President Obama looks for answers

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Click here to Read: President Obama says, Come fly with US.

FAA low priorities get $3.5B in grants

$13 Million went to a Lancaster NY Air Strip thanks to the efforts of local Government.
The money comes from a program that is supposed to improve aviation safety. Priority goes to projects such as runways, taxiways and beacons.
But the program also has funded terminals at little-used airports, hangars to store private jets, and parking areas that are free to customers, according to the analysis of FAA records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

PRICEY MAKEOVER:72-passenger-a-day airport gets $7.5M for terminal
A closer look at some low-traffic airports

UNCLE SAM: Built using $11 million in federal money, the airport is used only by private airplanes.
Feds keep little-used airfields in business

EARMARKS: Small airports land big money


Nearly half of the $55.6 billion that has gone to airports in the 28-year-old Airport Improvement Program has gone to airports used exclusively or mostly by private planes. That includes $1.5 billion since 2001 for specific projects, known as earmarks, requested by members of Congress. Most of the earmarks -- $1.1 billion -- went to small airports. The earmarks map shows projects for which lawmakers sought funds between 2001 and 2009, and the projects included in the 2010 spending bill, which is pending. The grants map shows how much money went to each airport over 28 years. Click here to view Map

Search for answers, tighter security after attack :
By LARRY MARGASAK and COREY WILLIAMS

"Abdulmutallab appeared on the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment database maintained by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, said a U.S. official who received a briefing and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. Containing some 550,000 names, the database includes people with known or suspected ties to a terrorist organization. However, it is not a list that would prohibit a person from boarding a U.S.-bound airplane."

"Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., chairman of a House Homeland Security subcommittee, said there were "strong suggestions of a Yemen-al Qaida connection and an intent to blow up the plane over U.S. airspace." Several officials said they have yet to see independent confirmation."

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Maybe if the money went where it was supposed to???????

"Politicians are great at grand standing to create new slush funds.