Travel: Fodder for Politics?
February 25, 2008. We don't expect to hear presidential candidates including luxury vacation rentals in their stump speeches. With travel being a $740 billion industry, however, one columnist might argue this topic should be on every candidates' radar. MSNBC columnist Christopher Elliot wrote a thoughtful article on the matter.
Elliot outlines six major issues that a future president should address (but probably won't, he concedes):
1) Record air travel days and cancellations
2) Soaring fuel costs
3) Traffic congestion
4) New, confusing and expensive passport and transit rules
5) Declining value of the dollar
6) Amtrak funding
Elliot also found some evidence that voters share his concern:
"In a poll conducted ahead of the primaries in South Carolina and Florida — two states where travel is critical to the economy — nearly two-thirds of prospective voters said they don’t believe the 2008 presidential candidates have adequately addressed a travel system that is increasingly viewed as “flawed and frustrating.”"
Hey Mr. President, how about tax deductions for family vacations? After all, they stimulate the economy...
