Monday, September 13, 2004

Perestroika at 35,000 Feet After filing for bankruptcy for the second time and asking a judge for permission to skip a large employee pension payment this week, US Airways explains on its web site what it hopes to accomplish by restructuring: . . . dramatic changes taking place in the industry require the company to do even more to achieve a competitive cost structure. . . . As the restructuring proceeds, US Airways will be taking the necessary steps to transition itself into a successful low-cost airline. According to Reuters: Chief Executive Bruce Lakefield told reporters outside court about so-far unsuccessful efforts to win givebacks from the airline's unions. Lakefield did not rule out the possibility that labor contracts could be rescinded if the talks fail but the court would have to agree. That's the spirit!  Stay the course, no giving in to economic terrorism!  If the unions won't agree to wage cuts, we'll just replace our entire fleet with unmanned Predator Drones and get rid of our pilots and flight attendants altogether! Sure, their passenger capacity is limited, but we've already lost a lot of our customers to the discount carriers, and as we slash our costs and re-grow our market share, we can just add more flights. We'll see how those ingrates like it when they wind up pushing a broom at Wal-Mart -- a company that really knows how to play hardball with labor unions!  4:08:35 PM

For Posterity and Posterior The latest fundraising e-mail message I've received from Barbara Boxer's campaign has the following subject line: Last chance to sign Barbara's assault weapons petition! But the initial view I had of that line was in my e-mail software's multiple message viewing window, which truncates it to: Last chance to sign Barbara's ass I have no desire to scrawl my signature on Boxer's ass, even if it's in a plaster cast.  I wouldn't want to kiss it either.  I've felt like kicking it a few times, especially when she votes for legislation like the USA Patriot Act. But then, the only member of the Senate to vote against that Orwellian monstrosity was Russ Feingold of Wisconsin -- now better known as junior partner in the dance team of McCain and Feingold. The champion ass-kisser among the political class is, of course, Henry Kissassinger.  But he only does it to Republicans. 11:41:17 AM