Can you hear the world's smallest violin playing?

Everybody believes in the Adam Smith's "Invisible Hand of the Market" until it comes around to bitch slap them. Now it seems the airline industry is square in the sites of that hand. Having slapped them upside the head at 9-11, the invisible hand of fuel prices has them on the ground and is continuing to slap the crap out of them.

Oh yes, that paramount triumph of will of Reaganomics is on the ropes. All that "free competition will drive down prices" is now driving them out of business. Oh sure, companies come and go; Pan Am anyone? And they can change business functions to say, cut out the travel agents so that the industry can keep more of the profits for their own scheduling services. And then they can eliminate everything from leg space (big one with me), to dinners, to even switching from peanuts to pretzels, to three pretzels, to "you don't really need anything anyway," to "why do you need luggage," and "oh, if you bring luggage, you'll need to tip the handlers because were not going to pay them." But, see, now they're all feeling the pinch, which is why they're attempting to commit "Death by Over Feeing."

And you know who is to blame? Why, you are. Yes you. I'm looking right at you. You, the consumer who wants actual service, expected those "savings through competition," needed on-time flights, demanded to be treated like a physical human, and worse yet, played the pricing game exactly the way they wanted you to. Yes, you're forcing the airlines to fly full planes that they loose money on. You bad consumer you. (Really, read to the bottom of that first article from NPR, it's all your fault.) So the airline industry doesn't want to charge you fees for wanting a seat and seat belt when you fly, no, they're really nice people who love their wives and children and play with their dogs.

Maybe it isn't so much of a invisible hand as a steel-toed boot.

Can you tell I have no sympathy? This is a "You made your bed, now lie in it," moment. And yes, I believe that is Tchaikovsky's Serenade Melancolique.