America's Most Destructive Habit: We Never Learn

[Col Hogan]

I was the best 68D in the United States Army. Couldn't have done it without the shrooms.

Just what I want...a 68D high in the operating room...

[houndawg]

Dead or Alive.brin gf em on. Shipyerd ale godsduff. and threy nee flak jackts .

I hope you can shoot drunk off your ass, because either you're channelling Captain Ahab or you've had a nip of the rum tonight, my friend.

It was Shipyard summer Ale. Or maybe I was channeling D1B.

[houndawg]

I was the best 68D in the United States Army. Couldn't have done it without the shrooms.

Just what I want...a 68D high in the operating room...

It must be different now. Back in the day a 68D was a Helicopter Powertrain Technician. And I kept my fun strictly segragated from my work. When you worked on the critical components those damn pilots had a way of wanting you to go along on the test ride.

[houndawg]

We certainly agree about that, native. Unfortunately all the jobs that actually produce something were sent abroad, leaving us the obscenely compensated parasites who produce nothing. Why couldn't we have kept the manufacturing jobs here and sent the bankers overseas?

Although I'll concede the point about lost manufacturing jobs, I think manufacturing is only one component of a healthy economy.

Nonetheless, responsibility for the lost manufacturing jobs can be DIRECTLY laid at the feet of big LABOR and big GOVERNMENT, and throw in a little inept MANAGEMENT. But the lack of initiative and clay feet of management can be attributed to big government and big labor.

...Which begs Cleets2's point in another thread about needing 20 years of research into energy alternatives. I agree with Cleets, we need it and should have been investing in the research, BUT while exploiting carbon-based U.S. resources like coal and oil shale to the hilt. Shame on both Dems and Repubs for failing to make the grand political bargain which would have allowed us to have our cake and eat it, too!

I'm with you on this except that there was much more than a little inept management, in fact it's where the vast majority of the blame lies. Why? Because the reason our labor contracts became unaffordable (contracts negotiated by management) was lost market share. The reason we lost market share was because management refused to make Quality the #1 goal (until it was too late), causing the Quality gurus like Deming, Juran, and Baldridge to take their message to the Japanese, who were all ears, and the rest is history. Not to mention their inability to lead by example and reduce their own bloated ranks and obscene compensation while demanding the same from the UAW. (BTW, Japan has a national Quality award named after either Dr. Deming, or Malcom Baldridge, I forget which, it's been a long time since my CQE days).

I'm also pissed off at Obama for not declaring an Apollo-style crash program to upgrade the grid and increase AE production.

[Col Hogan]

Just what I want...a 68D high in the operating room...

It must be different now. Back in the day a 68D was a Helicopter Powertrain Technician. And I kept my fun strictly segragated from my work. When you worked on the critical components those damn pilots had a way of wanting you to go along on the test ride.

I feel better...a 68D today is an operating room specialist...

You'd be a 15D today...

http://www.army.com/resources/item/844

[houndawg]

It must be different now. Back in the day a 68D was a Helicopter Powertrain Technician. And I kept my fun strictly segragated from my work. When you worked on the critical components those damn pilots had a way of wanting you to go along on the test ride.

I feel better...a 68D today is an operating room specialist...

You'd be a 15D today...

http://www.army.com/resources/item/844

And I'd be the best one in the United States Army.

[Gil Dobie]

Thanks for the Oil Frankie