In Flagrant Abuse of Power, Georgia Lt. Gov Casey Cagle‏ Threatens Delta to Revenge NRA

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
If Delta moves to Virginia it will be to Dulles.

Not that easy since IAD is a fortress hub for United and getting slots there for Delta would be very difficult, they control over 60% of the flights.

a reply to: Aazadan

I don't see Delta going anywhere. They've got 18 years left on a 20 year lease. They've got an agreement in place that requires Delta to maintain its HQ in Atlanta. There are billions of dollars in commitments including a new concourse and a 6th runway.

Well it looks like what I thought was going to happen is. Georgia is in a bind here. If it goes through with its threat and cuts the tax break it gives to Delta, Delta will have 2 options. The first is to dehub. Now normally that would take years, cause it would have to find another state, set up shop and then start negotiations for them to put such in, including dealing with the taxes and tax breaks. It would also need to work out the various details on such, and to ensure that there is a work force it can draw on to do the job. But part of that is where this is going to really put the pressure on Georgia.

Since this came out, I have heard and seen where other states, as it is now up to I believe 6 or more are sending Delta signals and seeking active negotiations for them to hub in their state, thus boosting their economy. Make no mistake, millions of dollars are on the line for both Delta and Georgia. If they don't back down, I could see the economic hit happening within 2 or 3 years, as Delta moves it main hub to another state, and leaving the state of Georgia without any recourse, and dealing with a loss. How many people does Delta employee from the surrounding areas to run that hub? This could result in an increase in a higher unemployment for the state and it could go south from there, in an area that can ill afford to lose a major company to another state. And how this plays out will also weigh heavily with any other company looking to relocate and do business in Georgia.

a reply to: Deplorable

That's not the airlines
It's homeland security.

originally posted by: RomeByFire
Trump supporters and right wingers like bigger government and lobbying.

I'm so surprised!

And yet for over 75 years we've been subjected to bigger government gun control by the so called liberals.

Funny that.

a reply to: sdcigarpig

If Delta does move, that would open up the chance for another carrier to base a hub in Atlanta.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Aazadan

I don't see Delta going anywhere. They've got 18 years left on a 20 year lease. They've got an agreement in place that requires Delta to maintain its HQ in Atlanta. There are billions of dollars in commitments including a new concourse and a 6th runway.

Are there penalties for Delta to break that deal, or did they have an agreement with the state that in exchange for X we'll set up business here? If it's the latter they can say business opportunities are better elsewhere and move.

Depending on how much another state wants them, they may even be able to get another state to pay any fines.

Heard on the radio on the way home today that the governor chastised Cagle for making the comment. The report mentioned that there are worries that Amazon would use the comments to disqualify Georgia for their new distribution center.

a reply to: Hypntick

Funny thing about business, is that often one watches for weakness in a competitor and see what they are doing and not doing.

And then there are the contracts and in that aspect Delta holds all of the cards when it comes to the hub there in Atlanta. So even if Delta dehub's and shifts operation to say Virginia, it would still have a say in Atlanta, until the current contract ends, and that would put a damper on any new airlines coming in. And if Delta wanted to be spiteful, it would shift its business and hub to another location, while preventing another airline from trying to move in and create a hub there. And that would work in Delta's favor.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
On Saturday, Delta Airlines announced that it was ending its contract for discounted rates with the NRA. And now Georgia's Lt. Governor, Casey Cagle, is publicly threatening to take legislative action against Delta.

Let that sink in. The Lt. Governor of Georgia is threatening one of the state's largest employers and an airline that is largely responsible for making Hartsfield-Jackson the world's busiest airport — to provide discounted services to a right-wing lobbying group or face legislative reprisal.

Casey's extortion scheme is almost certainly unconstitutional, particularly when you consider that in the Citizens United decision, the right-wing stacked SCOTUS ruled that businesses have much of the same rights to political speech as individuals.

No matter how people feel about tax breaks and other subsidization, I find it really hard to believe that anyone honestly believes that they should be tied to a political lobbying organization getting kickbacks.

Delta has pulled a bunch of C34P, on Sport Hunters, and now a general smear of all NRA members. Soooo--- guess what comes next?? IN 2013, I used Delta Air Cargo, to fly my taxidermied ( mounted ), African Trophies from a 2012 Safari, right into Delta Air Cargo's terminal at Sea Tac Airport, Wash. Can't do that today, due to Delta's going bonkers over a Lion Killed outside of a Nature Reserve. Bottom line, next go will require me to use Emirates Air, at least for the Shipment a year later of my mounted trophies. At Sea Tac, the USFW ladies were coming out of the Terminal, just as we were going in, to claim my shipment. Delta said that we had set some kind of record, there, for promptness, both in USFW inspections, and picking the inspected shipment up.
Now let that sink in! Delta delivered the shipment to the USFW inspectors, who gave my trophies a clean bill of health, before I could even see them, much less load them out. What I do know, is on my next hunting trip, I'm flying on the airline which will ship my trophies back here to the U.S.A. And that looks to be Emirates Air. This may be why the Georgia politician is getting steamed at Delta. They've made an enormous investment in their hub terminal, near Atlanta, and now some phony corporate big wigs are ruining everything. So, yes, it's time to throw some cold water into their faces, since I doubt Emirate Air even flies through Atlanta, and I"m only one of hundreds of Safari hunters per month, going through there, or not!
Clipping off, existing NRA travel discounts, is really throwing salt into the wounds, and Georgia Politicians know that they have to do something PDQ. Joe Dokes may not be affected, but their higher "Donor Class", has now certainly been repeatedly dissed by Delta.
Add to this that they are a public conveyance company, and we know that they cannot refuse tickets, per where you fly to, or what you do there. Even their prohibition on "Mounted" trophy heads, which are always in wooden crates, out of sight, may not hold up in Courts. Georgia won't be taking bread out of their mouths, but just won't set down and cut them special deals any more. DUH!

Looks like Delta lost their tax break - it's been voted on.
Their NRA decision has cost them $50m...not to mention those that will boycott their airline.

www.breitbart.com...

a reply to: theantediluvian

I just read about the vote going through. I wonder if this will cause some legal issues, as it does appear that the Gov fully admitted that he would use his political position to kill legislation that favored Delta unless they conformed to his demands.

It will be interesting to see how this progresses and I am a bit shocked that a sitting gov would say such a thing publicly.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: theantediluvian

I just read about the vote going through. I wonder if this will cause some legal issues, as it does appear that the Gov fully admitted that he would use his political position to kill legislation that favored Delta unless they conformed to his demands.

It will be interesting to see how this progresses and I am a bit shocked that a sitting gov would say such a thing publicly.

I suspect there will be some form of challenge, but I think the bigger issue is jobs in Georgia. Delta may well up sticks and leave 33,000 people behind.
It's a bit of a mess, for sure.

a reply to: UKTruth

Don't worry, it's all going to come out all right. Delta is spread out all over that airport hub. I came back into the U.S. at one end, had to clear customs, and then run like H##l all the way to the far end of the terminals, to catch my SLC flight. I had two hours, and I only made the SLC flight by the skin of my teeth. A Delta rep at the top of the escalators, beyond the robot shuttle train didn't think I could make it, when I slapped my boarding pass down on his reader. But he pointed me where I had to run to, and I got to the jet ramp after the last passenger had walked into it. As the tail end charlie, I then had to walk back down the jet ramp, and leave my carry on at their desk, since they were over full of them.

But I made it from one international arrival terminal, through customs, and then all the way to domestic departures, at the far end, in less than two hours. Hopefully whoever takes their place at Hausefield Taylor will sort International arrivals and domestic departures out better. Going out of the country, I had an extra hour and a half, but the Westward domestic flights were/are, pretty close together, if you have to clear customs, with your red tagged firearm cases.

That took me twice as long as the ordinary tourists coming back into the U.S. Georgia's politicians have to react to Delta, and this loss of Hub benefits will bite them a lot deeper in their corporate pockets, than the entire NRA's members boycotting them for other carriers will. Simply put; the passengers displaced by NRA members, flying on the other airlines will just find their way over to Delta. So they won't see any terrifying loss of passengers' air miles. But their Board of Directors will immediately see a jump in their taxes in Georgia.

Delta: ‘We are not taking sides’ in gun debate

"While Delta’s intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course," he wrote.

"Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale. We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature."

A slow walk back?






a reply to: theantediluvian

a reply to: theantediluvian

Instead of calling this an 'abuse' of power, I think you should think of it as an intelligent 'use' of power.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I don't particularly admire you. I figure you wouldn't piss on me if I were on fire.



But this is a petty, moronic over-reach of power and shows how corrupt politicians are.

Taxes should never be punitive.

Never.

originally posted by: DBCowboy

Taxes should never be punitive.

Never.

But look at at the people fapping away in this thread when government sticks it to someone they dont agree with.

Maybe they need to be reminded of the IRS targeting conservative groups so they can pull their collective heads out of their asses.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

True.

I just watched the Lt. Governor on Fox try to justify it.

And it pissed me off.


Basically, he was saying, "If they would just think right, then they won't be punished."