I just want to point out in the DoD memo there is a sentence, 'And recognizes the potential risks regarding DoD's national security responsibilities.'

Yes. We heard how much money has been wasted, except we have been investing in things like that which are not valuable to the commercial industry.

So we have got one, and we are going to be there, too.

The one that says air traffic control is an inherently governmental function.

You leave the most vital thing that is important to the American public, which is safety and oversight of safety, subject to sequestration, shutdowns, and political meddling.

If we had the FAA with its current funding sources, 97 percent projected over the next 10 years, so just a few efficiencies would get us to 100 percent self-funded without meddling, exempt them from sequestration and shutdowns, would that…

I am proposing to give the FAA Administrator that authority free of OMB and secretarial interference.

the inspector general in Canada, auditor general, and this is Canada, little, dinky Canada, they paid $1.5 billion, and we are proposing that nothing would be paid here and there is no value, and they said it was undervalued at $2.6…

They can set user fees. User fees I consider to be taxes.

He thinks it will be a mistake--and I am paraphrasing--but we are now on the cusp of a 21st-century system that will be the envy of the world.

I note the airlines aren't here today, perhaps because they haven't looked so great recently in public.

The only thing that gets moved is the ATO, and the ATO would be moved and essentially effectively controlled by the airlines.

Because I just want to follow up on this point. We are talking about one of these alliances--and again, I am reading from the Justice Department letter.

You have the foreign entity joining together to negotiate singly with our service providers.

OK, so we have criminals, you know, running these companies that are now getting limited antitrust immunity.

But now some of them are in the alliance, and the same people are running the companies.

I would observe that United got $800 million in change fees last year, $800 million. That is a lot of money.

I would say that today's hearing is really the culmination of a deterioration that we have seen over a number of years.

I would congratulate United. They brought back real United to Eugene, and the flights actually go, versus fake United.

I appreciate your holding this hearing.

I mean just think back to last summer. Hundreds of thousands of people were stranded and displaced for days.

When you were asked by Mr. Cohen about--you were saying you had films of evacuation drills. The last time I am aware of a physical evacuation drill was the certification of the 777, and it is done by the FAA.

I would love to--because I have always wanted to watch one of these drills.

I recommend the article to you, because I mean, I know you are advocating privatization and others advocating it, but you really should read this article, and he says don't overpromise, and he is particularly, you know, critical of Mr…

I want to get something straight. When you were asked by Mr. Cohen about--you were saying you had films of evacuation drills.