February 26, 2018
President Trump told the nation's governors (click here) Monday that he would have rushed in to aid students and teachers during the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school.
"You don't know until you're tested but I think, I really believe, I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon, and I think most of the people in this room would have done that too," Trump said at a White House meeting.
He again found fault with the officers who didn't stop the gunman who carried out the massacre. "They really weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners," he said....
Police are trained to be effective. Mr. Trump obviously doesn't appreciate training at all. I dare say he hasn't had training in any capacity he managed to wrangle in life.
We hear of heroics all the time. Some Americans die in the process of saving lives in a burning building or jumping into freezing water to save another. But, for most police officers, they would recognize the need for assistance and was wise to wait until it arrived.
I find it outrageous a president of this country proposes for any unarmed person to run into a building with a man with an automatic weapon. That in any definition is suicide. I expect most Americans would react in 12 seconds, but, I doubt they would be effective against a 19 year old man with an AR-15. What purpose does that serve? Another dead person?
Mr. Trump speaks out of political need to be flamboyant, but, it hardly reflects life in the USA in any reality that is important. I do not expect officers to be superheroes. I expect them to serve and protect. Their ability to carry out that directive is highly hampered by assault weapons.
The school shootings and deaths across this country only reflects the selling of ideas rather than the real answers. The Executive Branch of the USA is negligent in protecting children.
And, this is called corruption. The Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle should be investigated for contributions by the NRA that destroys effective laws and policies. I want to know why the large fuel allowance to Delta in the first place and why all of a sudden the NRA is to benefit from it, too.
February 27, 2018
By Marwa Eltagpouri
Days after Delta Air Lines (click here) announced it would stop offering discounted fares to National Rifle Association members, a top Georgia Republican retaliated, vowing to kill legislation that would hand the airline a lucrative tax break.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R), who leads the Georgia State Senate, demanded on Monday that Atlanta-based Delta, one of the state’s largest employers, make a choice: Stop punishing the NRA, or watch Republican lawmakers strike down a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel, of which Delta would be the primary beneficiary.
“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Cagle tweeted. “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”...
Delta had a substantial fuel subsidy in 2015. Why the taxes paid on jet fuel isn't directly deductible anyway really is a curiosity to me. But, I sincerely believe Delta doesn't need the subsidy in lieu of saving lives and having children travel on their airlines.
11 January 2018
By Leslie Josephs
Delta Air Lines (click here) on Thursday posted fourth-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations, and it raised its 2018 guidance about 20 percent.
Fueling Delta's upbeat forecast was its ability to increase how much it generates from each seat it flies per mile, a key revenue metric. This rose 4 percent in the three months ended in December from a year earlier.
Passenger revenue increased in every region, though trans-Atlantic travel was a standout in the quarter with 9 percent growth on the year. Cargo revenue also surged, as consumer demand grew for speedy deliveries.
Delta's shares surged after the report and outlook from the airline's executives, adding 4.8 percent to close at $58.52. Its rivals Americanand United rose 4.9 and 4.6 percent, respectively.
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, the second-largest U.S. airline posted net income of $572 million, or 80 cents per share, a decline of 8 percent from the year-earlier period....
I find the entire subsidy to Delta by Georgia rather curious actually.
Jet fuel is required for jets to fly. In that is an expense that comes off the revenues of the airlines immediately. The taxes on such fuel when it is a business cost is automatically a deduction to Delta. I don't know why airlines would be charged tax actually. I can understand how that might be a tax on luxury, private jets and planes, but, commercial airlines have taxes on their fuel? Really?
I realize one of Delta's main hubs is in Atlanta. There is another in Cincinnati I believe. Does Delta think a hub elsewhere in the USA more beneficial to it's customers?
I don't call Cincinnati a window to the west coast for Delta, either. So, what gives? Is Delta being pressured for the purpose of Republican politics or is there something larger at work here that Georgia is trying to overcome?
In the U.S. Census Bureau's just-released 2013 American Community Survey, Georgia had a median household income of $47,829 in 2013, inflation-adjusted dollars. The state ranked 34th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, with Maryland the highest at $72,483, Mississippi the lowest at $37,963.
Perhaps the customer base in Georgia is weaker than another city in the USA.
I sincerely believe the Republicans in Georgia are looking for a quid pro quo for political donations by subsidizing Delta. That is fascinating, because the subsidy is provided by the electorate of Georgia. It is easy for Republicans to dole out money to cronies; it isn't their money.
