Nevadajack,
1. I will agree you "ARNT" a good fit for Delta.

2. ALPA isn't a union, it's an association.

3. ALPA's PWA does as much to protect career pilots from themselves as it does from the company.

4. By "ex govt employees" you mean those who volunteered to serve their country and potentially be put in harms way for your freedom? Your welcome!

5. More than 1/2 of Delta pilots (probably more) have been hired since 2013 and far less than 1/2 of those have been military.

6. By "majorly influenced" you mean try and run as close as possible to an on-time, safe, dependable operation that customers will pay a premium to use and allow everyone to enjoy a profit, than I guess yes, as is just about every airline out there unless they wish to go out of business.

7. By your comments, you appear to place a premium on the carefree, unregulated, unpredictable ways of flying in the part 91/135 world. Ironically, you probably would have enjoyed flying in the military. They instill a sense of safety and responsibility, as there (at least in the Navy) you are much more "on your own" in places all over the world.

8. Hope you can find a place where you can work at running a safe, dependable, and profitable operation so that you can earn enough to scratch the more wild side of your aviation career.