Dallas Rep. Eb Johnson's View:

[corl737]

Dallas Rep: Keep Wright or close Love

Rep. Johnson would push to end commercial flights at Love if Wright repealed

02:59 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 10, 2005

By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson said Wednesday that she supports keeping the Wright amendment in place and will sponsor legislation that would end all commercial flights to Dallas Love Field if the Wright law gets repealed.

Democrat Johnson, whose Dallas district includes both Love Field and the headquarters of Southwest Airlines Co., stood among a group of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport concessionaires at a Las Colinas hotel to announce that after careful consideration, she had sided with D/FW’s position on the Wright matter.

“I determined my place was to support D/FW,†she said. “It’s nothing to do with the airlines.â€

D/FW officials fear that without the restrictions on long-haul flying from Love Field that American would shift flying away from D/FW and shift millions of passengers. That would raise costs at D/FW and threaten the business of contractors and concessionaires, many of whom are minorities, said Ms. Johnson, who is black.

Southwest launched its campaign to repeal the 25-year-old law last November, and has bills in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that would remove the restrictions.

Ms. Johnson, who sits on the House subcommittee on aviation, said that after talking with former House speaker Jim Wright and others surrounding the issue, she concluded that the Wright amendment is what allows Southwest to fly from Love Field and without it, the airport should be closed to commercial traffic as the leaders of Dallas and Fort Worth originally agreed when they built D/FW.

Southwest strongly disagrees with that interpretation that the Wright amendment is what allows them to fly from their headquarters airfield, citing nearly a decade of federal court case victories that the airline believes establishes a legal right for it to fly from Love Field.

“Without the Wright amendment, we revert back to the original agreement,†she said, and that means shutting down Love Field. A similar bill to shut Love Field to commercial traffic was introduced in the Senate by senators from Iowa and Oklahoma. Ms. Johnson said she expects to find other sponsors for a similar version in the House.

One neighborhood organization endorsed Ms. Johnson’s stance. â€I commend her leadership on this,†said Pat White of the Love Field Citizens Action Committee, which opposes repeal of the Wright amendment.

Ms. Johnson heard from minority contractors and other constituents on the issue. Southwest has maintained that nearly all the contractors at Love Field are minorities who would also benefit from lifting of the Wright amendment. “That’s just not the case,†Ms. Johnson said in response to a question at her news conference.

A majority of North Texas’ Congressional delegation supports keeping the Wright law in place, including all representatives from Fort Worth.

American Airlines Inc. lauded Ms. Johnson’s stand.

“We are incredibly encouraged by Congresswoman Johnson’s statement of support for keeping the Wright amendment,†the airline said in a release. “We applaud her principled stand.†A call to Southwest hadn’t been returned.

 

[WinslowFartsGASurkelMAN]

(deleted by moderators)

 

[corl737]

Democrat Johnson, whose Dallas district includes both Love Field and the headquarters of Southwest Airlines Co., stood among a group of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport concessionaires at a Las Colinas hotel to announce that after careful consideration, she had sided with D/FW’s position on the Wright matter.

“I determined my place was to support D/FW,â€￾ she said. “It’s nothing to do with the airlines.â€￾

D/FW officials fear that without the restrictions on long-haul flying from Love Field that American would shift flying away from D/FW and shift millions of passengers. That would raise costs at D/FW and threaten the business of contractors and concessionaires, many of whom are minorities, said Ms. Johnson, who is black.

Only E. B. "Evidently Bought" Johnson would try to make the Wright Amendment a racial issue. :down:

This reeks of a similar tactic used by the DFW Airport management when they paraded the Minority Chamber of Commerce out on the DFW front lawn to support keeping the Wright Amendment.

 

[wnbubbleboy]

Democrat Johnson, whose Dallas district includes both Love Field and the headquarters of Southwest Airlines Co., stood among a group of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport concessionaires at a Las Colinas hotel to announce that after careful consideration, she had sided with D/FW’s position on the Wright matter.

“I determined my place was to support D/FW,â€￾ she said. “It’s nothing to do with the airlines.â€￾

She is committing political suicide. Just Pi** off one the the largest employers in your district for what. Hopefully, she's filling up her speaking tour calender since she most likely be voted out next term.

 

[Ch. 12]

Democrat Johnson, whose Dallas district includes both Love Field and the headquarters of Southwest Airlines Co., stood among a group of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport concessionaires at a Las Colinas hotel to announce that after careful consideration, she had sided with D/FW’s position on the Wright matter.

“I determined my place was to support D/FW,â€￾ she said. “It’s nothing to do with the airlines.â€￾

She is committing political suicide. Just Pi** off one the the largest employers in your district for what. Hopefully, she's filling up her speaking tour calender since she most likely be voted out next term.

[post="287553"][/post]​

Rest assured that she has a sizeable paycheck from AMR lobbyists that will make her civilian life more bountiful.

 

[JS]

Oh please, the Southwest employes and customers in Dallas are not the kind of people who would vote for her anyway.

 

[Ch. 12]

Oh please, the Southwest employes and customers in Dallas are not the kind of people who would vote for her anyway.

[post="287566"][/post]​

I don't follow...what does that mean?

And besides...the point is that the corporation is located in her district. They are the ones that can pack up and leave her district wishing it had their tax $$ once they are gone...

 

[JS]

I don't follow...what does that mean?

And besides...the point is that the corporation is located in her district. They are the ones that can pack up and leave her district wishing it had their tax $$ once they are gone...

[post="287568"][/post]​

Well, to put it bluntly, EBJ is a race-baiting Democrat. People who actually pay taxes (regardless of race) do not vote for people like her.

I used to live in Dallas, and though I don't know if I lived in her district, when I saw her name in the thread title, I thought, "Good grief, here we go again."

 

[Oneflyer]

Rest assured that she has a sizeable paycheck from AMR lobbyists that will make her civilian life more bountiful.

I'm quite sure Southwest is writing the bigger checks these days.

 

[luver41]

If I were running SWA, I'd call Eddie Bernice's bluff and do everything possible to force her hand and make her file a bill to close Love Field. While I don't live in the Metroplex, I'd bet that filing a bill to close Love Field would put her on the fast track to retirement from Congress.

She sounds like a real idiot. Makes me ashamed to be a Democrat.

 

[Ch. 12]

I'm quite sure Southwest is writing the bigger checks these days.

[post="287627"][/post]​

It's quite obvious they're not b/c they aren't buying out people to make ridiculous statements in "support" of outdated legislation. Don't be blind to what AMR (no...not LUV) is and always has been doing.

 

[markkus757]

I guess she can get a board seat at DFW when she loses in a landslide to bubbles the chimp. Anybody with half a brain would not do this unless she is going to be set for the future. Start campaigning against her, it should be an easy win for whoever runs.

 

[Human Freight]

Ask yourself how many WN employees actually live in her district?

The comments about her pissing off the largest employer in her district are way off the mark. WN my have a lot of jobs at DAL but I doubt many of her constituents are employed by WN.

She made the right choice based on her district.

 

[swflyer]

Ask yourself how many WN employees actually live in her district?

The comments about her pissing off the largest employer in her district are way off the mark. WN my have a lot of jobs at DAL but I doubt many of her constituents are employed by WN.

She made the right choice based on her district.

[post="288821"][/post]​

Okay, I'll bite. How in the H#$& is the "pissing off the largest employer..." remark, "Way off the mark"???????? <_<

As Rep. Hensarling pointed out, "I don't quite understand how someone would want to close down an airport for purposes of saving jobs," Mr. Hensarling said. Link to quote

And how about Rep. Johnson??
Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Plano, had strong language for his fellow North Texas representative.

"Talk about a dumb idea! How can someone who represents Dallas Love Field support legislation to shut it down?" asked Mr. Johnson, who co-sponsored a bill with Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, to repeal Wright.

"That is reckless and wrong," Mr. Johnson said. "In Congress, we take an oath to protect and serve the people, not hurt them." Link to quote

Both refer to EBJ's plan to support a bill to CLOSE Love Field, a major employer in her district AND source of some of her own income (through the Hudson trust)?!?!?!?!?!? :blink:

Yes, Southwest is the largest employer in EBJ's district, but far from the only employer.

Add up all the folks potentially affected by EBJ's decision and it's:
Holy "cut off your nose to spite your face", Batman!!! <_<

 

[jimntx]

Well, to put it bluntly, EBJ is a race-baiting Democrat. People who actually pay taxes (regardless of race) do not vote for people like her.
name in the thread title, I thought, "Good grief, here we go again."

[post="287591"][/post]​

What a racist remark! Since Ms. Johnson is black and represents a district that is predominantly black and Hispanic, I guess what you are saying is that none of her constituents pay taxes. She isn't elected by SWA--no matter where their headquarters is physically located. She is elected by the people who live in her district. And, evidently they are happy with the representation because she has been in Congress since 1992 currently serving her 7th term. Before that she was elected to the Texas State Senate in 1986 and before that to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972. I think she needn't worry about what some Escalade drivers from Plano think about her. After all, they moved to Plano in the first place so that their children wouldn't have to go to school with her children.

If I were running SWA, I'd call Eddie Bernice's bluff and do everything possible to force her hand and make her file a bill to close Love Field. While I don't live in the Metroplex, I'd bet that filing a bill to close Love Field would put her on the fast track to retirement from Congress.

[post="287662"][/post]​

See above.