PCL,
Seriously? The administration/government's incompetence directly led to September 11, 2001? I have always found your positions very left of mine with a hint of the socialist, but never thought you irrational until now.
September 11, 2001 was a sad day because of teet-sucker appeasers like you, my friend. If our government was allowed to do their job and profile, terminate relationships with security companies that are incompetent, secure good intelligence at reasonable costs, interrogate properly, eliminate combatants, and so on, we would have avoided that day's misery. Our country has been invaded by liberal, cry-babies that make it impossible to hand out justice to anyone. Whether it's a child that has placed second; "winning's not important, playing is". How about our inability to look at a person of Arab descent and trying to determine if they mean us harm? That doesn't seem too irresponsible considering that almost every act of terrorism involving an airplane also involves an Arab perpetrator. What about the fact that I cannot speak the truth regarding anyone or anything because of my race. Why? I am white. If I do, I am a bigot, racist, hate-monger, homophobic, or a redneck. If a Muslim, Asian, African, Latino does it he is an activist and a hero in his community for standing up for the rights of his/her people. As a nation, we have all failed. We have forfeited constitutional rights for the sake of security, failed relationships, and the illusion of being a progressive nation. Political correctness IS our new foreign policy and we will be damned for it.
Back to United. They and many others do not have the right under the constitution to government assistance. Their lack of vision, planning, and competence has put them in perilous positions, not the government. I would concede that they are overtaxed and regulated, but that would be my only concession regarding the government's obligation to their recovery. The US taxpayer does not have an obligation to enable the failed management at the Legacy carriers. They also do not have a right to fly or travel. Show me in the constitution where that right is afforded me, as a citizen, and I will change my tune about regulation of the US transportation system. Good companies succeed and bad ones go away. Unless, of course you are an airline.