The state GOP representatives in Georgia made good on their threat to retaliate against Delta Airlines after the company pulled the discount for NRA members. Delta took the stand in the face of the recent attack in Parkland Florida at a middle school which left 17 dead. The massacre was carried out by Nikolas Cruz 19, using an AR-15, which is a military assault rifle capable of firing up to 800 rounds per minute. Those kids didn’t stand a chance. As companies across America took a stand on guns after the Florida school massacre, Delta Air Lines was singled out for political retribution in its home state of Georgia after cutting ties with the National Rifle Association. Republicans in the state legislature voted Thursday to kill a tax break that would have saved Delta millions of dollars in sales tax on jet fuel. The proposal wasn’t controversial until Delta announced last weekend it would no longer offer discounted fares to NRA members. By passing the bill, lawmakers carried out the threat that Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R) made to Atlanta-based Delta earlier this week. If the airline did not restore discounted fares to members of the National Rifle Association, Republicans would strike down a $50 million sales-tax exemption on jet fuel from its larger tax-cut package. Delta, which is one of the state’s largest employers, would have been the primary beneficiary of the exemption. Cagle said, “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.” He doesn’t care how many kids are cut in half or shot in the face by a machine gun, as long as he gets the dough from the NRA. Delta stood it ground telling the local honcho’s:
“Our objective in removing any implied affiliation with the NRA was to remove Delta from this debate. While Delta’s intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course. Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale.”
Now as an African American, I’m not really going to be inclined to agree with Delta Airlines on anything. Just a quick Google search will take you to pages and pages of accusations of racism and racial profiling by the second class air jocks. Tragedy makes strange bedfellows though, and in this era of Trump conservatism, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
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