Sens. Cleland and Miller, I

write to let you know I really feel much safer now that the airports in

this country are under the full control of the U.S. government. Just think,

a few days ago, the Atlanta Airport was closed down for four hours because

of the abysmal security created by the private sector. Today, we, the

American people, can feel safer more secure because the Senate and the

House have now made those same employees "federal employees."

Sen. Cleland in your Nov. 16

press release you stated that: "... Aviation security is critical

to our national security, American passengers' personal security and our

nation's economic security. The American flying public has the right to

a bona fide professional security system at our airports one staffed by

a highly-trained federal police force, not just the window dressing check-in

system that has existed for years."

They were "window dressing"

yesterday, but now they're "bona fide professional security"

personnel. They are "highly-trained federal police force."

Our airports are no more secure

now, or in the future, because the check-in personnel are now federal

employees. Federal employees don't make good check-in employees. They

just make good federal employees. They also make the federal government

that much larger, something I thought you, Sen. Miller, were against.

I thought we already had a

group of "highly-trained" federal employees going under the

heading of FAA. I also thought they were responsible for ensuring the

safety of our airports and how they are run including the checkers and

the police force. Now I ask you both. If our airports aren't safe under

the direction of the FAA, just what makes you think our airports will

be safe by making 28,000 private citizens federal employees?

Now, since we have the FAA,

why didn't you do something to make sure the rules and regulations created

sector hires and trains the best security force instead of the dropouts

from the Burger King? There was no need to federalize those people. You

people are great in making laws, but you're pathetic when it comes to

enforcing them.

One thing is sure. Making 28,000

people federal employees will generate a lot of votes for the Democrats

in the next election. This poses another question: Is America better off

today with 28,000 new federal employees than we were yesterday? Or is

the Democratic Party better off today with 28,000 new federal employees

than we were yesterday?

Charles G. James

Fayetteville

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