You can take advantage of an irresponsible Congress -- here's how

We all get frustrated by Congress' seeming inability to accomplish anything meaningful for the benefit of the country. But what if you could actually benefit from Congress' irresponsibility?

Dream no more, my friends. Because both the House and Senate left business unattended to vacate D.C. for the weekend, they failed to meet a self-imposed deadline Friday night to renew authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As a result, the federal agency governing air travel over the U.S. faces a partial shutdown until Congress decides to act.

What does this mean for you? Simply put, it means America's friendly skies are tax-free until further notice:

The shutdown will not affect airline safety, but it will stop airlines from collecting about $200 million per week in ticket taxes that would help to to fund FAA programs.

So while it's not exactly good news that our representatives in Washington are ignoring their responsibilities, at least there is somewhat of a silver lining: if you've been putting off that trip waiting for cheaper airfare, our irresponsible legislators may just be your ticket out of Dodge.

Not surprisingly, some airlines are already making the most out of the rare opportunity to skirt federal taxes.  Take for instance this Virgin Airlines website ad:

While it's nice to have temporary tax relief, unfortunately the FAA shutdown also means ongoing airport projects across the country are also shutdown, leaving us all with more long-term negative side effects:

In the short term, passengers might celebrate since they will be able to save money by not paying taxes, but this means that projects will be delayed and costs might end up being higher in the long run.

In other words, Congress... GET BACK TO WORK!