Cleveland Air Show Cancelled

SEQUESTRATION OR PETTINESS?

A few days ago, The Plain Dealer reported that 

The Cleveland National Air Show has become a victim of the "sequester," as federal budget cuts that took effect at the beginning of the month have forced the cancellation of the annual Labor Day event.

Organizers of the air show issued a news release today announcing its cancellation. It's the first time the air show won't be held in Cleveland since its first event in 1964, said air show spokeswoman Kim Dell.

“After considering the effect this will have on programming, attendance and the financial viability of producing a 2013 event, the Executive Committee of Cleveland National Air Show Inc. Board of Trustees made the decision to cancel this year’s Air Show," Chuck Newcomb, executive director of the show, said in the news release. "Though regrettable, this action is viewed to be in the long term best interest of the Air Show, the City of Cleveland and the valued fans that annually attend the event.”

"It was not an easy decision for the board to make," Dell said."It's a very big deal."The air show attracts 60,000 to 100,000 visitors to Burke Lakefront Airport. It has an annual economic impact of $7.1 million.

Federal budget cuts forced the grounding of air show staples such as the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Army's Golden Knights jump team. Those losses played a huge role in the board's decision, Dell said.

Federal budget cuts? Well, only discretionary spending, and then not much.  The New York Times reported that "recklessly cutting discretionary spending does little to address America’s long-term debt crisis — which is supposedly why we pushed ourselves into the sequester in the first place."

Sequestration was President Obama's idea. So he is cutting discretionary spending on programs that visibly benefit the public, such as White House Tours, The Thunderbirds and The Blue Angels. 

Among the discretionary budget items NOT cut:

• $250 million in aid to Egypt  
• $500 million to Palestine
• Obama's golf outings including his round with Tiger Woods last month @ $80,000 just for security
• Biden's one night hotel stay in Paris @ $585,000 
• Biden's one night hotel stay in London @ $460,000
• Obama's two daughters' spring vacation in the Bahamas, not likely to be less than their holiday last year in Mexico  @ $115,500

So, no Air Show for Cleveland this coming Labor Day weekend. What a petty administration.