April 12, 2017

United's Double Billing

If you think about it, United's overbooking policies are really double-billing policies. They are charging two people for the same seat.

How? In many cases, tickets are unrefundable. Airlines overbook because they know that a certain percentage of passengers cancel their plans, skip their flights and eat the cost of the ticket. The percentage is high enough that they can overbook most flights without incident.

So, in that same percentage of cases, they get paid twice for the seat. United wants to have their cake and eat it too and when they can't, they smash you in the face with the cake.

We need to re-regulate the airlines.

April 7, 2017

Did Trump violate the War Powers Act?

A lot of people here have pointed out that the President has the power to initiate military action without a Declaration of War as long as he reports back to Congress.

That is the effect of the precedent set by the inaction of congress but, in fact, the president may not have the necessary justification to bomb Syria under the law.

The War 15 USC §1541(c) clearly states;

The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.

Congress has not declared War since 1941.

There is no statutory authorization to Bomb Syria that I am aware of. (Anybody? )

Syria has not attacked the US, its terrritories, possessions or its armed forces.

I believe this attack was a violation of the US Constitution and Federal Law. Can anyone offer me "statutory authorization" to justify it?