Who's Packing Your Parachute? No One

Still catching up on news after a trip away.

In the June 4th Wall Street Journal there is an alarming piece by Michael M. Phillips, "What color is my parachute? Invisible." Phillips points out that military cargo planes often carry parachutes for the crew members, but none are available for passengers. The plane Phillips describes has 50 passengers. No parachutes for them. Were that not enough to catch your attention, check out the last paragraph:

More passengers could be left floating soon. Officials at Air Mobility Command are considering removing all but a couple of parachutes from each plane—just enough for the loadmasters. The packs weigh about 75 pounds apiece, and officials figure that, over time, the move will allow the Air Force to save a lot of money on fuel.

We as a country would rather extend tax cuts for the very wealthy, allow multinational corporations to pay no taxes, bail out large banks, have lower tax rates for certain types of financial gains, give away grazing rights on public land, than provide military aircraft crew with parachutes. Because we're trying to save fuel costs.

There is something inherently wrong here.