A few years ago they took over all US Flight Service stations, a function normally performed by FAA staff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_service_station#Flight_services_in_the_United_States second paragraph.

Consequently the staff at such stations are suddenly of much lower value to the pilot community, as the central call center staff completely lack the localized knowledge the FSS staff was invaluable for.

Also, well paid FAA employment positions were replaced with minimum wage call center jobs, with no unions, seniority list or job security. Cost saving to the public: none (LHM took over both the budget and the responsibility). They are simply pocketing the good salaries FAA staff used to make.

So, my first post in /r/conspiracy, is hereby submitted. Stories of pilots and controllers falling asleep has always been published (NASA reports, NTSB, spoken of internally in the aviation community) and given absolutely no attention. The rate of occurrence is not unusual lately, and no fatalities are even involved. A clear theory of motive is hereby made: Lockheed Martin can turn public air traffic controller jobs into private low-wage employment-at-will positions, continue the current government budget, pocket the difference as profit and carry on with existing infrastructure already built.

The salaries of air traffic controllers are (or used to be) arguably quite nice - and I believe private corporations are gunning for any cash flow they can cut into. Boeing/Jeppesen and Northrop Grumman is likely in competition to contract out all air traffic services too - they just have to shit face the existing FAA leadership.

Technology is also in the pipeline to largely automate/centralize even local air traffic control services. With ADS-B becoming mandatory in the next decade, reliability and accuracy will be "100%", and will allow for example to phase out verbal communication between pilot/controller, and replace it with digitally transmitted text instructions or direct flight path commands to the autopilot. If a private company can keep the current budget based on a large staff, and then phase out and reduce human staffing altogether, they are in for a windfall profit (at least for several years before audits and inspectors begin to discover the possibility for budget reductions).