Legislating Without Technical Knowledge

By Natalia Pérez

There are political decisions that carry consequences.

And then there are those made without understanding the systems they affect.

The partial U.S. government shutdown that began in February belongs to this second category.

On the surface, the country’s airports continue to function. Flights depart. Screens flicker with updates. Security lines, though longer, still move. To most passengers, the system appears intact.

But aviation does not fail all at once.

It erodes.