraft tragedy in Washington D.C. makes one ponder the real need for Reagan National Airport.
Both aircraft went down in the Potomac River. That was not by luck, but design, as the flight path of landing and departing aircraft is channeled over the river to help keep them from crashing into the Capitol, White House, Washington Monument, Lincon/Jefferson Memorials or other historic sites, should a problem occur.
Channeling all air traffic into a very narrow space is necessary, but exceptionally dangerous, which begs the question why? Why do we need an airport in the heart of our nation’s capital, why, with Dulles and the Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) Baltimore Washington International in the capitol area do we need this very dangerous airport to exist?
Dulles International was built in a large part to replace what is today Reagan National Airport. Completed in 1962, a subway/train system was built to go from the capital to Dulles, completed in the 1980s, again to help in replacing the very dangerous airport in the heart of our capital.
So, why is Reagan National still in operation some 63 years after it was to be replaced at great expense to the American taxpayer? The answer is simple– the Congress and their pampered staff want a semi-private airport for their personal use. The bureaucrats have a sweetheart deal at Reagan Airport; VIP parking, shuttle services, lounges, restaurants, special baggage handling, not to mention the convenience of being a few minutes from the capital.
A trip to Dulles by train/subway takes up to 40 minutes, while a trip to Reagan National takes under 10 minutes. The time from arriving at the airport to the gate at Reagan National takes 5 to 10 minutes, while at Dulles it takes from 10 to 35 minutes just to arrive.
Dulles is not in the Washington District of Columbia or run by Congress, so the political class do not get the VIP treatment at Dulles that they do at Reagan National.
We should ask, why does this dangerous airport still exist? Why have the media folks not questioned the very existence of this dangerous and potentially even more disastrous facility? The media elite join the government elite in receiving perks at Reagan National, so they will not sacrifice their secret cow in the name of public safety.
Many in the political/media class have access to private aircraft that are allowed to operate out of Reagan National, making the facility even more convenient. A reasonable and prudent person should ask why, why is a dangerous facility allowed to exist for the convenience of a few, given the potential of aircraft crashing into the heart of our National Capitol Region?
We have not addressed the potential for a terrorist attack with flying bombs some two minutes from the White House, the Capitol, and sacred monuments in our capital.
Switching gears, President Trump is attempting to close government agencies such as the Department of Education. He maintains that the states and local school boards could do a better, more cost-effective job, and he is correct. A very interesting statistic is that the federal government eats up 35% to 50% of every tax dollar collected in overhead expenses, while state and local governments are 25% to 40%, and local (city and county) 20% to 30%.
Sending the dollars to the lowest possible level of government saves 15% to 20% or $.20 on every dollar; 20% of $283 billion is real money. The State of Michigan spends some $23 billion on education; doing away with the Federal Department of Education and its 4,400 bureaucrats would save over twice that amount.
Good folks may disagree with President Trump, but this is a long overdue and cost-effective action. My opinion.
