Reagan youth

[gordonzola]

And since I'm in a mood, can I say one ting about the plane crash in Kentucky? Do you think that if the air traffic controllers had a strong union that they could have prevented the FAA from ordering staffing levels in violation of their own safety codes?

Thanks Ronnie. Everytime I think we can total the death count, another 50 or so have to get added to the list.

Comments

[substitute.livejournal.com]

Yes, actually, it does. It really, really does.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

I was living near (in) golden gate park when governor Ronald Regean closed down the mental institutions. Seeing the mess that followed definately sucked.

[fidelity-astro.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I will totally give you that one.

It's a pretty awful tragedy how the excesses of the 60's left and right basically created today's homeless problem.

(the whole anti-involuntary-commitment thing plus the whole cutting-needed-social-services thing)

but yeah, i'm fine with blaming reagan for that

[fidelity-astro.livejournal.com]

Like, man, the taste of food, the love of the most important woman in my life, beautiful summer days, great films, spending time with one's family. . . it really has all just turned to shit.

Re: i assume you know this, but

[fidelity-astro.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, yeah, I totally get that one can construct a causational chain of events starting with Reagan that results in those deaths, but there are plenty of other things with which one could start that chain (Congress making it illegal for air traffic controllers to strike, the air traffic controllers deciding to strike illegally) or completely different explanatory chains that one could construct. Anyway, I'm sure there were tons of fatal air traffic control fuckups prior the 1980's. So yeah, saying that Reagan doing his job (of enforcing the laws of the land) and enforcing the laws of the land was responsible for the deaths of those poor li'l dudes is a bit unfair. But yeah, I'm sure we get each others' points, and it definitely is good to not forget things like that, so thanks for bringing it up.

Also, while I'm here, my one cheese question: Is there a particularly good american cheese that you know of? I've been just getting the sliced-to-order Land of Lakes stuff at the deli counter lately and, vis a vis american cheese, it's pretty delightful.

[the-living-end.livejournal.com]

well. i think you can guess that i wasnt talking about the taste of food or the most important woman in your life.
would you like the reasons i hate reagan?
ignoring aids while people suffered
trickle down
the closing of mental institutions
the prementioned air traffic controller strike.
i mean, really. this is only a few. there are a lot of crap things reagan did.
no need to be snotty about it.

[fidelity-astro.livejournal.com]

Enh, a president you didn't vote for did things that you disagreed with. That's going to be true for pretty much everyone. Please don't let it ruin your outlook on life.

[ubiquity75.livejournal.com]

Charming responses here. I haven't seen so many references to "straw men" since USENET circa 1994.

Incidentally, I've been reading And the Band Played On for the past three weeks or so, for the first time. I am sorry to admit that it is my first time reading it. While I've read many other AIDS histories and recriminations of the lack of action/blood on the hands of the Reagan administration, the painstakingly researched and meticulous nature of this book is pretty intense and damning (whatever one's take on Shilts' sexual politics may be, something I don't feel like arguing right now, anyway).

Hope that's not, you know, a straw man.

Re: i assume you know this, but

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Well we all know your buddy Ronnie produced his own brand of processed cheese in the '80s called "Reagan Cheese". It's really hard to get these days because the subsidy program to family farmers ended as well as most of the federal food giveaway programs. But if you find some, it'll be as good as the day it was squirted out of the machine!

Re: i assume you know this, but

[fidelity-astro.livejournal.com]

If it's even half as good as easy cheese, then it's really good!

Re: i assume you know this, but

[sparkle-shortz.livejournal.com]

Danke!

[sparkle-shortz.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the welfare queens!

[the-living-end.livejournal.com]

of course! that was a good one, huh.

[the-living-end.livejournal.com]

well- i was just a kid so i couldnt vote against him. but he didnt just do things i disagree with. he did things that are still affecting the country negatively to this day.
my outlook on life is just swell. thanks.

Unrelated to our greatest president ever...

[rfd.livejournal.com]

How's Saturday for you for the Russian food fest?

[sparkle-shortz.livejournal.com]

He has *A LOT* to answer for.

Dismantling the mental health system and kicking the welfare system in the balls at the same time is some Prince of Darkness level shit.

[strix-an-stones.livejournal.com]

Dumb question, but would small airports with only two runways have had air traffic controllers that would have been in the union? Our local airport in the Reagan years had a controller who was non-union because the budget couldn't afford one. When he unionized they dropped having a controller. It's now 2006 and they still don't have one and it has two runways comparable to the Kentucky field.

You can blame a lot of stuff on a lot of folks but unless you can say for sure and certain that the airport would have had unionized ATCs you really can't make that statement. They could have chosen to employ non-union workers or simply dumped having one period. In that case there would be a system by which pilots are given information on runway size and location - they radio a general announcement of intent to land and handle things fine without ATCs.

Re: Unrelated to our greatest president ever...

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I work saturdays. we could do it early next saturday or on a sunday in the future.

[whimsicalpops.livejournal.com]

Or the fact that the FAA knew the controller was on his 2nd shift with little sleep and the only person.

When does our safety count for us? When do we as a nation realize that safety standards are related to paying people decently and having adequate staffing? When do we stop playing chicken and saying that 98% of the time we slide by and are willing to risk 50 poeple dying so we can save a buck in government services.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

oh, absolutely they could have violated their own safety rules without Reagan. But a strong union (of the pre-1981 PATCO type) would be a counterbalance against the greed that allows these things to happen. In the case on non-union airports, you bet they would make it their business to see that they were working to the letter of the law if for no other reason than to cost them money they were trying to save.

Reagan was all about unencumbering greed. There are consequences to that.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you are my new boyfriend.

Re: Unrelated to our greatest president ever...

[rfd.livejournal.com]

Next Saturday, I'm having a birthday party. Even though you don't know any of my friends (mostly biker trash, misc. goth and theatre people), you are totally invited! They're (mostly) very nice people.

Plus, I ordered those DVDs so hopefully they will arrive in time for the partay.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. I also can blame Reagan for growing the (unconstitutional) drug war more than any other president before him...course Bush and Clinton broke his record.

Then there was that BS in south america wherein we had no beezwax....

[fidelity-astro.livejournal.com]

Well, a lot of what presidents do continue to affect the country for years, and generally presidents for whom you wouldn't vote do things with which you would disagree (and would then characterize as hurting the country).

Fucking Thomas Jefferson. That fucking Louisiana Purchase totally ruined everything and continues to do so till this very day! I still can't believe they named that monument after him. . .



(OK, I'm done.)

just saw this...

[sparkle-shortz.livejournal.com]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/weekinreview/03basic.html?_r=1&ref=weekinreview&oref=slogin

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued its managers conflicting instructions; they are supposed to avoid having a tower controller perform both ground and radar duties, but also to minimize manpower to the lowest level consistent with safety. The F.A.A. once had negotiated agreements with the controllers’ union on staffing levels; now it says it tries to “staff to traffic.’’