Oil at $80/barrell

[Boeingman]

Like I said, you got what you wanted. Deal with it.

What's more you've only tasted a small part of what's in store. There's plenty more coming.

Deal with it? I wrote off long ago the airline funding my retirement and true source of income. How is that?

 

[rvsm410]

BY the way the bankruptcy reform bill was shot down yesterday by the senate...its dead.......

 

[SWA GUY]

I completely disagree. But then again I think of economics as a supply side system and not a welfare driven system.

Capitalism works, socialism doesn't.

Further, GWB doesn't have the power to line item veto commerce laws in regards to pension plans. That Sir, lies with the Congress. If you think it lies with the POTUS, then you must think we elected a king. If I were you I'd bone up on Government 101.

In order for some airlines to survive mismanagement, rising fuel costs, lowered yeilds, increased competition, etc, one of the ways was to reduce or discontinue payments to pension plans. This is a way for some airlines to continue paying workers rather than liquidating under the burden of funding pension plans. Yeah it sucks to lose a pension, but would you rather continue to get a paycheck, or would you rather force an airline to make pension payments to the point the airline has to liquidate?

 

[skykid]

Dream on. We're stuck with this for at least another 4 years. By that time there won't be a single pension left and every labor contract will have been trashed on the altar of "conservatism".

Does that mean Frontier, JetBlue, Airtran, and VirginUSA are going to lose their pensions? You say pensions are trashed on the alter of conservatism, I say the airlines are in the middle of a fundemental model change where less pay and benefits are the new standard.

 

[surplus1]

It's not really the airlines or the pensions that I'm worried about, it's our country at large.

The people have been foolish enough to give the corporate and religious interests total control of their beings and their future by failing to recognize that that is who the Republicans represent. They will now have an opportunity to reap the rewards associated with that folly.

I can only hope that the damage won't be too great and enough will see the light by the next opportunity to extract us from the morass.

The contest was never between George Bush and John Kerry. It was and remains between the dark side, masquerading under the mantle of conservatism and the simple folk that were, alas, too simple to distinguish between the spin doctors of the Republican party and their own long term welfare.

Unfortunately the people allowed their phobias and their values make them vulnerable to the snake oil vendors and the tent revivals. With luck, and if there's anything left, they won't make the same mistake again.