And the good news continues to roll for this profession

[Big Beer Belly]

That would allow a country like Turkey or Czechoslovakia to take in pilots from wherever they want, pay them dirt wages and fly anywhere.

Sounds an awful lot like what's going on in the US airline industry today, doesn't it?

BBB

 

[Huck]

"We want to open the gates for vigorous competition," said John Byerly, deputy assistant secretary of state for transportation affairs, in a conference call with reporters.

I'll say this, they didn't hide the ball on this one. Mineta was predicting this very agreement well before the election.

Next time ol' W goes to war he can ship the boys on Malev, or Easy, or Kenyan Airways for that matter. The CRAF wasn't all that important, really, was it?

 

[ChrisNNJ27]

I didn't say he was doing a bang-up job. What I did say is that I don't think the alternative was any better.

Well it certainly could not get a whole worse, but then again there really isn't a whole lot of difference between demagogues and repuglicans.. When are you people going to wake up and smell the the Walmartization of society?? Oh by the way, dems and repugs alike have their campain coiffers filled by oil companies, Walmart, etc..

For those of you who love BUSH Boy here's a link for you:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_go_co/congress_taxes_36

It's really great to give the Oil Companies a Tax break while they a making a record windfall on the backs of consumers...

Good Ol'Boy Stroking at it's finest...

 

[ChrisNNJ27]

I didn't say he was doing a bang-up job. What I did say is that I don't think the alternative was any better.

Well it certainly could not get a whole worse, but then again there really isn't a whole lot of difference between demagogues and repuglicans.. When are you people going to wake up and smell the the Walmartization of society?? Oh by the way, dems and repugs alike have their campain coiffers filled by oil companies, Walmart, etc..

For those of you who love BUSH Boy here's a link for you:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_go_co/congress_taxes_36

It's really great to give the Oil Companies a Tax break while they a making a record windfall on the backs of consumers...

Good Ol'Boy Stroking at it's finest...

 

[I.P. Freley]

For those of you who love BUSH Boy here's a link for you:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_go_co/congress_taxes_36

It's really great to give the Oil Companies a Tax break while they a making a record windfall on the backs of consumers...

Good Ol'Boy Stroking at it's finest...

So let me ask you this... What do you think the Evil Oil Companies are going to do if they get hit with a tax increase? What do you think ANY company is going to do if they get a tax increase? Are they going to just eat it, or are they going to raise the price of their product to cover the shortfall? I don't know the specifics of the issue and the article doesn't go into enough detail, but really now, do you HONESTLY think this is a ploy for Bush to put money in his friends' pockets? Or is it possible that there's some other rationale behind it, one whose intent is somewhat more noble than "Good Ol' Boy Stroking"?

Hey, if you want to penalize a company or an industry for making profit, I dunno what to tell ya... Standard leftie behavior, make the successful pay more for being successful, and redistribute that money to people who REALLY deserve it (and we, the Democrats, know who REALLY deserves it). You can be angry all you want about the high price of gasoline (and I am not happy about it either), but blaming it on the company that sells it to you is wrongheaded. The price of oil is what the price of oil is, and it's not ExxonMobil's fault that the price of oil is through the roof. They're really not making any higher PERCENT profit on the oil than they were before, it's just that the oil costs so much more than it did before... And neither ConocoPhilips or any of the others set that higher price. Double the price of the raw product, charge the same percent of that at the pump, double the profit. Seems pretty simple.

Part of the recent increases in the cost of gasoline at the pump was due to the hurricane that was caused by Bush Boy's refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol (yep, he's responsible for that, too)... And the adverse effects of reduced refining capacity in the Gulf region. The Evil Oil Companies can't even increase refining capacity to help reduce problems in the supply chain, because every time they try to add capacity (either by building new refineries or upgrading/expanding existing ones), they are blocked at every turn. Now who do you think is keeping the Evil Oil Companies from building increased capacity? Is it persons and organizations affiliated with the Democrats or the Republicans? Hmmm? Surely the persons who so actively block the Evil Oil Companies from building new refineries can't be even partially responsible for the prices over the last couple of months? Nahhh....

Furthermore, what happens to all the money that companies make? Does it disappear into the cosmic ether and you get a group of guys (presumably Bush Buddies, using your logic) sitting around lighting their cigars with hundred dollar bills? Or do the stockholders make money off of it? And what do those stockholders do with that money? Do they take up smoking cigars, too, or do they end up spending that money on items and services offered by other Americans? Does the company reinvest profits in its' business, or do those Fat Cats behind closed doors, the ones with the sacks of money with "$" on the side, simply EAT the money?

This whole "the oil companies are making money off the common man and it's all Bush's fault because he's college buddies with the oil tycoons, not to mention Cheney making millions for his pals at Halliburton" routine is tired, misleading, simplistic and... wrong. I don't have to be a Bush supporter or Republican to see it, either. I just need to think and not allow the populist BS musings of you or anyone else to become confused with facts or reality.

And here, let me just get it out on the table before you come back with a very predictable "You Bush lovers are blind and he's the devil and blah blah blah" statement... I voted for Bush. I am not very happy with him right now, however. If I were polled, I would say that I don't approve of him right now. So take the inevitable "you are one of the 34% of this country who are lemmings" nonsense and keep it to yourself. I can disapprove of the job he's doing and still defend him when nonsensical ideas are put forth... Like how he's making himself and his friends rich on the backs of the common man, for instance. Or that he had the dikes in New Orleans dynamited to kill black people. Both of those assertions are equally valid.

And Chris, don't take any of this personally, it's just a rant at the general mindset, not you in particular. You just happened to set it off.

 

["GO AROUND"]

I woulda said that but my fingers get tired after typing more than a few sentences.

Thanks I.P.

 

[TSA145]

Other than raise taxes and promote the homosexual agenda.

I'm no friend of raising taxes but can you tell how the hell is the goverment (R or D) going to raise money to pay for things for like your and my retirements? Bleeding money (and troops) in Irak, outsourcing jobs, terrible health system plan.....and you say Bush is what?...Oh yeah Bush is a great president....for those of you who are CEOs

 

[SeaLord]

Furthermore, what happens to all the money that companies make? Does it disappear into the cosmic ether and you get a group of guys (presumably Bush Buddies, using your logic) sitting around lighting their cigars with hundred dollar bills? Or do the stockholders make money off of it? And what do those stockholders do with that money? Do they take up smoking cigars, too, or do they end up spending that money on items and services offered by other Americans? Does the company reinvest profits in its' business, or do those Fat Cats behind closed doors, the ones with the sacks of money with "$" on the side, simply EAT the money?


Ahh.....a trickle-down economics subscriber eh? Slippery slope my friend. Let's hope it works for you; I would rather not work the next thirty years hoping it does. A man and his family should not be dependent on what the oil companies/big business decide they want to let trickle down to the rest of us stiffs. While you subscribe to this and other classic 'republican' theories, I believe you'll find the system is flawed, and the big business guys win at your expense yet again.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Trickle down economics = feudalism (most of us being serfs, that is.)

 

[nimtz]

God you guys and your election rubbish. Seriously take it to the non-aviation board. Back to the subject at hand I don't see what the US airline industry is getting out of this other then better access to LHR which is already jam packed. It's not like DAL can shift their entire LGW operation to LHR overnight. Foreign ownership is coming you can bet your @ss on that. It will be interesting to see what British Airways ends up doing with American. The US market sure is one scary ride. That's why I'm trying to get a seat at a place where I can give it far less worry. Moves like this are going to make all of us fight over kitchen scraps at this rate. You can bet your @ss consolidations are a coming as well.

 

[JohnDoe]

Gotta agree with Nimitz. There is a whole bunch of bad stuff coming down the line with regards to foreign ownership, cabotage, open skies. Yet, it seems the majority of pilots either don't know about it, don't care, think it can't happen (head in the sand), or think their almighty political party ( whichever corrupt one it may be ) is going to save them.

 

[El-Rushbo]

I'm no friend of raising taxes but can you tell how the hell is the goverment (R or D) going to raise money to pay for things for like your and my retirements? Bleeding money (and troops) in Irak, outsourcing jobs, terrible health system plan.....and you say Bush is what?...Oh yeah Bush is a great president....for those of you who are CEOs

Hey my liberal friend, here's a novel idea for you. PAY FOR YOUR OWN FREAKING RETIREMENT!

 

[Huck]

You mean by negotiating a pension into your contract?

Oh wait, then they go "bankrupt" and you are dependent on the government after all.

Lots of conservatives are in this boat too my amigo.

 

[mamba20]

Canadian citizenship is looking better every day. The country is going to be screwed for the next 30 years plus thanks to what the bush admin. has done. He's an absolute idiot who cares nothing for this country. All hes worried about is his 51st state and making him and his billionare buddies even richer.

It still floors me that Clinton can almost be impeached for being blown by an intern and lying about, while george idiot lies continuiously, has gotten more then 2000 americans killed in an unjust invasion. The really scary part? We still have 3 more years of this idiot! God help us all.

 

[nimtz]

Canadian citizenship is looking better every day. The country is going to be screwed for the next 30 years plus thanks to what the bush admin. has done. He's an absolute idiot who cares nothing for this country. All hes worried about is his 51st state and making him and his billionare buddies even richer.

It still floors me that Clinton can almost be impeached for being blown by an intern and lying about, while george idiot lies continuiously, has gotten more then 2000 americans killed in an unjust invasion. The really scary part? We still have 3 more years of this idiot! God help us all.

*Sigh*

Good luck making remarks like that with many in this crowd. It's pretty sad this is going to degenerate into yet another 'queer liberal' vs 'neo con nutjob' thread. JohnDoe is right on. The latest EU-US actions have strong potential to be a the most damaging blow yet for all of us. The sad truth is nobody is listening.

 

[Falconjet]

Canadian citizenship is looking better every day. The country is going to be screwed for the next 30 years plus thanks to what the bush admin. has done. He's an absolute idiot who cares nothing for this country. All hes worried about is his 51st state and making him and his billionare buddies even richer.

It still floors me that Clinton can almost be impeached for being blown by an intern and lying about, while george idiot lies continuiously, has gotten more then 2000 americans killed in an unjust invasion. The really scary part? We still have 3 more years of this idiot! God help us all.

Mamba: Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out.

FJ

 

[K. Marx]

Canadian citizenship is looking better every day. The country is going to be screwed for the next 30 years plus thanks to what the bush admin. has done. He's an absolute idiot who cares nothing for this country. All hes worried about is his 51st state and making him and his billionare buddies even richer.

It still floors me that Clinton can almost be impeached for being blown by an intern and lying about, while george idiot lies continuiously, has gotten more then 2000 americans killed in an unjust invasion. The really scary part? We still have 3 more years of this idiot! God help us all.

Even still most pilots will continue to vote for the very people who are doing there best to put us all into the working class (or even better unemployed) where they believe we belong. But hey, as long as these companies continue to get major tax breaks we should all be fine right. It will trickle down to us won't it?

 

[JimNtexas]

Never said Kerry was my man. I just don't like Bush.

Oh, and BTW, let's add sky high oil prices to the Bush list. Don't ever try and convince me that a Texas oil millionaire, whose friends are all oil millionaires, would ever do anything but try and keep prices high. Do you think that it is a fluke that while all of america is feeling the pinch of record high prices, that oil companies are recording record profits? Do you really think Bush has ANY interest in doing anything but keep prices high?

Car gas has dropped below $2.00 / gallon here. That damn Bush.

 

[Dizel8]

Gotta love this board. Open skies is nearing and all the talk is about who prefers a BJ and who likes the bush better.

Oh well, I am sure BA will give us jobs, all we need is a JAR license!

 

[G4G5]

Car gas has dropped below $2.00 / gallon here. That dang Bush.

In NY Gas is $2.40 a gallon and home heating oil is $2.33 per gallon.

Let's see we invaded one of the worlds largest oil producers and oil is still over $58 a barrel. Time to change the water in the bong Cheech.

You will be lucky to be working for BA. How do you say," welcome aboard Jet airways" in Indian?