Thank you for posting what was obviously missing My bet is this will not get settled(if ever) until the next contract is imposed sometime in the summer of 2010.

ihate2fly wrote: [TO: ATC@WTF]
No problem. I have been around and involved with politics almost my whole life. I know how the game is played.

Here are my opinions with regards to your post and my belief that passing FAA Reauthorization the remainder of this Congress is a long shot. Also keep in mind this is a very important presidential election year and it'll be hard for ANY legislation to pass.

I'll keep the thoughts short so they're easier to read and will expand thoughts as I go.

1. This is the first election since 1928 that neither a sitting president or vice president is running for the White House.

2. The Democrats have a legitimate shot at winning the White House in November. This is important because they will hold onto power in the House and GAIN seats in the Senate. There is a good chance they may reach 60 votes and a chance it would be a filibuster-proof majority.

3. Because of the issues raised in #2, there is no reason to force any legislation through Congress and give the President a chance to help McCain. Conversely, it also will keep Obama or Clinton from having to defend a vote that would be politically tough or unpopular.

4. Expounding on #2 further, there is no rush to get anything accomplished before the vote November 4th. The President may be a lame duck, but he also can wield an unbeatable veto pen. The night of the 4th, though, if a Democrat wins and they consolidate power in both Houses as I expect, Bush loses all power. All the Democrats have to do is hunker down and wait until noon on January 20th.

5. In deeper details of #4, what I'm getting at is there would be no reason for compromise (splitting the difference) when you can get something 100% your way in January. Think back to the appropriations legislation for this fiscal year. Only the DOD had money last October. Everyone else got money this January. Bush vetoed the spending bills and Congress couldn't override them. They ended up with an omnibus spending bill.

6. Fast forward through the rest of this year. Bush and the Republicans will attempt to show fiscal restraint to voters by holding up or vetoing spending bills. However, there's no reason to do a thing, or for compromise, until after the election. If the Dems win, they stick up their middle fingers and say we'll wait for President Obama to sign an omnibus. Either way, I see another DOD spending bill and then everyone else lumped into a continuing resolution followed by an omnibus.

7. Congress' calendar. It's an election year so those folks will be home more campaigning. Not much is done on Mondays or Fridays so there is little time to get legislation passed. Congress will recess for campaigning/district work periods:

- Last 2 weeks of March
- Last week of May
- First week of July
- 2nd thru 4th weeks of August and first week of September
- Around Christmas until the first week of January

8. Finally, where does NATCA fit in here Thinking positive thoughts and a Democratic victory in November, ere are just a few thoughts:

- The President is the Chief Executive Officer of the Executive branch. He can issue an executive order the second he is sworn in telling the FAA to return immediately to the green book.

- The President can order the Administrator to re-open negotiations before the contract (or non-tract) has expired. I'd have to re-read the non-tract but believe this is permissible. IMHO, this sounds good but really isn't because NATCA would have to bargain from a position of weakness (from the white book versus the green book).

- The Congress can wait until January to finally change the law from the current Congressional inaction language to binding arbitration.

I just got home from work and have a big f*cking headache. I have a few more thoughts but they're not all that important right now. For anyone who has made it this far, don't be afraid to ask questions. Provide some details and I'll be glad to give you my thoughts. I'll even try to answer any "why don't they do this" questions.