Free the Airlines!

Following-up on a previous post: USA Today has a story today examining the causes behind the unexpectedly high number of airline safety regulation violations. Though NASA initially sought to hide the safety data, fearing it would affect airline profits, the article reveals that fatigue is a key factor in many of the mistakes. This should come as no surprise. Ever since Reagan crushed the PATCO strike in 1981, airline employee unions have been fighting a losing battle against the bosses. Since 9/11, the airline execs have been able to raise the specter of bankruptcy as a bogeyman to scare off any demands for higher wages or lower hours. This study reveals just how crucial the demands for lower hours are, not just to the workers, but to all of us. As for the hue and cry over bankruptcy, it seems to me that if the private sector is unable to provide an essential good profitably, isn't it then the duty of the government to nationalize it?

Hiding the Spectre of Capital

So NASA has just announced that it is withholding data from a recent airline safety survey because "Release of the requested data...could materially affect...the commercial welfare of, the air carriers and general aviation companies." In other words, fliers are not entitled to know the safety records of companies they are using. This comes after the massive pork-barrel bailout the industry received after 9/11, and after they used that bailout to fire their employees and improve their stock. Is there any argument left against nationalizing the airlines?