Too Much Government In Our Lives

By Gregory D. Lee

Never one to miss an opportunity to raise your taxes, regulate your business to get more television exposure, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) now wants to save you from evil airline fees for carryon baggage.
As the opportunist that he is, Sen. Schumer again smelled an opportunity to stick his nose into someone else’s business as the first to call a press conference to announce that he would create legislation to prohibit Spirit airlines and the others from charging passengers a fee for carryon baggage if they didn’t drop the fee. He’s already contacted many of the major airlines and most have committed to not charge a fee for carryon baggage. Instead, the airlines will just raise their ticket prices; so what’s been accomplished other than more government intervention?
Spirit Airlines announced earlier this month it would charge up to $45 for carryon baggage; $30 if you pay in advance. However, the airline will reduce the fee to $20.00 if you purchase a onetime $9 “Fare Club” card. The carryon fee only applies to overhead compartments, not under the seat in front of you. So computer cases are immune. Those who pay the fee get to board first. According to the airline, the fee represents only a small increase in overall prices because Spirit has some of the lowest fares in the industry.
It sounds like Sen. Schumer is protecting the consumer, but in reality, he’s attempting to interject even more government into our daily lives. What’s next? Will he prohibit barbers from charging more than ten dollars for haircuts, or stop plumbers and electricians from charging a service call in addition to labor when they visit our home or business? Since when is it the government’s business what an airline’s policy is on carryon baggage? It’s not the government’s business, but that doesn’t matter to someone like Sen. Schumer who wants to control every facet of our life.
I don’t want to pay to have carryon luggage the next time I fly, but I feel much more strongly about the government getting involved in my daily business. If I choose to pay the fee, that should be my decision, not his. If I don’t want to pay the fee, I’ll use a different airline. It’s that simple. However, Sen. Schumer, a consummate politician who wants to portray himself as a champion for the little guy, insists on getting involved in matters that should not be of any concern to him, the senate or the government. The free market will shake out bad policies from good ones. The market will determine if the flying public is willing to pay the fee or not. Spirit will drop its carryon charge if loses customers and revenue.

What irritates me is the frequency and depth of government intervention, especially since this administration took over. A “Pay Czar” tells business that took TARP money what they can pay executives and other employees. So, a business that loses money overall, but showed a profit in a particular division of the corporation, cannot reward those employees with bonuses because the administration is offended by the concept of a company that is losing money giving any bonuses. The deserving employee loses out, and if he quits and works for another firm, the company loses as well because it can’t retain good people.
Besides prohibiting you from receiving a bonus and mandating you have health insurance or pay a fee and go to jail, Sen. Schumer and his friends in the past have instructed banks to write mortgages to people without any chance of repaying the loans, just to increase the percentage of home ownership. That interference with the mortgage industry almost destroyed the entire economy when the housing bubble burst. Now, the SEC is suing Goldman Sachs; go figure. Sen. Schumer now wants to tell your airline what its luggage policies will be.
I have a better idea, Sen. Schumer. You stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours. I’m capable of making my own decisions and don’t need your help.
Lower my taxes so I can afford to pay the carryon fee. Then, the airline will not go out of business and lay off all its taxpaying employees.