Americans are tapped out

What was that recent brouhaha about cutting off funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, which halted work as of July 23 on more than 200 airport construction projects, including one at McCarran? Some kind of Republican foot-dragging?

Actually, the Republican House OK’d a temporary extension of FAA funding in a timely manner and sent it to the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate. The delegates who balked at passing the spending were Senate Democrats, not House Republicans. Why?

In part, because the House had included a provision cutting $16.5 million in air service subsidies for 10 communities that lie fewer than 90 miles from a hub airport.

The bill also sought to eliminates subsidies for service to Ely, Alamogordo, N.M., and Glendive, Mont., because the subsidies average more than $1,000 per person per flight.

Most Americans would probably never have realized these costly boondoggles continue — they were supposed to afford temporary relief to these communities when the airlines were partially deregulated 33 years ago — had not the Republicans made an issue of them.

However, the bill also gave the transportation secretary authority to waive the cuts if the geographic characteristics of a community make it too difficult for residents to reach a larger airport. Once Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood assured Democrats he’d use that authority to negate all the cuts, Democrats happily agreed to pass the thing.

GOP lawmakers warned Mr. LaHood in a letter this week against waiving the cuts unless he can document why it would be too difficult for residents to reach a larger airport.

The cuts should stand. No one wants to see the airports shut down in all these charming communities — including Ely — but we’re not talking about emergency ambulance service. Those who choose to live in rural areas know they’re either giving up some amenities or that they’ll likely pay more for them.

America’s taxpayers are about tapped out.