Former GOP Senator Alfonse D'Amato, whose former colleague Mitch McConnell says that a Senate Committee to investigate Russian hacking of DNC emails is not needed, was kicked off a Jet Blue flight from Fort Lauderdale to New York City on Tuesday. The former Senator who was defeated in his reelection bid by Democrat Chuck Schumer, complained about a passenger seating shuffle that was ordered by the airline. The order to shuffle passengers who had paid for first class tickets to the coach section of the aircraft was met with verbal protests from the first class passengers, including D'Amato.
Jet Blue's price discrepancies
A regular coach ticket from Fort Lauderdale to NYC (New York City), depending on time of day, number of passengers, demand, etc., is around $208. A first class flight from Fort Lauderdale to NYC is about $323, again depending on several factors. For all intents and purposes, the first class ticket is about $115.00 more expensive than is the coach ticket. The first class ticket usually includes meals, beverages, adjustable bucket seats with plenty of leg room, and beverage service, including alcohol. In coach, passengers are lucky to receive non-alcoholic beverages, let alone any of the other amenities that are automatically provided to first class passengers.
Considering that the first class passengers had paid over $100 more than the coach passengers had paid, and the fact that they expected to be pampered during the flight, it is no wonder why D'Amato and the other first class passengers were upset when told to move to the lower-paying coach section that entails few, if any, privileges or amenities.
Senator D'Amato's Senate career
D'Amato, 79, who is a lawyer, served in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1999. D'Amato served on the Senate Banking Committee, the Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee. D'Amato also chaired the Senate Whitewater Committee, which ultimately was unable to prosecute either Bill or Hillary Clinton for any wrongdoing.
D'Amato was one of only three U.S. Senators who voted in favor of permitting gays to join the military. While at the same time being a strong advocate for the death penalty, D'Amato vehemently supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Trump's position on veterans' mental health services
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has emphatically stated that if veterans are "strong," that they do not need mental health services.
This is despite the fact that a very high percentage of veterans returning to the United States after active military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffer from PTSD (Post traumatic stress syndrome).
