John Murtha Airport

Fifty-six miles from Pittsburg, the John Murtha Airport has received $150 million in taxpayer funds over the last 10 years. It now will receive another $800,000 from the federal stimulus package.

All this for three flights and twenty passengers a day.

Most planes that arrive have empty seats, despite being subsidized for $100 a seat.

With three flights, you might think this is an airport with a runway and not much else. However, it has extra runways, a restaurant and lounge – all empty most of the time. Then there is the air traffic controller with nothing to do but wait for one of the three flights.

Residents in nearby Johnstown defend the airport as necessary to bring business to the area.

That strikes me as a bit backwards. Usually expensive infrastructures like airports follow a need for them. In this case, Murtha Airport precedes its need.

This is one of the reasons Congressman John Murtha is known as the King of Pork. Murtha Airport is part of the $2 billion Murtha has directed to his district since 1992. This makes Murtha a poster child for John McCain’s campaign against earmarks.