The Irrational Response to Denied Boarding

In 2016, there were about 800 million people carried on airline flights in the US. 41,000 people were denied boarding on US Airlines. So you have a 0.005% of being denied boarding when you fly. And only one of those 41,000 people were injured. So you have a 0.000001% chance of being treated like the man on United 3411.

Yet listening to the news, you'd think that this a catastrophe of biblical proportions. Worse yet are the calls for government to DO SOMETHING. What are the odds that government will do something to actual improve a situation that affects almost nobody anyway? Reviewing the history of government regulation, what are the odds that government action will have negative effects?

The solution to all of this is (regardless of how egregious you think the problem is ) rather simple. And it involves no action on government's part.

Each time you check in for a flight, you will be asked by the carrier to declare how large a payment would be required to accept denied boarding. Feel free to name any number. $500?  $10 million? It's your choice. Anyone who is denied boarding and paid his bid price can hardly claim he has been abused. And if they have to drag you off the plane, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

Why do Americans (some of whom are intelligent enough to know better) routinely cry out for government to right every wrong? Especially those wrongs that are infinitesimal in consequence.
GET A GRIP AMERICA!