Time & Perspective Quote by Dave Reichert

Reichert’s line is built to launder a policy stance through moral obligation: start with mortal risk, end with civic duty. By foregrounding “the men and women who make up a plane’s crew,” he doesn’t just evoke passengers’ anxieties; he spotlights workers as the sympathetic face of aviation. That’s a canny move in a political landscape where “safety” arguments can otherwise sound like bureaucratic fussiness or posturing. Put human bodies in the frame, and the abstract machinery of regulation becomes an ethics question.

The phrase “put their lives in jeopardy each time they fly” is deliberately absolute. It leans into the low-grade dread Americans carry about air travel, even though commercial flying is statistically safe. That’s the subtextual bargain: amplify perceived risk to justify stronger oversight, funding, or tougher enforcement without having to litigate technical details. It also subtly transfers responsibility upward. If crews are brave, then lawmakers who underinvest in safety are negligent.

“It’s our job as much as anyone’s” is the rhetorical pressure point. Reichert isn’t only praising frontline workers; he’s staking a claim for government legitimacy in a domain often framed as best left to industry or “common sense.” He wraps regulation in solidarity: we’re not meddling, we’re protecting the people who protect you.

Contextually, it reads like post-incident or post-9/11 governance language, when safety and security became political currencies. The intent isn’t just reassurance; it’s mandate-building, using empathy as the runway for authority.