Regulation: Flying cracked

The Federal Aviation Administration has a goal of customer satisfaction. Lest that make you feel all warm and fuzzy, consider that the customer it wants to satisfy isn't you, the passenger. It's the airline industry. Understand that, and you understand the roots of the airport chaos that occurred this spring, after Congress heard that airliners had been flying around with cracks in their hulls while the FAA looked the other way. Thousands of flights were grounded until aircraft could be inspected. Hundreds of thousands of passengers found themselves stranded at airports. The attitude problem goes far beyond the FAA. Generally speaking, the Bush administration regulates for the benefit of industry, not people. That has a bad effect on the food you eat, the drugs you take, the air you breathe and the money in your wallet. Last... [read full story]