By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

Now that Americans are back at work and trying to get some semblance of normalcy in their lives after last week's atrocities, there are a lot of questions to be answered locally.

Monday's stock market free fall was certainly felt hard throughout the Southern Crescent. The airline industry, which affects more of us here than any other, was especially hammered.

The results were not surprising when you consider that 10 percent of the nation's economy was shut down completely for three days. The ripple was felt everywhere else, as business and leisure travelers were stranded all over the country with no way to get home, while cargo and mail sat undelivered in warehouses and hangars instead of in the hands of those who needed them.

Now, leaders in the airline industry are trying to convince the government to approve as much as $24 billion in federal assistance to help them recover from a week of massive losses, while at the same time working to beef up security and strengthen the confidence of air travelers.

With fliers clamoring for refunds after missed planes last week and nearly every airline still operating at below full strength, talk of layoffs and other measures has surfaced. Even if the government lends a hand financially, there is no guarantee that it will be enough.

This is a critical issue for all of us. I don't know the exact figures, but common sense will tell you that the vast majority of employees in airline and related jobs in Atlanta live on the south side of Atlanta near its airport. I've heard that more than 1,000 Delta pilots live in Fayette County alone. I don't know how accurate that is, but if you figure in all employees of all airlines, then look across the region at Coweta, Clayton and Henry counties, the potential economic impact is significant.

If a large number of these folks found themselves suddenly out of work, it would hit every business in this area retail, restaurants, medical offices, real estate, you name it. We must also consider that many of these folks, especially the pilots, were once military personnel and many are no doubt serving now as reservists. As the prospect of war looms, we cannot predict how many will be called and to where.

It all makes even the most pro-capitalistic fiscal conservative look at the possibility of a government bailout and think that it's not such a bad idea.

After all, can we even conceive of operating at wartime without the airlines at full strength?

In summary, there are a lot of important economic issues that could reach critical mass very soon, and I fear that we all on this side of Atlanta could find ourselves sacrificing if not physically, then perhaps a portion of our prosperity.

But there is no doubt that the cause is worthy.

[Monroe Roark can be reached at mroark@TheCitizenNews.com.]

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