Expect longer lines at airport if federal cuts take effect
PORTLAND, Ore. – If lawmakers in the nation's capital don't close a budget deal to prevent across-the-board cuts, travelers at Portland International Airport would have a harder time reaching their planes, and maintenance for airport radar would also take a hit.
The federal Homeland Security Department says it will have to cut back on TSA screeners at PDX and across the nation if the mandatory budget cuts take effect.
Officials say waits for passengers would be significantly longer.
And the only thing more frustrating for Kathy Stine than ending a long trip at PDX is the talk of across-the-board federal cuts.
"They're cutting everything, everywhere. I think it's really sad. If our government would get their act together, it wouldn't be necessary," she said. "They always threaten to cut education, fire and police – that's the typical, political farce. That's just ridiculous. I don't believe that anyway."
Jerry Gibson just returned to Portland after a long stay overseas in a nation that's only now coming to grips with out-of-control debt.
"I think we as a nation need to knuckle down," he said. "I actually have lived in Spain, and I've seen some of the austerity measures that they've put into place and recognize that we've just gotta – we've gotta tighten our belt."
Those familiar with the planned cuts say they include maintenance for PDX's airport radar.
If the main radar fails, Portland International Airport would use a backup system. If that fails, Salem would take over with a system not nearly as accurate as the radar at PDX.
Another possible cut is closing the Troutdale Airport's tower, which could slow down operations at PDX if aircraft have to start flying out of Portland International instead.
Do it! Â Do it! Do it!
I'll bet nothing truly negative happens.
It's like a bailout none of us liked. Â We should have let Chrysler and the banks fail. Â Ford and the credit unions would have picked it up just right and good.
Let this thing fail, and I'll bet nothing significant will happen. Â It'll hurt the Southern states, but then again, they are mostly the takers of my tax money and they whine the most about takers, so I say lets starve them a bit. Â Cherish our NW productivity.Â
The lack of comments on this story is heartening. Maybe, just maybe people are getting wise to Obama and his liberal regime's BS crying wolf story day after day. Thank you folks for seeing the light! Thank you.
@last boyscout Nope.. I think people are just sick of running the same BS political arguments with you. No one is going to change your mind, you're not going to change others' mind. Don't pat yourself on the back too much.Â
Welcome to the fat and happy 21st century mind set of "I'm always right" in America.Â
@fulcrumHeck, you've already changed mine. I was wrong about someone getting wiser.
Just more fear mongering.......... nothing more nothing less
However, Â MSN is reporting that cuts my force congress to fly coach vs the private planes they fly now.......Â
Now thats something  to get congress in the frame of mind to  hammer out a solution
http://now.msn.com/sequester-could-force-congress-to-fly-commerical
Barack (the sky is falling) Obama is lying again. The worst president in the last century is so insecure that he's still on the campaign trail. Obama is threatening that the snow may not be removed from the road in Yellowstone park! What a fool. Can you imagine having voted for this guy? How embarrassing. No wonder the Obama bumper stickers have all but been ripped off all of the Prius's and other s*** box cars.
What a bunch of BS. Our federal government spends 500 billion a year on national defense and they have the nerve to threaten us with cuts in our essential services. Try shutting down the war machine for a month and you'll get your 68 billion.Â
I call this BS. Just another bs lie. Mr. I want to spend like a drunken sailor, is just upset that they have to tighten the belts like the rest of us. Bring on the sequester, it's badly needed, as the US needs to cut some spending.
BS... The lines will be just as long. Another scary story from the Oministration.
Instead of going on yet another campaign trip why don't you stay in DC, and duke it out with the big boys barry?
How about we get rid of Obamacare and the lines it will create and put that saved money towards airports.
Longer lines- I thought the airport landing strips were getting longer
In every respect, terrorists has won.  We go through long lines, take our shoes off, can't bring basics like shampoo and toothpaste without checking them in, which incurs additional cost.  In our collective fear, we are giving up our rights.
I'm curious though - how many acts of terrorism has the TSA prevented or caught.  I'm not entirely sure the ROI is worth it.  Well, I'm actually sure it isn't worth it. Â
In some respects, the existence of the TSA could be seen as a sign the terrorists had a victory.
@Saltire When we were coming back from a project in England back in 2002 or whenever, we had a roll of red electric tape, and black electric tape, in a camera bag. In Vancouver, they confiscated the red electric tape but let us keep the black roll. Don't you feel safer?
@PlayanekesThat red electrical tape is really dangerous.
@Playanekes @Saltire
Coming back from S. Korea in that same time frame I had my carry on bag inspected Five Times. I felt so much safer.A hiring freeze on non-essential positions could be a starting place. Â
When furloughs are used schedule employees to take the furlough on different days to minimize impact, as much as possible, and keep services operating as near to normal as possible. It would result in a reduced number of employees each shift or day, but the services would still be available.
Also, stop talking like actual cuts are being made when talking about Federal budgeting. It is smoke and mirrors. The cuts they normally are talking about is a reduction of the anticipated increase in the budget. So, if a budget was being increased 6 percent, and the politicians are touting a 3% cut; they are actually still raising the budget by 3%.  Creative math is alive and well in government.Â
How about cutting ALL Foreign Aid for starts? Instead of our backsides again..
Oh well!! So we stand in line an extra 10 minutes!
Media Propaganda. Goebbels office reporting in.  Everyone panic.
Any cuts according to the propaganda office will hurt. They're budget cuts. Get used to it because many more need to happen.
@Quaoptician .....many more should happen. Won't but should.
Stop checking the diapers on little old ladies and the lines will move faster.
@WendyTeagarden Wendy, stop trying to take your teabags through security, they raise eyebrows. If you're flying out of Seattle they really have pause for concern.Â
I'm a little slow, is that where you were hiding those teabags? Ewww.
Sell air force one
I love my country. I have come to despise the government !
@Rob C 503 You've just made it on a list somewhere.
 This is great it took them 12 years but they have won.Remember what happened to Russia after they shot their wad in Afghanistan it took them ten years but they lost. Now it's our turn we are broke as a nation. Stupid ugly Americans
We need a successful guy fawkes day
Just fearmongering, just like Y2K.....They said the world would end but it didnt. Â I dont believe them now.
Can I say buying votes cost a lot? But you can not cut there, right? You can not cut off the branch you're sitting on, correct?
They're talking about shutting down Troutdale Tower, too. If that sounds sane to you, remember the mid-air collision that happened between Aurora and Newberg last year. Fortunately, there wasn't a city beneath them.
Head Start is the most obvious hostage they're killing. Obama's sending 130 troops to build a drone base in Africa and we're giving the Egyptians and Israelis billions of dollars, Facebook didn't pay federal taxes, but somehow, Pre School Education is what's on the chopping block.
Cut baby cut! We've run the credit card up to the limit and now it's time to live within our means. No more foreign aid. No more unlimited funding for global warming research. No more subsidies for anybody. Stop taking money from the states and redistributing it per your political payback system.
In other words: GROW THE HECK UP!
Typical government trick, make the cuts as high of profile as possible and punish the people. One way or another they will make us pay.
Obama's government tries to make the cuts as painfully as possible. You think they couldn't cut tons of fat from places we'd never notice?? But they don't do that. They are trying to extort us. Extortion is a crime. Obama's gov is criminal.
@Nathan James well most of the cuts were proposed by Boehner and his House. He even stated so in August of last year.
@Ramsesthegreat Cuts in specific departments, sure, but the TSA is the one determining their going to cut TSA agents to made lines longer. Think they couldn't cut back on soemthing else? They could.
@Nathan James You seem to forget that this was not Obama's plan but a a plan agreed upon by both the House and the Senate. Nice try though.
Just another threat by the featherbedding public "servants" who will do anything to defend their gravy train.
As a frequent air traveler I welcome the coming crisis, because we won't do the right thing and ABOLISH TSA until everybody's totally fed up.
While were airing out the laundry, lets just send registered letters to all terrorist letting them know when and where were cutting back. Hell maybe even toss in some week points of interest!
If it happens, I'll still sit in front of the fire and eat dinner, I'll still go to work, life will continue normally.
Why? Â Because I work in the private sector. Â I work for myself!Â
I read stories lately about how this fiscal cliff and the cuts will affect our daily lives and I have to ask: Â "Why does the federal government effect our daily lives to such an extent? Â Is that supposed to be the case?" Â And how's about "who will be affected by this? - certainly not the folks who are on AFDC or SS. Â So who?" Â That's right, that part of the federal government that is comprised of "non-mission critical" employees. Â read: dead weight.
Sounds like a win either way, to me.
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@TheUglyTruth Did somebody really wound you as a child? Evidently, for your able to speak only in angry emotional ways of someone in arrested development, unfortunate, but not unexpected, you can end your pain...but your so attached to suffering, well suffer and weep some more for you have company...and judging you by the "likes", it will continue, embrace your pain or move to bunker, we so enjoy it, laughing uncontrollably  to side splitting gufaws...hahahahahhahahahahaha, thank you.
@TheUglyTruth seems to me he was affirming the will of the people to survive and prosper despite an increasingly dictatorial government.  That makes his statement a POSITIVE one.Â
Unlike your barely coherent rambling, his had a point and a focus that was not directed in a personal attack. Â
Take your own advice.
@TheUglyTruth yes, just look at Europe for proof of how good austerity is for an economy. Triple dip recessions, massive unemployment and who knows how long it will be before they recover. Seems like a grand plan to fix the economy!
It's already getting pretty bad when a plane that travels 500mph only saves a few hours time during a west coast flight, while costing about the same in gas.
@JGalt a few hours time? A flight from LA to PDX takes about 2 hours while driving takes about 16 hours. Seems like more than a few hours. But I do agree that jets burn a ton of fuel.