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30 Years Ago: The Day the Middle Class Died
From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, "When did this all begin, America's downward slide?" They say they've heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent's income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how "lowly" your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.
Young people have heard of this mythical time -- but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, "When did this all end?", I say, "It ended on this day: August 5th, 1981."
Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to "go for it" -- to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.
And they've succeeded.
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.
It was a bold and brash move. No one had ever tried it. What made it even bolder was that PATCO was one of only two unions that had endorsed Reagan for president! It sent a shock wave through workers across the country. If he would do this to the people who were with him, what would he do to us?
Reagan had been backed by Wall Street in his run for the White House and they, along with right-wing Christians, wanted to restructure America and turn back the tide that President Franklin D. Roosevelt started -- a tide that was intended to make life better for the average working person. The rich hated paying better wages and providing benefits. They hated paying taxes even more. And they despised unions. The right-wing Christians hated anything that sounded like socialism or holding out a helping hand to minorities or women.
Reagan promised to end all that. So when the air traffic controllers went on strike, he seized the moment. In getting rid of every single last one of them and outlawing their union, he sent a clear and strong message: The days of everyone having a comfortable middle class life were over. America, from now on, would be run this way:
* The super-rich will make more, much much more, and the rest of you will scramble for the crumbs that are left.
* Everyone must work! Mom, Dad, the teenagers in the house! Dad, you work a second job! Kids, here's your latch-key! Your parents might be home in time to put you to bed.
* 50 million of you must go without health insurance! And health insurance companies: you go ahead and decide who you want to help -- or not.
* Unions are evil! You will not belong to a union! You do not need an advocate! Shut up and get back to work! No, you can't leave now, we're not done. Your kids can make their own dinner.
* You want to go to college? No problem -- just sign here and be in hock to a bank for the next 20 years!
* What's "a raise"? Get back to work and shut up!
And so it went. But Reagan could not have pulled this off by himself in 1981. He had some big help:
The AFL-CIO.
The biggest organization of unions in America told its members to cross the picket lines of the air traffic controllers and go to work. And that's just what these union members did. Union pilots, flight attendants, delivery truck drivers, baggage handlers -- they all crossed the line and helped to break the strike. And union members of all stripes crossed the picket lines and continued to fly.
Reagan and Wall Street could not believe their eyes! Hundreds of thousands of working people and union members endorsing the firing of fellow union members. It was Christmas in August for Corporate America.
And that was the beginning of the end. Reagan and the Republicans knew they could get away with anything -- and they did. They slashed taxes on the rich. They made it harder for you to start a union at your workplace. They eliminated safety regulations on the job. They ignored the monopoly laws and allowed thousands of companies to merge or be bought out and closed down. Corporations froze wages and threatened to move overseas if the workers didn't accept lower pay and less benefits. And when the workers agreed to work for less, they moved the jobs overseas anyway.
And at every step along the way, the majority of Americans went along with this. There was little opposition or fight-back. The "masses" did not rise up and protect their jobs, their homes, their schools (which used to be the best in the world). They just accepted their fate and took the beating.
I have often wondered what would have happened had we all just stopped flying, period, back in 1981. What if all the unions had said to Reagan, "Give those controllers their jobs back or we're shutting the country down!"? You know what would have happened. The corporate elite and their boy Reagan would have buckled.
But we didn't do it. And so, bit by bit, piece by piece, in the ensuing 30 years, those in power have destroyed the middle class of our country and, in turn, have wrecked the future for our young people. Wages have remained stagnant for 30 years. Take a look at the statistics and you can see that every decline we're now suffering with had it's beginning in 1981 (here's a little scene to illustrate that from my last movie).
It all began on this day, 30 years ago. One of the darkest days in American history. And we let it happen to us. Yes, they had the money, and the media and the cops. But we had 200 million of us. Ever wonder what it would look like if 200 million got truly upset and wanted their country, their life, their job, their weekend, their time with their kids back?
Have we all just given up? What are we waiting for? Forget about the 20% who support the Tea Party -- we are the other 80%! This decline will only end when we demand it. And not through an online petition or a tweet. We are going to have to turn the TV and the computer and the video games off and get out in the streets (like they've done in Wisconsin). Some of you need to run for local office next year. We need to demand that the Democrats either get a spine and stop taking corporate money -- or step aside.
When is enough, enough? The middle class dream will not just magically reappear. Wall Street's plan is clear: America is to be a nation of Haves and Have Nothings. Is that OK for you?
Why not use today to pause and think about the little steps you can take to turn this around in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your school? Is there any better day to start than today?
P.S. Here are a few places you can connect with to get the ball rolling:
Main Street Contract for America
Showdown in America
Democracy Convention
Occupy Wall Street
October 2011
How to Join a Union by the AFL-CIO (they've learned their lesson and have a good president now) or UE
Change to Win
MoveOn
High School Newspaper (Just because you're under 18 doesn't mean you can't do anything!)
Comments
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176 Comments so far
Show AllIn typical Moore obfuscation, not a single word that Obama gave the Republican 98% of what they wanted in the Debt Bill negotiations, including Bohner asserting the same. In this explication Moore tells us the middle class is the victim of the Republican Party while ignoring the Democrats who keep pounding nails in the coffin. Moore is nothing but a mouth piece for the Obama Admin via his own culpability and silence. Moore is becoming a bad joke when he also list MoveOn as a source of transformational change. MoveOn was out front on endless war under Bush, but now keeps its mouth shut on Obama's endless wars, drone strikes on non combatants, torture, et al. And Moore ought to retire and purchase a few Dunkin Doughnut Shops with his millions and stop pretending he is some kind of progressive. .
Yes, the Obama administration is following in Reagan's footsteps, but this article is NOT about what is going on today for godssake. Moore is trying to provide the underpinnings to this disaster which we now have. Many, many in our younger generations do not know about the PATCO demise simply because it very likely has not been taught in our school systems. Get off your high horse and DO something. Get your butt to Washington DC in October. If you live in the East, get to Wall Street. People are organizing so there is plenty to do. Be part of the solution not a roadblock of cynicism. We all must do something. There are tens of millions of us and very few of them. Let's work together for a better world for all.
Spoken like a Moore 'true believer.' What exactly is MOORE'S solution? Your ilk lives in a damn vacuum. Moore is part of the frigging problem because he votes Democratic, advocates for Obama (refer to his Nader Plea while on his knees), and ignores the vile Obama capitulation that has DESTROYED the social saftey net. (Not even Bush was so bold!) What exactly don't you understand about any of this?
With regards to "getting off my butt" Ive worked in the non profit realm pretty much my entire life for sub standard wages while Moore was participating in the oligarchy becoming a multi millionaire. Your tripe reeks of hero worship and ignorant non sense. And your galactic stupidity has contributed to the demise of the very norms you claim to advocate for.
Also given your sign on name identifying yourself for PEACE is hilariously ironic given Obama has killed at least as many non combatants as Bush in numerous escalations of war as asserted by Amnesty International. Wake up for Christ sake!
Obamabots need to note Moore's reminding us that PATCO was one of only two labor unions that endorsed Raygun's 1980 Presidential campaign.
Just as Raygun serially turned on the people who supported HIM, those of us not afflicted with denial syndrome have witnessed Obama serially turning on an even greater percentage of the people who voted for him, than Raygun ever did.
Since Obama publicly compares himself to Raygun more than any other of his 43 predecessors, this article is very relevant to today's conditions.
Ray noted: "Since Obama publicly compares himself to Raygun more than any other of his 43 predecessors, this article is very relevant to today's conditions."
Nicely stated. Yes, the obamabots are out in force these days. What else can they do given how deep their personal disempowerment runs.
Spoken like a true turoll.
Thanks for the typical dem apologetic: the DNC says jump, and the obamabots ask, "How High?"
But if a corporation is in the room, it takes a few seconds to get off their knees.
Since you represent corporate hegemony via your status quo apologetic, no one would know better than you. Disempowerment does not have to be a way of life, son.
Is that turoll, with a dixie lilt?
Oh those evil trolls. Finally I realize what's wrong with America.
It's trolls.
Damn little buggers, messin about in the garden all night long.
In recent decades, "troll" was mostly used in gay slang and fairy tales. The term's migration to the political blogosphere was unfortunate.
Where do you see that I have said that I support Obama? I do NOT support him. I was merely pointing out that the article had nothing to do with him but with the history of the demise of unions. Do you blame everything wrong on Obama? I believe that both arms of the plutocratic party are to blame, right along with the whole capitalist system. I worship NO person or deity. You know nothing about me. I am wide awake and doing all within my power to wake up my little redneck community to reality. Working for a non-profit does not make you a saint so please knock off your holier than thou attitude.
"Where do you see that I have said that I support Obama?"
You don't read too well do you?
Moore supports Obama and his Dem cronies. As a consequence, we are witnessing the greatest assualt on marginal populations thanks to the fact, either for psychological reasons, that Obama capitulates on every issue -- and Republican House Speaker Bohner recently noted, "We got 98% of what we wanted' in the debt bill. Whatever mode of analysis one wants to use (psychological or other), no one can name a single progressive piece of legislation since OBama became president. In fact, we have witnessed an assault on traditional Democratic principles and New Deal gains unlike any previously seen in our history.
"I worship NO person or deity."
Where did I say you did? Unless you are MM using a sock puppet, because I did assert that MM "worshops a political meme that tells us the Dem party can be made to more left."
"Working for a non-profit does not make you a saint so please knock off your holier than thou attitude."
How Convenient: in your first attack, you accuse me of doing nothing and then follow it with, “you know nothing about me.” Apparently, you know everything about everyone else, however, including your hero MM, but then use a disclaimer prohibiting the same standards from being applied to your interminable nonsense. How typical for you apologists to preface your comments as opposing Obama and the Dem sellout while at the same time defending Moore who advances their reelection bids.
If anyone here is “holier than thou” it is you and Moore.
Actually I have a very high reading comprehension. I think, however, that you have your talking points and will continue to expound them in a circular fashion and never bother to read what others have to say and actually respond to their comments. Hope you have a lovely evening conversing with yourself and all those who agree to nod their heads at all you say.
Poor dear, Peggy, I guess I hit another one of your nerves! Actually, we both know that it is you who know so much about "talking" points. As a Dem apologist, that is your job to sit in your little cubical and disseminate tripe in a linear fashion and write obfuscations so others will continue to vote for the two-party dysfunction; I would sincerely like to know what it feels like to have SOLD your SOUL to your DNC handlers?
Really, Peggy, I am here to remind you and MM that niether of you have to live disempowered lives forever. Do you honestly need the DNC to hold your hand for you, dear? All it takes is getting up off your duff, dust the dirt you have been wallowing in, and start TO THINK FOR YOURSELF FOR ONCE!
Hope you have a wonderful day too, Peggy aka, MM.
You are one sick individual who seems to be in love with himself. I am an apologist for no one. I've been thinking for myself for over 60 years. When are you going to start?
Where is the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY?
Who among our representatives is thinking about the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY?
What are your city and your local businesses doing to put in place the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY?
Let promote businesses that are demonstrating the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY!!!!!!!!!!!
IT MEANS GREAT JOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where is the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY?
Who among our representatives is thinking about the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY?
What are your city and your local businesses doing to put in place the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY?
Let promote businesses that are demonstrating the RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY!!!!!!!!!!!
IT MEANS GREAT JOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh shut up. Look at the title of the article. It is customary, in an opinion piece to stick to the theme stated in the title. Want to write an essay on how Obama caved to the Republicans? That's a different title, viz. "How Obama Gave the Republicans 98% of What They Wanted". Hey, why don't you write that one - you seem to have so much to say.
No, I don't think I will!
Moore should be asking for Obama's impeachment but still carries water for this dud of a president who invokes Ronald Reagan's name every chance he gets.
Doesn't it bother Moore or anyone who still has a mind left that Obama's admiration for this Union buster is wierd for anyone pretending to be a Democrat?
So Obama's great admiration for Reagan the president who enouraged scabs to pass the picket lines isn't a bit strange, or has Moore decided to kiss The One's ring no matter what?
MoveOn? Should move out. Now a water carrier for Obama and totally irrelevant.
Moore has lotsa money now, but his support of Obama at this stage of the game is obscene and lacks credibility. He's become a farcial character.
ekobe, I see you are still letting the unlikeliness of reaching perfection keep you from doing anything but complaining.
What is really bothering you Vern? If MM supports the destruction of the social safety net via his support of Democrats, in your view that is acceptable because Poor MM is just a human being ( and even if those efforts contribute to the Orwellian downslide of the poor); but since his heart is in the right place, that is fine, everything is as it ought to be.
We ought not name it, much less critique it in your view? So that also begs the question: do you hold the same standards for Chris Hedges, or Glenn Greenwald, or Amy, et al, of the authentic progressives? Are they complainers too?
By all means, if you believe that the Democratic Party can be made to move left, then you are a free being who is entitled to the that belief; and even if others find it a disempowering value of endorsing various political meme's. You can characterize me as striving for "perfection" but some people refer to it 'realism.'
In mythic terms, the 'fairy tale' is really about the hero waking up to greater knowledge that he or she is not really a 'prince' or 'princess' but learns to accept reality for what it is.
I support the Green Party and work to build it. That does not then mean that the Green's are a panacea. If the future propels the Green's into power and power corrupts them like it has the Dems, then it will be time to start again. THat is what authenticity is all about. You are, of course, free to call it whatever you want to.
I"ve heard him criticize Obama on the Bill Maher show.
What! No link to the WSWS?
And Michael, there are only two classes. The capitalists and the rest of us. It's been like that for centuries.
Yep ,virtually the entire world over.
Mike Moore still talks like a working class guy- but since his successful hits w Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9-11, etc- he's actually a multi-millionaire. One can image there are forces pushing him to 'Cross-over to the Dark-Side'...
That said, The article was important in that it reminded us that too often Union leader-ship [the AFL-CIO in the PATCO case ] since the 1970s & especially since the advent of Reaganomics - has 'cut deals w the devils' [Elites] in poly-tricks [especially the Dems - though Moore makes no mention of that here] & Big-Biz... AND ironically PATCO actually endorsed Reagan's candidacy ... Time & again Unions & the working-class back some poly-trickster [usually a Dim- IE: Clinton & NAFTA - now Obama w RTTT's assault on teachers' unions, etc] only get back-stabbed! This has led to a steady [& now an out-right] assault on organized labor = the working-class- which led to suppressed wages & roll-backs in benefits & worker safety, shipping jobs over-seas [GATT & NAFTA], while increasing productivity [IE: working those w jobs harder - using the threat of un-employment to keep them in-line].
And just how did a B-RATED Actor - act his way into Cali's Gov'r's seat then into White House?! Now its been confirmed that Ronnie had Alzhiemers for probably his whole 2nd term- & he likely started deteriorating mentally shortly after getting shot [his convicted shooter's family's connection to his VP Bush's family is a whole other topic]. YET now many people [especially those too young to remember Reaganomics] think that the so-called 'Great Communicator' [actor] was a GREAT Pres - especially w Pres Obama hyping him-up!
Reagan 's political rise began with betraying Red actors in the fifties and giving a wholesome, manly look to the corporate POV in the sixties.
By 1980, much of the US public was eager to forget Vietnam and despised Carter for his "weakness" in the hostage crisis, the economy and Amnesty for draft dodgers.
Carter was guilty on the economic front, as his monetary policies and de-regulation were the beginnings of a resurgent Corporatism that was riding on the backs of both parties. Of course, Reagan took militarization and corporatization to a whole new level of greed and corruption, along with his neo-con buddies at The Committee on the Present Danger.
link to WSWS
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/aug2011/pat1-a03.shtml
To understand the background to this strike one should read the three part
series recently posted by the WSWS
I agree -- the link you provide to the World Socialist Web Site is an important series. It's crucial to know that Jimmy Carter -- the Democrat -- played a roll in dismantling the strikes and unions. Therefore, the ploys to bust the unions were bipartisan, and the date supplied by Michael Moore needs to be moved further back in history.
Taft-Hartley, passed in 1947, needs to be repealed!
In 1985, when Eduardo Galeano visited Chicago, the first thing he wanted to do was to visit the Haymarket district in order to pay tribute to the striking workers on that fateful day, May 4, 1886, and he stated, "May 1st is the only truly universal day of all humanity, the only day when all histories and all languages and religions and cultures of the world collide. But in the United States, May 1st is a day like any other. On that day, people work normally and no one, or almost no one, remembers that the rights of the working class did not spring whole from the ear of a goat, or from the hand of God or the boss."
The men, who are still known as the Haymarket martyrs, the men who were hanged in Chicago on November 11, 1887 -- August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer and George Engel (Louis Lingg, the 5th man, committed suicide on November 10,1887) -- are known around the world as heroes, but most people I speak with know very little, and more often than not, nothing, about labor history in this country.
Thank you Kay, this provides info to the real history. The 1880s through to the Great Depression seem to be pivotal, not least of all because President McKinley set in place today's small c US constitution of IMPERIALISM which created a superpower, global imbalance and today's mega capiatist rulers. McKinley took Panama and the Kingdom of Hawai'i.
Earlier, in the 1880s with a gun to his head, King Kalakaua of Hawai'i had been force to sign what is known as the Bayonet Constitution by white sugar plantation owners/businessmen/missionary sons wanting Hawai'i to be annexed by the USA. Hawai'i was an extreamly advanced multicultural and humane society, and a nutural nation of peace, friendship and Aloha -perhaps a model of socialism for which the businessmen (rebel coupe leaders) hated.
Since the US invasion of 1893 and occupation locals are either homeless or struggle with many jobs to attempt the minimal means of survival. This is a military occupation and represents a cornerstone in US departure from regard for international law.
In order to twist the mind of the population the fake State of Hawaii uses May Day here to hide the real meaning of things, rewrite history and to propogate the overthrown culture of Aloha back at Hawaiians to disarm them in forcing a "happy in the garden" guise, but where SUPPRESSION and RACE HATE is the actual truth.
The state renamed May Day to read Lei Day.
Worse, in this now Banana Republic, K>12 students have lush outdoor flower and royal shows on school campus to "celebrate" Lei Day, May 1st annually. So geneneration after generation have no idea that protest, complaint, even revolution are the means of responsiblity at times - and this is proven throughout the history of worker and public movements worldwide for which May Day is founded. And this is the important message so blantanly and coldly usurped in Hawai'i Nei today.
The 4 Part [so far] WSWS series on the PATCO strike & how t PATCO was sold out by the Dems but ESPECIALLY AFL-CIA, UAW, & other so-called Union leaderships- is an excellent analysis. It speaks volumes to the current predicament that the working class / working poor is now trapped in.
PS: Michael Moore didn't clarify this -BUT- The WSWS series said that the reason PATCO endorsed Reagan is because the Carter Admin was planning a showdown w PATCO, but Reagan promised to give PATCO a fair shake [IE: HE LIED]. Apparently Reagan basically used Carter's plan against PATCO [I think they call it COG Continuity of Gov't]! But if you're trapped in the 2 party [Dims vs Repugs] poly-trickal paradigm [like Moore apparently is], you might tend to gloss over those kinds of important details.
I used to have a pad of sticky notes that said "I survived the Regan Administration" across the top. Looks like that was wishful thinking. Good luck convincing the crowd that still think he's practically a saint.
Fear of inflation was the hammer that he used to make sure the working class never got a substantial raise again. Inflation of stock prices is cheered, inflation of home prices is desired, inflation of profits is rejoiced, inflation in necessities isn't in the formula, but inflation of wages? Can't have that.
It's a New (third)World Order. Or, maybe not so new at this point.
Raygun and Congress reformulated the way rates of inflation and unemployment are calculated to assure that both will continue to be understated, making it easier to fuel commodity bubbles, pay lower wages, pensions and other benefits.
Obama's upcoming "chained CPI" will further understate the rate of inflation making future bubbles more destructive for 95% of the population, fueling higher rates of inflation, and driving wages and benefits down further
"There You Go Again"-- Ronald Satan
Greenspan called that Structural Insecurity - and it was a stated goal. Greenspan should be hauled into Court and have All his Assets seized.
His assets, like those of his cohorts in wallstreet and cityoflondon, are phony, worthless pieces of paper. These should be burned in a bonfire this october, on the anniversary of the great crash of 1987 (product of reaganomics). BTW, the crash of '87, and the coming total collapse of 2011, are "bookends" of the same, continuous Crime Against Humanity, committed by the same gang of criminals, whether in or out of office. Just one, slow, 24-year collapse. Leeches, all of them.
Yes, it started with Reagan but our death blow came when Bush-The-Usurper attacked Iraq.
Correct, the day he stole the election is the point at which I mark the beginning of our current woes. Who knows what Gore would have done but not attacking Iraq and not cutting taxes for the rich would have put us on a much different course.
Thanks James Baker and all of Herbert Wankerbush's appointed friends on the Supreme Court.
Almost true....it started when Darth the Disgusting attacked NYC.
I blame Nixon for starting it with his repetilian advisor Kissenger opening up China and taking the US off the Gold standard. Nothing but Outsourcing and Inflation since.
I agree. Raygun was a B cowboy actor, at best, and was just a mouthpiece for "trickle down" economics. Unions had already been targeted by Nixon, whose back room deals with crony Edgar Kaiser sold the public on HMO's as a cheaper, alternative health care program (compared with the 'union-type' benefits that most workers were already receiving). So Nixon gets the blame for gutting health care and, as mtdon points out, selling capitalism to China. Union leaders were already owned and outsourcing was in high gear by 1980 when Raygun took office.
I agree with MM that much of the acceleration of Corporatization and gutting of the middle class occured during Raygun's time. And let's not forget his ramping up of the CIA and their assasination of John Lennon.
It is deceptive to equate the actions of our Corporate gubmint with any one person (Raygun, The Tom) or even Repubs or Dems. The system is relentless in its pursuit of More Money Now. The system is broken.
Michael Moore is probably paid billions by Karl Rove and the Koch bros. to eat as many doughnuts as possible, to trumpet MoveOn, and to imply that corruption/greed are isolated to republicans.
The decline of labor unions here in the United States actually began back in the late 1960's, when President Richard M. Nixon took power, and continued under Carter, began to snowball under Reagan, got worse under the Bushes and Clinton, and is continuing today, under the Obama Administration. I have always liked Michael Moore, but I really do think that he seems oblivious to the fact that the decline of labor unions began under Nixon, and the fact that Obama has continued, ante-ed up and expanded an awful lot of the GOP policies.
independentminded,
Actually Morticia's correct. The late 1940's is when labor unions started their decline. Taft-Hartley and the wave of Right to Work laws which swept through the states of the old Confederacy all happened in the late 1940's.
Union membership peaked in 1955 and has been on a steady decline ever since. The only thing that has masked the true extent of labor union decline is that in the 1950's Anda 1960's they began organizing government workers who were generally non union. Later they began organizing the very low wage jobs - think SEIU's constituency. Both of these measures while worthwhile has masked the dramatic decline of the traditional union jobs. Not just the auto or steel worker type that people think of. The retail clerks which Michael Moore points out used to have a strong union that covered everyone including grocery baggers. Now most retail is union free and they've got us not only bagging our own purchases but checking ourselves out with these self service registers which are only there to eliminate employees.
As M.M. points out in many respects we've done this to ourselves. There's no solidarity among union workers and hasn't been for decades with the general public even worse. We expect businesses to cut costs wherever they can but the general pubic is just as bad. Chasing ever cheaper prices has decimated most of our smaller businesses and has resulted in much of this outsourcing of jobs … not to mention the lowering of wages and benefits.
Hardly started with Reagan, Shamericans have been more and more on their knees since the Whisky Rebellion! aside from a flareup of community sprit we now call the Civil War,, Shamericans have been drugg about by the nose on an almost continuous basis, We followed the MSN from the halls of montizuma to the halls of Tripoli and back, murdering billions of young people, so a few monied families can get richer.
Todays Shamericans are followers bred from followers, and the sheeple don't know why the wolf keeps picking us off one by one!
I stated it the other night and I repeat "We deserve the government we have! as we do nothing to change, ourselves or our neighbors!"
I love CD, but dammit we can't spend all our time preaching to the chior! gotta get out there and make all this retoric REAL! >^^<
And thus deregulation and privatization was born!
"Of all heavy maintenance checks outsourced by U.S. airlines, 21 percent took place at foreign repair stations in 2003, according to a 2008 Inspector General’s report. That number increased to 27 percent in 2007. Heavy maintenance includes taking apart an aircraft for safety checks and putting it back together—a process that can take several weeks.
All heavy maintenance outsourced by U.S. airlines, both domestically and abroad, has more than doubled, from 34 percent in 2003 to 71 percent in 2007, according to the same report.
Those numbers could be even higher because the FAA only requires airlines to divulge the top 10 stations they use most often for major repairs, according to the report."
http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=21806
"But that and other recent malfunctions affecting US Airways planes, which NPR is reporting for the first time, raise questions about a controversial and growing practice at most U.S. airlines: The industry is sending 1 of every 5 planes to developing countries, from Central America to Asia, when the planes need to be overhauled and repaired.
US Airways is one of many airlines that have farmed out some maintenance to repair shops in developing countries.
In the weeks before the door seal started to fail, US Airways had sent that Boeing 737 to be overhauled at Aeroman, a repair company in El Salvador. And mechanics installed a key part on the door — a "snubber" — backward. "
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113877784
And we're looking at cutting the FAA even more.
http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=8e629cf2-eb88-4057-a7b7-7622a0efb494
Reasonable people would think that since 2001 airline safety would be a priority, but not true. Profit trumps safety every time.
It would be fair if Moore did a movie on Barackian O'Ronnieian and expose BHO's admiration for Raygun, bailouts, taxcuts, Robert Gates, wars, lies, fake healthcare, and the whole nine yards. But that will never happen. Oh no, Barackian is Moore's hero starting with his "We Did It" headline on his site after BHO's election. We did it, my ass. Even I could see this Son of a Rev. Wright was a con artist.
Did you ever hear the whole speech of Jeremiah Wright? It was very wise, very uplifiting, and right on the money, so contrary to what Obama is doing. No wonder the first thing Obama did was to set Wright out on an ice floe. We would have had a better president in Wright.
Thanks red. I liked his speech and agreed with it. Too bad the media only took the part they didn't like and didn't report the whole thing.
I had a neighbor with yard signs before the 08 election that criticized Wright and Obama. The sign read: "Reverend Wright? Reverend WRONG." It had caricature faces of Wright and Obama.
This sign was placed next to a sign that said Obama was a socialist.
There is a lot of ignorance among voting citizens in this country and a lot of consciousness raising that needs to take place.