Al Sharpton joined the sequester scare-mongering squad on his MSNBC show this evening. Just one problem: the Reverend Al got one of his "facts" embarrassingly wrong. Sharpton claimed that the effect of the sequester would be to close Rep. Paul Ryan's hometown airport in Janesville, Wisconsin. Nuh-uh.
Yes, Southern Wisconsin Regional in Janesville is on a list of 200 airports, 100 of which would have their towers closed under the sequester. So for starters, contrary to what Sharpton suggests, the odds are only 1-in-2 that even if the sequester hits, there will be any effect whatsoever on the Janesville airport. But in any case, closing a tower by no means closes an airport. Is Al unaware that of the roughly 20,000 airports in the USA, only about 500—less than 3%—have towers? Even if the tower closes, flights will continue to flow in and out of Janesville. There are well-established FAA procedures that pilots follow to communicate with each other at non-towered fields. Shame on Sharpton for his false scare-mongering. View the video after the jump.
Personal note: as a private pilot, I've flown a small plane into the Janesville airport. The Janesville airport is a friend of mine. And Reverend Al, you don't know the Janesville airport ;-)
AL SHARPTON: Folks, Republicans will have a hard time selling these horrific cuts to people back home. But some may not have to. These cuts would also shut down the only airport in Congressman Paul Ryan's hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. I guess that's one way to avoid facing voters--make sure you can't get home from Washington.
