Airlines are a consolidated mess, and JetBlue is trying to centralize the industry further. As Biden enforcers block deals across the economy, will Transportation chief Pete Buttigieg finally step up?
The thought that Buttigieg might actually do something smart or helpful is about like thinking cows might fly to the moon. Lota stuff in your article though. Keep up the good work.
In one sense, you're correct about "make me do it". In another, you're not. The "make me do it" has already happened - the movers and shakers who 'made' the Biden admin change are people like Lina Khan (pre-FTC), Stacy Mitchell, Barry Lynn, Zephyr Teachout . . . and you, Matt. Congratulations. Now the 'making' is bearing fruit and has given government the confidence to govern. Don't knock it!
Holy Toledo, your post's been up for almost 24 hrs and only 14 comments?
GREAT! Maybe you'll see this one then Matt! (If not, I'll copy / past it into Sunday's open thread)
STAY ON TOP OF MAYOR PETE, MAN!
I'm serious. Let me 'splain...
Your newsletters are eye-opening, and thank God for Lena Khan or you'd have no good news, ammirite? lol
Here's the thing:
While you do give readers like me great notices on how pervasive corporate consolidation is in the US economy, Petey can be the personification of the mindset and the infection of corporate shills into governance. I think he needs to be put on as much pressure you can muster. In other words, I'm advocating a consistency of coverage of this guy. You've mentioned that some pretty powerful ppl ff your newsletter, so you have a regular opportunity to put his failings at the front of their minds on a regular basis. Not necess to destroy this guy (who I think is an absolute puke emblematic of all that's wrong w/ the USA- I'm not kidding) but to use his existence to underscore the underlying system that he's holding up.
But it needs to be constant. We have short memories, and need to be reminded. As an example, I point out how your regular coverage of the cheerleading biz has led to investigations and movement on the part of government.
DOT's SUPPOSED to be an agency that we don't think about, y'know? So it's ineffectiveness repeatedly (anyone remember the supply chain fiasco of last year? The SUMMER airline fiasco? The Christmas one? And now repeatedly problems in rail? It blows my mind that Petey said 'we have 3 derailements a day in the USA' and there was no shocked blowback on him for saying so???) ... DOT's inefecctive and needs to be nagged into doing its job.
Starting at the top.
This is a great opportunity for Pete to buckle up and actually get his nose bloodied. That's how you learn to become a better fighter.
But he needs to be pushed. And you have the platform and following to do so.
I beleive the FAA is so hidebound by commerical aviation's stellar safety record that they're unwilling to take any action, even when it is clearly time to upgrade. But that's another topic.
Since the 1970s "deregulation" the only thing that seems to get attention is the price of a ticket. Sure, everyone moans about the seat size, lack of ancillary services, outright rudeness of the crews, etc. But you get what you pay for. Airlines sell premium seating and no one buys them (I do and most of the time the middle seat is empty). Search engines show results by price, not square inches or baggage fees. You want better airlines, pay a little more.
The airlines do the absolute minimum required by law, and that's it. Maybe that's meeting their fiduciary obligation to the shareholders, IDK. But if the goal is to travel 5000 miles for less than the cost of an Earl Scheib paint job, you better be prepared for monopolies, lousy service and regulatory capture.
The day Buttigieg actually does the right thing, pigs will fly, hell will freeze over, and the Republican party will become reasonable. In other words, he isn't ethical, has never been ethical and never will be ethical.
A problem is that Spirit is not a good carrier. There are genuine concerns about their model, same with Allegiant. Both of these carriers, however, are good at service to underserved markets. Jet Blue is viewed as a better airline and they need one of those two to be a real challenger to the big 4. You can make an honest argument either way.
The bite the hand that feeds it rigged game roulette possibility of bureaucratic appointee's taking action on behalf of American citizen's to stop corporate thugdom's avowed intention to continue its noose tightening gouge, capture, exploitation and distortion of information, shelter, food and energy supply chain's, fly's in the face of the general pessimism and paranoia reflected in other comment's section's across Substack. The belief would be that, if anything, Buttigieg is there to make sure nothing happen's to upset the plan's of criminal finance.
Is E.Palestine one more example of the crumbling American infrastructure international capital no longer consider's worthy of investment? An economy and citizenry still providing opportunities for looting and profit but unable to supply the throw away labor necessary to allow investment in industry and manufacture. For year's we've read report's on Airline willingness to cut corner's on safety/training and the reduction of pilot's and staff from well paid professional's to little more than minimum wage employee's. The quality of life reality rubber meets the road "tell" regarding corporate intent bears witness at the interface between the citizen's belief in his personal dignity and the absolute distain exhibited by the corporate mindset reflected in the action's of its often ill tempered, overworked, undertrained and underpaid behind the counter staff who front the lie. Soon there will be an absolute top and an absolute bottomless bottom. No middle to behold.
Capitalism murdered capitalism in the name of capitalism. Today almost every American reality is red meat. All crisis no solution top heavy in obfuscated knee-jerk and emotion. Minute to minute everything and nothing is true. BIG puts a human face to the chaos and thankfully the possibly for hope and empowered action.
Buttigieg could do lots more to deal with this train derailment.
Even if he can’t force changes he could make it clear what made this dangerous derailment t happen.
The automatic brakes were not installed on this train or any train.
The railroad labor unions are absolutely right about one person crews, lack of paid days off and simply that the railroad owners made sure fewer people were on the job.
Enough manpower and good, decent technology could very well have avoided this derailment.
Biden should have insisted on that in the negotiations over contract renewal.
Buttigieg so smart that he thinks he can avoid the consequences of being such a weak and cowardly administrator. Too smart.
The thought that Buttigieg might actually do something smart or helpful is about like thinking cows might fly to the moon. Lota stuff in your article though. Keep up the good work.
The RealPage story could be an opportunity to start a business that collects and publishes trustworthy data from renters for use by renters.
In one sense, you're correct about "make me do it". In another, you're not. The "make me do it" has already happened - the movers and shakers who 'made' the Biden admin change are people like Lina Khan (pre-FTC), Stacy Mitchell, Barry Lynn, Zephyr Teachout . . . and you, Matt. Congratulations. Now the 'making' is bearing fruit and has given government the confidence to govern. Don't knock it!
Let’s hope Pete does the right thing and protects consumers from these rip off scammers and thus solidity’s his legacy moving forward.
Holy Toledo, your post's been up for almost 24 hrs and only 14 comments?
GREAT! Maybe you'll see this one then Matt! (If not, I'll copy / past it into Sunday's open thread)
STAY ON TOP OF MAYOR PETE, MAN!
I'm serious. Let me 'splain...
Your newsletters are eye-opening, and thank God for Lena Khan or you'd have no good news, ammirite? lol
Here's the thing:
While you do give readers like me great notices on how pervasive corporate consolidation is in the US economy, Petey can be the personification of the mindset and the infection of corporate shills into governance. I think he needs to be put on as much pressure you can muster. In other words, I'm advocating a consistency of coverage of this guy. You've mentioned that some pretty powerful ppl ff your newsletter, so you have a regular opportunity to put his failings at the front of their minds on a regular basis. Not necess to destroy this guy (who I think is an absolute puke emblematic of all that's wrong w/ the USA- I'm not kidding) but to use his existence to underscore the underlying system that he's holding up.
But it needs to be constant. We have short memories, and need to be reminded. As an example, I point out how your regular coverage of the cheerleading biz has led to investigations and movement on the part of government.
DOT's SUPPOSED to be an agency that we don't think about, y'know? So it's ineffectiveness repeatedly (anyone remember the supply chain fiasco of last year? The SUMMER airline fiasco? The Christmas one? And now repeatedly problems in rail? It blows my mind that Petey said 'we have 3 derailements a day in the USA' and there was no shocked blowback on him for saying so???) ... DOT's inefecctive and needs to be nagged into doing its job.
Starting at the top.
This is a great opportunity for Pete to buckle up and actually get his nose bloodied. That's how you learn to become a better fighter.
But he needs to be pushed. And you have the platform and following to do so.
I beleive the FAA is so hidebound by commerical aviation's stellar safety record that they're unwilling to take any action, even when it is clearly time to upgrade. But that's another topic.
Since the 1970s "deregulation" the only thing that seems to get attention is the price of a ticket. Sure, everyone moans about the seat size, lack of ancillary services, outright rudeness of the crews, etc. But you get what you pay for. Airlines sell premium seating and no one buys them (I do and most of the time the middle seat is empty). Search engines show results by price, not square inches or baggage fees. You want better airlines, pay a little more.
The airlines do the absolute minimum required by law, and that's it. Maybe that's meeting their fiduciary obligation to the shareholders, IDK. But if the goal is to travel 5000 miles for less than the cost of an Earl Scheib paint job, you better be prepared for monopolies, lousy service and regulatory capture.
The day Buttigieg actually does the right thing, pigs will fly, hell will freeze over, and the Republican party will become reasonable. In other words, he isn't ethical, has never been ethical and never will be ethical.
A problem is that Spirit is not a good carrier. There are genuine concerns about their model, same with Allegiant. Both of these carriers, however, are good at service to underserved markets. Jet Blue is viewed as a better airline and they need one of those two to be a real challenger to the big 4. You can make an honest argument either way.
The bite the hand that feeds it rigged game roulette possibility of bureaucratic appointee's taking action on behalf of American citizen's to stop corporate thugdom's avowed intention to continue its noose tightening gouge, capture, exploitation and distortion of information, shelter, food and energy supply chain's, fly's in the face of the general pessimism and paranoia reflected in other comment's section's across Substack. The belief would be that, if anything, Buttigieg is there to make sure nothing happen's to upset the plan's of criminal finance.
Is E.Palestine one more example of the crumbling American infrastructure international capital no longer consider's worthy of investment? An economy and citizenry still providing opportunities for looting and profit but unable to supply the throw away labor necessary to allow investment in industry and manufacture. For year's we've read report's on Airline willingness to cut corner's on safety/training and the reduction of pilot's and staff from well paid professional's to little more than minimum wage employee's. The quality of life reality rubber meets the road "tell" regarding corporate intent bears witness at the interface between the citizen's belief in his personal dignity and the absolute distain exhibited by the corporate mindset reflected in the action's of its often ill tempered, overworked, undertrained and underpaid behind the counter staff who front the lie. Soon there will be an absolute top and an absolute bottomless bottom. No middle to behold.
Capitalism murdered capitalism in the name of capitalism. Today almost every American reality is red meat. All crisis no solution top heavy in obfuscated knee-jerk and emotion. Minute to minute everything and nothing is true. BIG puts a human face to the chaos and thankfully the possibly for hope and empowered action.
Buttigieg could do lots more to deal with this train derailment.
Even if he can’t force changes he could make it clear what made this dangerous derailment t happen.
The automatic brakes were not installed on this train or any train.
The railroad labor unions are absolutely right about one person crews, lack of paid days off and simply that the railroad owners made sure fewer people were on the job.
Enough manpower and good, decent technology could very well have avoided this derailment.
Biden should have insisted on that in the negotiations over contract renewal.
Buttigieg so smart that he thinks he can avoid the consequences of being such a weak and cowardly administrator. Too smart.