Just some miscellaneous ramblings from an Upstate New Yorker.


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Sasha's Commentary for May 11, 2013 (OLD NEWS)

Old news, but...

Southwest is indeed no longer about cheap flights as much as a flight where you'll get fare service. But the day Southwest starts charging for bags is the day I will lose near complete faith in the airline industry. I have a feeling that for the majority of Americans, bus and rail travel will be making a comeback. I think my generation will be the first in where air travel is a luxury. At the same time, I do see Southwest losing big time when they start charging for bags. There will be customer backlash, and at Southwest, it tends to work.

I would like to see some airline re-regulation occur, to protect passengers, smaller airlines and large airlines from making stupid business decisions. And sadly, the airlines that make stupid business decisions still manage to stay afloat. Sir Richard Branson, keep Virgin America alive for as long as you can. We need choice, and we're running out of them. If I was flying cross-country, I'd probably fly Virgin America.

In general, our nation is going through a rough time. And of course, our elected officials aren't helping. All crappy service from the airlines can do is help Amtrak and bus operators. And a big issue I have with the airlines is the pricing schemes. Book months in advance and you can get a cheap fare, but if you book a few days in advance, be prepared to pay an arm and a leg. The pay by the pound thing makes sense, because as an airline you want as light of a plane as possible. That being said, if you're going to spend more than a few weeks somewhere (let's say more than a week; an extended vacation), best bet is to take Amtrak, the bus or drive. There are some situations you can't help, like going to the Caribbean and overseas. But within America, forget about a nice quick trip. I'd say, it's time the industry figure out how to operate in this "new economy". The airlines change their business models more than I change my underwear (which is daily, if you care about the TMI fact).

A survey done by Farleigh Dickinson University showed that 44% of Republicans they surveyed believed that armed rebellion might be necessary to maintain civil liberties (TRANSLATE: to get a point across to our elected officials that we don't want our guns taken away, that we are suspicious of our current President) I believe that many Republicans outside the liberal areas of the nation are paranoid of President Obama. I think it stems from the GOP's inherent racism (not all GOPers are racists, thankfully), but I think that it's a matter of that many Americans are uncomfortable with having a president that is non-100% European-American, who is an intellectual, well-spoken, doesn't come off as arrogant and cold (I'll debate the coldness factor), someone who is not your ordinary American. I also think it comes down to this: Mainstream America sees nationalism and patriotism extremely important, and I bet that most Americans see the Democrats as the less patriotic party.

Do I think it's time for a woman as President? Yes, even if it is (GASP), Hillary Clinton. Maybe it's me, but I don't see (in a majority of cases, there are exceptions) a woman so quick to launch nukes. Get the testosterone out of politics. If Hillary's elected, I'd imagine shit getting done. Just, for God's sake, leave Bill in Chappaqua.

No comments:

Post a Comment