Let me tell you how the real world works--a world completely divorced from the world of internet message boards.

Several years ago Microsoft had a cash hoard of $54 billion. Then the CEO Steve Ballmer told the employees that they had to pay more for their health insurance, because "Microsoft couldn't afford it."

"What do you mean you can't afford it? We have $54 billion sitting in the bank!" was the answer.

His answer was "That's not your money, that's the shareholders' money."

So Microsoft then proceeded to get rid of ALL of the cash hoard, either through a one time special dividend of $3 a share, and the rest through a stock buyback. The employees didn't get ONE CENT.

That my friend, is the real world, and that is before the "Affordable" Care Act liberal wet dream was enacted.

Now I want you to join the negotiating committee and adopt the tactic of barge into room/pound fist on table/demand, demand, demand/collect lots of $ from the company and accolades from the pilots.

Voila, as simple as that.

If that works, I will be the first to congratulate you.

...

The problem is, the center keeps getting moved to the left. And I don't mean Red vss Blue. I mean Jefferson/Bastiat verses the tyrants. Evan Hamilton would would be aghast at "the center." The purpose of government is to protect liberty....period. Anything else is "off center." Anything else guarantees that groups will fight over each other's money and want the government to make it "fair." This is the essence of "Democracy" which our Founders rejected.

Radical? Sure, if you compare to the current landscape. Radical? Jefferson was a "radical" by current standards.

They are not "radical", they are Restorers.

There has been too much "centering" and "compromise".

May I recommend "The Law"-Bastiat.

I say the above to point out that we, as airline pilots need to realize how the real world works, and no amount of laws or "pattern bargaining" is going to change the REAL economy and the forces that are destroying it.

I love my job, but hate the industry... an industry that is anything but "deregulated."

:(

Same here. I was asking my two year old what she thought about the ACA and she said it took her quite a while to read through and understand it, look at the practical application, real costs, how parts of it affected our liberty, and then concluded that there had to be a better way than this law. I am certainly glad she researched it instead of parroting what her dad thought.

This reminds of the bumper sticker I saw recently "what type of person would protest health care." and all I could think is there that many people who don't really understand the issue?

In other words, your saying you lied to your daughter? :rolleyes:

I'm sure you're referring to the Democrats who lost their seats in the last election, for siding with the POTUS, & not listening to their constituents, right?

Get your facts straight on what Senator Ted Cruz (TX) was speaking about. WASHINGTON IS BROKEN, BOTH PARTIES!! And is being led by one of the most incompetent ex-community planner, former junior Senator that we've ever had. He single-handedly has made the United Staes of America a F'ing joke on the World's stage, so much so, that not only does his own party, in the District, not trust him anymore, but also Some of our closest allies, whom have been our closest allies for the previous 70 years.

Too bad your daughter will be able to "text" her sex education questions to someone else now, due to this POS POTUS.

It's unfortunate you took that teaching moment to turn it into an opportunity to fill her head with more disinformation. Instead you could have told her some of our representatives are actually trying to stand up for our country instead of allowing the least qualified man in history to occupy the office to slowly destroy a great nation.

You know, I look at this kid EVERY DAY and am amazed at how smart and resilient she is. She takes all honors and one AP class as a sophomore, and she often works later into the night that I can stay awake. Her bus is gone before 6:30 AM, unless I drive her. She is kind, good-hearted, and a great source of pride. She will listen to us, but only as long as we make sense. The depth of her reasoning is often a source of joy and amazement.

Parrot her dad? I don't think so.

With that being said, she did react superficially to the issue. She doesn't know much about Obamacare, and I did make a mental note to teach her that things are often labeled as something they're not, especially in politics (The Right to Work Act, The Patriot Act, etc.).

My point wasn't that she was well-informed on this issue. My point is that her reaction was pretty funny, something I was using to highlight the fact that we don't normally do politics on APC. Politics on APC is how we accidentally step on our cranks, and say stupid things about each other's kids.

So, where is this LOA?

Lolol......I was at a block party this summer and asked a 15 year old young man what hope and change he wanted from his president (as it was on his shirt). He turned to Dad and said: "Dad, what do we want from him?" Dad said, " Go change your shirt."

That's actually pretty funny.