Jane Harman (D-36-CA) doesn't want the FAA to tighten its rules, which are designed to help soundproof areas near airports. The current rules for the federal Airport Improvement Program allows the local governments to dole out the taxpayer dollars more-or-less as they see fit -- and the FAA thinks that, perhaps, local politics, rather than science, might be creeping into those redecorating decisions.

The soundproofing is to allegedly combat distracting noises that aircraft make; but some of the decisions -- to soundproof schools because the nighttime noise levels are "too high," for instance -- are getting a closer look, by those in DC who are trying to keep the monies from being diverted to political cronies, from those who are better-entitled to them.

Harman is leading a charge against such scrutiny, writing, "...millions of Americans who live, go to school in and worship in the flight paths of our major airports would be left out of receiving any sort of soundproofing assistance with federal funding." She doesn't want the feds to control the federal taxpayers' funds: "We firmly believe this provision must be removed because of the dangerous precedent it would set," her letter states.

The total dollar amounts being discussed, weren't discussed... It's a matter of principle, of course.

FMI: www.faa.gov; www.house.gov/harman