Georgia Republicans Threaten To End Delta Airlines Tax Breaks Unless Airline Continues To Give Discounts To NRA Members
This sounds like corruption all the way around to me.
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Georgia Republicans let the threats fly after Delta ends special perk for NRA members
National Rifle Association members will no longer get discounted Delta flights to the NRA’s annual convention, and Georgia Republicans are Not. Having. It. If you were wondering whether these politicians are more loyal to the gun lobby or the largest private employer in their state , consider the question answered:
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R), who leads the Georgia State Senate, demanded on Monday that Atlanta-based Delta, one of the state’s largest employers, make a choice: Stop punishing the NRA, or watch Republican lawmakers strike down a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel, of which Delta would be the primary beneficiary.
“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Cagle tweeted . “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”
According to Cagle, if Delta doesn’t give NRA members a special discount, it means the airline is “ discriminating against law-abiding gun owners.” The tax break is now in serious danger of failing in the state Senate after having passed the state House.
Republicans usually love these corporate tax breaks to benefit specific major companies in their states, but not, apparently, if said company has recently taken a tepid step against treating the NRA as almighty. Call it guns vs. corporations, call it guns vs. jobs—either way, the answer is clear, and the answer is guns.
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“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Cagle tweeted . “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”
This fool obviously has no shame.
I never thought I'd see the day that conservatives would actively try to cripple businesses through government interference. So much for capitalism. This man does not work for his constituents. He works for the NRA.
He is not a true conservative. He is only helping to bastardize the conservative party.
I have an idea for the Lt. Gov. , pay your own full fare to the NRA convention and stop embarrassing yourself, your party, and your state.
Oh please.......the Democrats do this full time.
I am so tired of that response, Bob raped somebody buts its ok because Timmy does it all the time.....All i think when i see that weak ass argument is...fing idiot.
The capitalist Forbes magazine says that Democrats are better for economic growth and profits. Is Forbes now a leftist liberwack source because they don't agree with Whirred Nut Daily and Breitbart?
Yes, I agree that the Democrats too often look to government to solve problems.
I'm a little confused by your sarcastic comment towards my post. My comment was in support of conservatives.
This tactic to disregard the topic and focus on how to twist the issue and make it into the right against the left is why I left for a while. Apparently this is the preferred style of posting here. No discussion, just finger pointing and score keeping. It's really tiresome.
First, there shouldn't even be any tax legislation that benefits one company over another. Second, I fly Delta a lot and I'm tired of going to ATL anyway so they can move their hub to Charlotte.
I agree and don’t blame the businesses for taking what the government is offering with tax breaks. I have no problem with tax breaks but they must be available to all businesses equally not favoring one over another or one industry over another.
Actually in one sense removing this tax break would not be applied in a way that would effect only Delta. Currently that tax exemption is on jet fuel which applies to all airlines, not just Delta. All airlines (that fly into Georgia) would suffer. So IMO it can't be criticized on the grounds that it unfairly discriminates against Delta.
The reason it would hurt Delta slightly more is that Atlanta their main hub, so they fly in Georgia much more than other airlines and presumably buy much more jet fuel in Georgia than elsewhere..
There's also another interesting aspect to this. Listening to Stock Market news today, they made the point that ultimately Georgia needs Delta more than Delta needs Georgia.
Other states would love to have Delta's main hub be in their state-- if they did move, Georgia would lose a lot of jobs and other income. Delta, OTOH, might not mind moving-- because there would be such intense competition to get Delta to move to their state, various states would give Delta big tax breaks and other inducements to move there.
If Delta likes grandstanding, they have to face the consequences. It's a two way street
“Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”
It seems the dunderhead Republican thinks that all NRA members are conservative morons like he is, and also thinks government can dictate which companies offer what kind of discounts.
Even if this moron got his bill passed it would likely be struck down by the courts as an unconstitutional bill of attainder, just based on this dimwit's public statements. Funny that you didn't know that but conservatives do tend to be rather weak on issues of the law and the constitution despite their claims to love it.
How does not supporting a corporate tax cut get to be unconstitutional?
Maybe you should learn what a bill of attainder is? That's what the dunderhead proposed by his own admission even if the bill was more broadly written.
Wait...what?? How is this discrimination? What Delta is doing is to not offer NRA members a discount. These members are not being refused seats on Delta's planes solely because they are NRA members....THAT would be discrimination!
If the Georgia state legislature thinks that keeping a HUGE employer in their state happy by giving them tax breaks is NOT AS IMPORTANT as grovelling to the NRA, then maybe it's time Delta relocates to a friendlier state....like VA. We'd be more than happy to have Delta set up shop here!
Arkansas would love to have them, but we need a bigger airport.
I hear Greater Pittsburgh International has room for them ever since US Airways went tango uniform
Exactly,
Its not that Georgia would suddenly decide to take something away from them that already existed,
Rather, they gave them something -- they created a program that gave them a special discount. They have every right to end it. (In fact airlines and other business constantly create special promotional programs for classes of consumers...which they eventually change or terminate entirely),
When did gun owners become a protected class?
They want to be a special class. What entitles them to a discount?
It's not even gun owners per se......apparently it's just NRA members who deserve this flight discount. Their god said so.
True. If it were gun owners in general, way too many of us would qualify for Delta to make any $.
Well apparently many NRA members do pray to their guns. The one that is not for fighting, but is for fun.
Do NRA members know the difference?
Look up dumb ass in the dictioary and this guys picture will be there.
Yep - this is a worthy example of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Very very silly......smh
Let's see; NRA members fly Delta how much? Delta gets a tax exemption on fuel if they continue the discount?
Business wise it makes more sense for Delta to cave. The cost of relocating operations would be HUGE!
On the other hand, I like the idea of $50 million more in the State budget!
The governor and most of the rest of the republicans aren't as happy. The deal would have allowed Delta to greatly expand its flights our of Hartzfield making Atlanta an even bigger international hub and creating scads of new jobs. That $50M doesn't look like such a great deal if the state loses hundreds of millions in other forms of new revenue. And airlines have been known to pick up and move their entire operations to cities that would provide what they're looking for if the added profits cover the cost of that move.
I can tell you now that if Delta pulled out, another airline would jump at the chance to move in. As it is, Southwest is already doing so. This is the countries busiest airport. Those service hangars won't sit empty for long.
Geez, that kind of govt interference into a private company is almost as bad as this example:
So why should the NRA get a discount anyway? It's not like they can bring their gun with them.
As noted by Texan, this is free enterprise at work. Delta is free to offer discounts to who they so choose, or not. And customers are free to decide if that changes where they spend their money.
Meh, Delta is on the way out anyway. Decisions like this will just help speed their demise.
Once again, they are betting on the wrong horse. SOSDD
I doubt NRA members make up a significant percentage of their customer base, beyond that I doubt many NRA members will pass up Delta if their rates are still cheaper without the discount. I mean I am sure a few idiots will, but most will do what most people always do, take the better deal.
There are several reasons. The other day, I was talking with a liberal friend who currently lives in a country where guns aren't allowed. He told me that the USA should do the same and that the NRA is the largest lobby in the USA. He's clearly another ill-informed American liberal with no concept of the 2nd Amendment, how to amend the US Constitution, or how to research facts.
AARP is the largest lobby with over 30 million members, btw, but liberals are going bat shit crazy over "more gun control".
It takes more than one nail to secure a casket. This is just one more for Delta’s
I don't know... they use ALL CAPS too often...
I'll look into it. Thanks for the tip!
You can carry your gun in your checked baggage on any airline here in the U.S.
Yep, I checked it out. It has to be declared, in a strong lock box and go through baggage.
You can fly with a gun. As long as you check it.
Irony.
I bet if Delta said no more discounts to LGBT, you fuckers would have epileptic seizures.
But, Delta does not provide discounts to LGTB persons and nobody has had any seizures. BTW, who are you calling fuckers?
Did you miss the word, "IF" in Bruce's comment?
Open mouth..............insert foot, ankle, knee, and hip.
Did anyone else ever get the feeling that some people on NT learned strategy from Wiley E. Coyote?
Yeah so how is Wiley doing? Buy any Acme rockets with him lately?
I saw that same Georgia republican on TV today claiming Delta gives discounts to Planned Parenthood. The host called him on it and he said he would have his staff prove it. It is on YouTube. That was another lie. Of course, Delta does not offer "LGTB Discounts" because LGTB is not an organization like the NRA so Bruce's argument was/is pretty lame, too. Why should NRA members get a discount from Delta in the first place? Somebody needs to be yanking the NRA's chain IMHO...
Pretty sure they don;t so that in the first place, and even if they did what you suggest, wouldn't care. I wouldn't care if they ceased all discounts to all groups.
I've never flown Delta. My choice is usually Southwest.
I agree, if Southwest fly’s from my departure airport I fly with them whenever possible. Thats because Southwest kicks Delta’s ass on several levels.
Delta is only pandering here hoping it gets them more business and I suspect it will fail spectacularly.
Threats to the constituents who work at the hub in this state. Manipulating tax cuts to serve a personal position toward an outside lobbying organization should be grounds for impeachment.
If the tax cuts were allowed, Delta could move thousands of jobs out of the state where they would not be subject to this kind of manipulation.
I wonder what type of ransom they have in mind for Avis Budget Group, which operates Avis and Budget rental-car companies, Chubb insurance company
Enterprise Holdings, which operates Enterprise, Alamo and National rental-car companies, Hertz, MetLife, Norton cybersecurity products, Paramount Rx, a pharmacy-benefits company, SimpliSafe, a home-security services company, SIRVA, parent company of Allied Van Lines and NorthAmerican Van Lines, Starkey Hearing Technologies, Symantec, which operates LifeLock and Teledoc, TrueCar automotive website, United Airlines, and Wild Apricot software.
It is amazing how the right wing claims they want free market businesses but when any market makes a decision they disagree with they freak out.
Every corporation will make decisions based on public pressure, public demand, public needs and public wants.
It may or may not have anything to do with a particular political party but even if it does if the prevailing majority sentiment is against something and a company follows their customers then that is how it should be.
Denying tax breaks for a free market decision would only hurt those who work in the state because it would mean job cuts or a relocation to another state.
This blowhard politician did not think through his threats before he opened his big mouth. He is attempting to undermine and usurp the rights of a company to do what they want just because he does not agree with it.
I wonder if all the NT conservatives are going to stop shopping at Wal-Mart?
The five and dime has become the dollar store.
Yes, it has! The Dollar Store used to be Ben Franklin's and Woolworth;'s
I think Woolworth's was more like Wal-Mart or K-Mart is today, maybe crossed with a dollar store.
We had a Woolworth's on State St. in Chicago that sold everything from bowling balls, shotguns , tropical fish to fabric and oil cloth sold by the yard. The had a lunch counter that ran the length of the store. A giant candy counter where you could buy malted milk balls by the pound. And there would always be someone in the middle of the store demonstrating the latest vegetable chopper or some other kitchen gadget.
I miss that place.
For some of us, we can do all that in one department
I miss it, too. Our Woolworth's on Philadelphia Street in Indiana, PA had a basement where the bargain bins were. Their lunch counter made the best grilled cheese in town.
But John - how could you forget the vanilla/chocolate sundae's, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, apple and pecan pies. Oh yeah - and the Cherry Coke floats. Best damn food many of us ever ate.
You can find tents in the lingerie section? Damn BF - how large are those women you date?
Haaha! I actually just got it.