DENVER ― Vice President Mike Penceonce said the Trump administration is “the best friend that small business in America will ever have.”Last week, Pence cost one such small business in Aspen upward of $10,000 in lost earnings, after his presence triggered flight restrictions and prevented a hot air balloon company from making any flights while he was in town. Snowmass-based Above It All Balloon Co. had to cancel all of its planned flights during Pence’s six-day visit, which fell on days that are usually very busy for the company. “It’s been very disappointing,” co-owner Pam Wood told The Aspen Times. “This is our busiest week of the winter.”The declaration of “national defense airspace” prevented anyone from flying within 3 miles of the estate where the Pences stayed on the outskirts of town. Those who violate the Federal Aviation Administration order and fly anyway can be hit with civil penalties, criminal charges and ― if they’re deemed to be an imminent security threat to the vice president ― the “use of deadly force.”

Source: Huffington Post January 02, 2018 22:30 UTC