Up Front With Martin B. Deutsch for 1981

December 1: A RATHER PECULIAR YEAR
A rather peculiar year is drawing to a close. And since most developments are of an evolving nature, there is the not unrealistic expectation that many things that look bleak in isolation will ultimately be viewed as a mixed blessing, if not downright beneficial. Like the air controllers’ walkout.

November 1: THE 'FREEDOM' TO TRAVEL ABROAD
The freedom to travel abroad is a cherished right for all Americans. But the Supreme Court recently blew a big one in this sensitive arena when it reversed two lower courts in deciding that the secretary of state, acting on behalf of the president, could revoke a passport when a U.S. citizen acts or speaks out against his country’s best interests.

October 1: ONE HELLUVA GROUP
You frequent flying guys and gals are one helluva group. We know that we are consumers of scope and discretion: corporate executives and professionals, leaders in the academic world and the government--the people who make their presence felt in business and personal matters. And all are uniformly identifiable by the frequency of our travel.

September 1: THE GAME
A month into the baseball strike, I’m not absolutely sure why I feel no pain. I’ve yet to undergo a total analysis, but I do have some clues. Maybe I just don't care anymore.

August 1: TAXATION WITHOUT REASON
One of the most unreasonable and punitive laws to come out of Congress in the mid-1970s was the one that restricted U.S. citizens from attending more than two conventions a year at foreign sites under traditional tax write-off rules for legitimate business travel.

June 1: RISE AND FALL
The “rise and fall” theory has always held an undeniable fascination for me. Are travel destinations doomed to the same cyclical forces that govern greater entities? On reflection, my guess would have to be in the affirmative, although I think it’s probably easier for a destination to make a comeback than it would be for an empire.

May 1: THE FREQUENT FLYING GENDER GAP
For better or for worse, more than 92 percent of our audience is male. A small but vocal percentage of women readers/subscribers argue that we are not paying enough editorial attention to their gender. They suspect erroneously that we somehow control or shape or influence the demographic makeup of our audience, or that we are deliberately slighting female interests in our articles and columns.

April 1: NEWS JUNKIE
I’m a news junkie and my consuming weakness is the radio, particularly the around-the-clock, all-news stations. Now we are blanketed with all-news radio in the U.S. and Canada. And ironic though it may be, that disembodied voice can seem like a frequent flyer’s best friend.

March 1: MANILA GOES BOOM
A terrorist group known as the April 6th Movement set off bombs at three of the major Manila hotels destined to house delegates to the upcoming convention of the American Society of Travel Agents. The convention was cancelled, but the ASTA agents didn't leave Manila.

February 1: GALBRAITH ON DEREGULATION
From the Olympian heights of Harvard, we have word on deregulation from a most respected and articulate arbiter of the economic scene, John Kenneth Galbraith. He argues that the U.S. government is being “romantic” in believing that the removal of regulatory restraints on airlines will lead to ideal prices and ideal usage of resources. “The market is not a satisfactory test of the public interest in these matters," he claims.

January 1: NEW YEAR, OLD QUESTIONS
There’s always the possibility that maybe the soon-to-be inaugurated new president, Ronald Reagan, will have some appreciation of the pressures and plight facing business travelers. We could certainly use a sympathetic chief executive in the White House.

Copyright © 1980-2007 by Martin B. Deutsch. All rights reserved.