Virginia's 5th District

Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner voted against an amendment that would limit funding to John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport an airport that has only three flights a day.

Here is a discription of a “busy” day at the airport from an article in the Washington Post:

“Inside the terminal on a recent weekday, four passengers lined up to board a flight, outnumbered by seven security staff members and supervisors, all suited up in gloves and uniforms to screen six pieces of luggage. For three hours that day, no commercial or private planes took off or landed. Three commercial flights leave the airport on weekdays, all bound for Dulles International Airport.”

Most people’s living rooms have more pedestrian traffic traffic then this airport yet it has received more then $150 million dollars in federal funding, i.e. your tax payer dollars, in the last decade. It most recently received $800,000 of stimulus money to repave a back-up runway, a runway that must be needed in case all of it’s three daily flights arrive at the same time.

In the real world of competitive capitalism this airport would have been shut down long ago because of it’s failure to generate income let alone break even. However in the world of government funded bureaucracy this aeronautical black hole continues to suck in tax payer dollars with the prime goal of buying votes for John Murtha. Now our two Virginia senators are complicit in this federal boondoggle of your hard earned dollars.

Until we can get our representatives away from the concept of, I will scratch your back if you scratch mine mind set, we will never be able to get federal spending under control. Contact Warner and Webb and let them know how you feel about their support of this outrageous waste of tax payer dollars.