I see that the Nebraska Panhandle's lone congressman has introduced legislation that will ensure that Scottsbluff's airport will receive a yearly $1,000,000 federal grant despite not having the required number of boardings. While I am glad that Congressman Smith is looking out for his district, I think we all need to remind him of one important fact. WE ARE BROKE!!! The country is out of money. We are in debt up to our eyeballs and beyond. The extra money will have to be borrowed from China and repaid with interest by our chilren's children and beyond. All members of congress must put aside thier little pet projects and do what is right - balance the budget, spend less. We cannot afford to fund every little local project. If the locals cannot buy enough tickets to support the airport - then perhaps we do not need one. It is fundamentally unfair to ask all taxpayers across the country to suplement the few folks that fly out of Scottsbluff. Business needs to learn to stand on thier own. If they cannot compete, then they should fail. The Federal Government cannot solve every local issue. I am sure certain local individuals would be upset when reading this but it is time we stop asking Washington to cough up more money at every turn. Stop changing the rules when the rules do not suit us anymore. We have run out of money for projects like this and many hundreds of other projects. We are taxed enough already! ( See: http://www.kneb.com/news/index/ce813ce2-55a4-4532-92a6-36aa7d258378 )