Originally Posted by
johnso29
Good on you Timbo! I'm sure your daughter was happy you were there. I'm all about financial responsibility, and it's obvious you're just that. Otherwise you wouldn't be able drop those trips.
I don't think I'll ever understand why some want to work so hard. There are obviously exceptions, such as people with sick children or parents. But some are just money hungry. It's no wonder there's little unity in our profession.
Well, don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to make what I used to make, in 2004! And I'd like to have the $1.4 Million DB money I had too. And only work 12 days a month, or less, to do it, like when we had a 75hr. cap.
But when we had that 42% pay cut shoved up our behinds, and lost the retirement, the wife and I had to make a whole bunch of lifestyle adjustments, ie. sell the toys (J3 Cub, bigger boat) and forget about a second home, or ever going to Europe on vacation, or a bigger boat, or, or, or...you name it, we aren't doing it. The kids college tuition take care of just about any left over money at the end of the month.
We still live in the little 1962 house, in the middle of no where, I bought as an F/O in 1997. Before bankruptcy we had plans to move to a place in Sarasota. Now we are probably going to live in a van, down by the river, after the last one gets out of the house.
But I'd still rather have the time off to go sailing, even if it's on a little, used, 16' boat, than be away more days. I'd like to see our pay come back to where it was, but US Air, AA and UAL are not helping us at all.
Too bad we don't have some type of a national organization where we could all get toghether and control our futures a little more...
