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Excellent column in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sunday, July 24, 2005 by Mitchell Schnurman, the one person on that paper's staff that can see both sides of the Wright Repeal effort. (I don't normally post entire articles but this one is worth reading. If you'd prefer to read it on the paper's website [free registration required] click this link: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/12211831.htm.)
What's after Wright?
Mitchell Schnurman
IN MY OPINION
Maybe we can have a constructive conversation about the Wright Amendment if we start like this: The law is history; what's next?
Many leaders in North Texas have chosen to play hardball on Wright, refusing to talk about the next step, because they can't see any way to compromise and move forward.
Stick with this line long enough, and Washington will become the power broker. And don't count on national politicians giving a flip about our growing pains.
Kay Granger, the Fort Worth Republican who has been among the staunchest supporters of the amendment, senses that the political landscape has shifted in the past few weeks.
Proponents for repealing Wright are gaining momentum, adding heavyweight names and deploying new tactics. A legislative decision isn't inevitable, but a sense of inevitability is growing.
Almost every day, there's another turn of the screw in the kill-Wright movement, another news story about someone trying to chip away at the 26-year-old law.
It's time to start talking about the end game, about how we want to make the transition to freer skies without the pain that an abrupt end might create.
That's not how Granger would put it. But she did propose a meeting of local leaders -- a summit so we can hash out the issues and options.
"It's important that we look at it now," Granger said in a phone interview Thursday. "The two mayors [from Fort Worth and Dallas], the two city councils, the D/FW Airport board should go back over what the Wright Amendment says, why it's important and what's happening now.
"They need to ask, 'Where are we?' " she said. "There have been dueling economic reports -- what's the real story? All these conversations would be appropriate."
Granger's suggestion isn't radical. Dallas Mayor Laura Miller has pushed the same idea for weeks. But Tarrant County leaders have insisted there was no reason to get together.
They believe that there's no common ground, and that may be true on the question of lifting the Wright Amendment. One side wants Dallas Love Field opened to long-haul flights. The other wants it closed entirely, in the hope that Southwest Airlines will move to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
But if you accept that Wright is going down -- and such a supposition isn't far-fetched, considering recent events -- there's lots to talk about.
How do we cap traffic at Love Field, which is limited by nearby neighborhoods and a scarcity of gates and runways? How do we divvy up Love's gates, which are largely controlled by Southwest? Is there a way to reduce the negative effects on D/FW Airport and its primary tenant, American Airlines?
If we can address some of these issues, a road map and a calendar for repeal might emerge. And if North Texas leaders can agree on a plan that ultimately deregulates air service, it's likely that Congress would give its blessing, too.
The alternative is an all-or-nothing fight.
So far, that's been the strategy for Fort Worth, American Airlines and D/FW Airport. They're betting they can persuade enough lawmakers -- or at least the right lawmaker or two -- to kill any repeal proposals in committee.
There's a big risk in this approach. Southwest is keeping the story in the news and has thousands of employees and customers urging their lawmakers to set Love free.
It has also managed to make this a relevant issue to politicians in Nevada, Connecticut, Arizona and beyond. Lawmakers in Washington will have trouble opposing the concept of free markets and low airfares, which are the centerpieces of Southwest's campaign.
They also might conclude that if we can't handle our own dispute, they'll fix it for us.
Legislative initiatives can move quickly or glacially, and Wright initially looked like a long fight. But it picked up powerful support last week. And if it gets to the floor of the Senate and House, a repeal could be immediate.
The major stakeholders -- American Airlines, D/FW, Love Field and Southwest -- would have little time to adjust.
In the past, North Texas leaders could defuse challenges to the Wright Amendment by insisting it was a local issue. They would explain that it was the result of years of squabbling between Fort Worth and Dallas, and they could bank on outsiders not wanting any part of a family fight.
"But there are some people jumping in who've never been in it before," Granger said. "I've never heard them speak out or take a position [on Wright], and that's the difference now."
Last week alone, it was powerful Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who co-sponsored a Senate bill to repeal the law. And House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said he supports repeal, too.
For months, DeLay refused to state his opinion on Wright, saying he wanted the North Texas delegation to work it out without his interference. His new stance is yet another push to get our house in order.
Meanwhile, there's a separate movement to undercut Wright. Last week, Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., inserted language into a Senate bill to exempt his state from the Wright restrictions, and his addition is expected to pass. Senators from Pennsylvania and Utah said they wanted the same treatment for their residents, and Tennessee is pursuing the same tack in the House.
Defenders of the status quo argue that lifting Love Field restrictions would harm D/FW and the North Texas economy. That's a harder case to make than Southwest's -- that consumers just want the freedom to fly anywhere.
When Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., introduced a bill last week to repeal the Wright Amendment, he was asked about holding hearings on the subject.
"I'd love to have a hearing on it," Ensign said, "but if not, then it's not a real complicated issue."
That perspective may surprise residents here, where the Wright debate has become so polarizing that it seems unsolvable. It's important to realize that much of the outside world thinks this is a simple matter, with a simple solution.
Repealing the Wright Amendment could create some temporary chaos in North Texas aviation. But free markets can be messy, and many in Washington won't have much sympathy for our concerns.
We still have some control over how this plays out. But if we can't handle that power, Washington will.
Mitchell Schnurman's column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. (817) 390-7821 schnurman@star-telegram.com
What's after Wright?
Mitchell Schnurman
IN MY OPINION
Maybe we can have a constructive conversation about the Wright Amendment if we start like this: The law is history; what's next?
Many leaders in North Texas have chosen to play hardball on Wright, refusing to talk about the next step, because they can't see any way to compromise and move forward.
Stick with this line long enough, and Washington will become the power broker. And don't count on national politicians giving a flip about our growing pains.
Kay Granger, the Fort Worth Republican who has been among the staunchest supporters of the amendment, senses that the political landscape has shifted in the past few weeks.
Proponents for repealing Wright are gaining momentum, adding heavyweight names and deploying new tactics. A legislative decision isn't inevitable, but a sense of inevitability is growing.
Almost every day, there's another turn of the screw in the kill-Wright movement, another news story about someone trying to chip away at the 26-year-old law.
It's time to start talking about the end game, about how we want to make the transition to freer skies without the pain that an abrupt end might create.
That's not how Granger would put it. But she did propose a meeting of local leaders -- a summit so we can hash out the issues and options.
"It's important that we look at it now," Granger said in a phone interview Thursday. "The two mayors [from Fort Worth and Dallas], the two city councils, the D/FW Airport board should go back over what the Wright Amendment says, why it's important and what's happening now.
"They need to ask, 'Where are we?' " she said. "There have been dueling economic reports -- what's the real story? All these conversations would be appropriate."
Granger's suggestion isn't radical. Dallas Mayor Laura Miller has pushed the same idea for weeks. But Tarrant County leaders have insisted there was no reason to get together.
They believe that there's no common ground, and that may be true on the question of lifting the Wright Amendment. One side wants Dallas Love Field opened to long-haul flights. The other wants it closed entirely, in the hope that Southwest Airlines will move to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
But if you accept that Wright is going down -- and such a supposition isn't far-fetched, considering recent events -- there's lots to talk about.
How do we cap traffic at Love Field, which is limited by nearby neighborhoods and a scarcity of gates and runways? How do we divvy up Love's gates, which are largely controlled by Southwest? Is there a way to reduce the negative effects on D/FW Airport and its primary tenant, American Airlines?
If we can address some of these issues, a road map and a calendar for repeal might emerge. And if North Texas leaders can agree on a plan that ultimately deregulates air service, it's likely that Congress would give its blessing, too.
The alternative is an all-or-nothing fight.
So far, that's been the strategy for Fort Worth, American Airlines and D/FW Airport. They're betting they can persuade enough lawmakers -- or at least the right lawmaker or two -- to kill any repeal proposals in committee.
There's a big risk in this approach. Southwest is keeping the story in the news and has thousands of employees and customers urging their lawmakers to set Love free.
It has also managed to make this a relevant issue to politicians in Nevada, Connecticut, Arizona and beyond. Lawmakers in Washington will have trouble opposing the concept of free markets and low airfares, which are the centerpieces of Southwest's campaign.
They also might conclude that if we can't handle our own dispute, they'll fix it for us.
Legislative initiatives can move quickly or glacially, and Wright initially looked like a long fight. But it picked up powerful support last week. And if it gets to the floor of the Senate and House, a repeal could be immediate.
The major stakeholders -- American Airlines, D/FW, Love Field and Southwest -- would have little time to adjust.
In the past, North Texas leaders could defuse challenges to the Wright Amendment by insisting it was a local issue. They would explain that it was the result of years of squabbling between Fort Worth and Dallas, and they could bank on outsiders not wanting any part of a family fight.
"But there are some people jumping in who've never been in it before," Granger said. "I've never heard them speak out or take a position [on Wright], and that's the difference now."
Last week alone, it was powerful Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who co-sponsored a Senate bill to repeal the law. And House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said he supports repeal, too.
For months, DeLay refused to state his opinion on Wright, saying he wanted the North Texas delegation to work it out without his interference. His new stance is yet another push to get our house in order.
Meanwhile, there's a separate movement to undercut Wright. Last week, Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., inserted language into a Senate bill to exempt his state from the Wright restrictions, and his addition is expected to pass. Senators from Pennsylvania and Utah said they wanted the same treatment for their residents, and Tennessee is pursuing the same tack in the House.
Defenders of the status quo argue that lifting Love Field restrictions would harm D/FW and the North Texas economy. That's a harder case to make than Southwest's -- that consumers just want the freedom to fly anywhere.
When Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., introduced a bill last week to repeal the Wright Amendment, he was asked about holding hearings on the subject.
"I'd love to have a hearing on it," Ensign said, "but if not, then it's not a real complicated issue."
That perspective may surprise residents here, where the Wright debate has become so polarizing that it seems unsolvable. It's important to realize that much of the outside world thinks this is a simple matter, with a simple solution.
Repealing the Wright Amendment could create some temporary chaos in North Texas aviation. But free markets can be messy, and many in Washington won't have much sympathy for our concerns.
We still have some control over how this plays out. But if we can't handle that power, Washington will.
Mitchell Schnurman's column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. (817) 390-7821 schnurman@star-telegram.com
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