No one should be surprised any time Trump exposes himself as the vile, disgusting, ultraright-wing bigot that he is.
Still, it’s almost impossible not to be outraged.
A case in point is the Jan. 29 plane crash near the Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). With absolutely zero evidence, Trump immediately blamed diversity, equity and inclusion programs, allegedly instituted by former President Joe Biden, for allowing less qualified air traffic controllers to be hired.
He specifically called out the Federal Aviation Administration for “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.” (Associated Press, Jan. 31)
That’s bull. Racist, sexist, ableist bull.
One might think it would be more reasonable to investigate first, then assign blame. Not this president. Given an opportunity to scapegoat people of color, immigrants, women and gender-oppressed people, LGBTQIA2S+ people or people with disabilities, Trump will do so — facts be damned.
After a brief moment of silence, Trump went into his tirade against DEI, showing zero compassion for the 67 people who died after the midair collision between a passenger airplane and a military helicopter. This was the deadliest airplane crash in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001.
Too few air traffic controllers
What has come out is that the air traffic control tower servicing DCA was understaffed. One controller was monitoring both airplanes and helicopters; before 9:30 p.m., that normally should have been two separate jobs. The crash occurred at 9:00 p.m. According to the Associated Press, “On Wednesday [Jan. 29] the tower supervisor directed that [the two jobs] be combined earlier [than 9:30 p.m.].”
This was an accident waiting to happen. According to the union representing air traffic controllers, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, in an analysis obtained by the New York Times, “More than 90 percent of the country’s 313 air traffic control facilities operate below the Federal Aviation Administration’s recommended staffing levels.” Moreover, “Persistent staff shortages and an underinvestment in safety systems have led to an alarming number of close calls between aircraft.” (Jan. 31)
Under capitalism, bosses are forever seeking ways to cut costs by shrinking the workforce. This is true for workers in the public sector as well as in the private sector.
Striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, who went on strike Aug. 3, 1981, and were fired two days later by then-President Ronald Reagan.
Along with reducing the number of jobs, this practice contributes to a high level of on-the-job stress among air traffic controllers. This stress was a major health and safety issue in the 1981 strike by the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. Then-President Ronald Reagan broke the union and fired every single union member who didn’t cross the picket line.
Eventually the controllers who replaced the fired PATCO members realized they needed a union and formed NATCA. Union members are dealing with the same or worse conditions of overwork and understaffing that led to the PATCO strike.
An objective investigation, if one takes place, would reveal the facts around this tragedy.
It will be up to workers and oppressed people to connect the dots and realize that capitalist cost-cutting and constant quest for higher profits, not DEI, caused the deadly plane crash — one that could have been prevented.