Congressman Billybob Sez: All-American Arrogance

United Press International ^ | 26 April 2003 | Congressman Billybob (J. Armor, Esq.)

[Congressman Billybob]

This is my latest article, that has gone up on UPI in the last hour. UPI has changed its procedures so its articles are no longer available to the public on the Net, including on Google News. So the URL is back to my own website.

As published by UPI, as my editor just informed me, the five paragraphs about Gary Hart and Bill Clinton are cut out of the published version. UPI may not want to publish those paragaphs, but I do. So they remain in this text.

As of now, I am going back to occasional articles rather than a set monthly column on UPI, and writing under my real name. Congressman Billybob will, nonetheless, continue to write weekly, and post columns on FR.

I think y'all will appreciate this one. Feel free to substitute "Dixie Chicks" for the references to "Tim Robbins" and "Diane Sawyer interview" for "National Press Club." It works just as well, either way.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Actually, this is not the first time AA screwed the pooch when it came to union relations. I was stranded in Japan a few years ago in the wake of a strike against AA due to the pilot union's dissatisfaction with the Reno Air purchase. Somehow the management of this highly unionized company failed to anticipate that the unions would have issues with the widely divergent contracts for the two companies. The unions squawked; there was a similar managerial "D'oh!", followed by a couple weeks of no progress, and finally there was a strike. All entirely avoidable if management hadn't had its head up their you-know-whats.

Very familiar indeed.

I'm tellin' ya, there's nothing new here.

[p_n_m]

It seems to me that Congress pulled the same stunt on the voters that American pulled on the unions....they voted for their raises in the dark of night and told voters that we could not afford to have tax cuts!!

[genefromjersey]

Thanks, John !!

[cornelis]

Why American arrogance? It seems as old as the hills, and quite human. BTW, the majority can be just as nasty as the minority. Now THAT's rightfully an American insight (although we didn't discover it in California).

[HIDEK6]

You ought to look at the recent Free Repbulic post about the "Yankee Problem". It makes the same points.

[Verginius Rufus]

I believe it was the late Ron Ziegler, not Ron Nessen, who said that his previous statements were "inoperative."

Of course he was just showing his respect for the Constitution (Amendments XVIII, XX, XXI, and XXII).

[RobFromGa]

Nice job, John.

Why do you think the "little people" allowed Clinton to get away with it?

[Gritty]

Any idea why those five quite relevant and coherent paragraphs were cut out by UPI?

They wouldn't be softly treating you with "All-American arrogance", would they?

[Budge]

Well said, sir, well said!

[okie01]

"Why do you think the "little people" allowed Clinton to get away with it?"

It wasn't the "little people". It was the "U.S. Senators" that allowed Clinton to get away with it.

And, in their minds, they're anything but "little people"...

[Congressman Billybob]

I think that UPI cut those paragraphs to protect the interests of Democrat candidates for President, both past and future. IMHO.

Billybob

[Constitution Day]

Congressman Billybob's latest!

NC ping!
Please FRmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[Osage Orange]

Very nice.....Very nice indeed.

Signed:

"One of the little people"

[Constitution Day]

BUMP

[Keith]

I usually defend capitalism, but these kinds of things are really embarrassing to me. My dad was a higher up muckity-muck for years, and he would no sooner have done this sort of stuff than fly a pig. I think he would have been dismayed...but look at Clinton...we got the president we deserved...I used to blame him for this kind of stuff, but it seems the people show that he was only representing our people's attitudes...so sad.

[lurky]

Nice article and right on point. Although I didn't get the implication from Robbins' speech that the "little people" didn't have freedom of speech, just that they (here "little people" would equal "regular anti-war people") were feeling a "chill wind" and were afraid to speak. Other than that, you nailed it. Will have to keep an eye on your site...

[SauronOfMordor]

I do not know the salaries of those top seven executives, but based on the size of the corporation and similar salaries in other corporations, they are probably in the $2 to $5 million range. What is the personal value of a multi-million-dollar salary? To an ordinary American, such amounts are beyond comprehension. They are far larger than necessary to keep a roof over your head, food on the table, a car in the driveway, provide for medical care, education, retirement, etc. As Art Linkletter once remarked, "Beyond a certain point, the only purpose of money is to keep score."

The managers of AA were acting more than arrogantly -- they were acting as owners of AA, rather than the hired hands they actually are. They were acting to primarily benefit themselves rather than the future of the company, which is their primary fiduciary duty

A few million is not yet at the level of "just keeping score", though. It can still be spent in a manner that makes a distinct lifestyle difference, such as letting you have a private jet (rather than having to sit in a seat of an airliner like the rabble) and allows you to employ a few personal servants and a couple of mistresses on the side.

[ladyinred]

Excellent article as usual. Do I have to ask why the parts about Hart and Clinton were edited out however? UPI wants to protect their own right? Sheesh.

[Risa]

What an awesome essay, Congressman Billybob. It's pleasure to read for its craftmanship and for the message it bears, too.
risa