We also have to look at those companies that are doing things right, like my company, Jet Blue, and Costco, and reproduce those successes.
M: How do you intend to deal with the hot button GOP issues; abortion, gay marriage, immigration. How are you going to turn those issues into positives for you instead of for the GOP?
J: Like I’ve been doing for the last 6 months.
Abortion ought to be rare, legal, and safe. You have to have all three, or you can’t have any. If it’s not legal – it’s not going to be safe. And there will probably just as many as there are now. Only 16% of the American population think that abortion ought to be illegal in all cases. 84% of us believe that abortion should be an option. Nobody wants an abortion, but they do want the choice.
Gay marriage. What the hell business is it of mine if two people should love each other? Marriage is an old religious term. Government should recognize only civil unions, no matter who you are. Let the churches recognize marriage however they want. Marriage shouldn’t be the government term. Nobody’s religion, except my own, should dictate how I act in my private life.
M: What about restrictions on adoption by homosexuals?
J: Prove to me that it’s bad. Show me the proof. I know plenty of families that have a man and woman where the kids are totally destroyed by the time they’re grown. So I it’s a truly loving family, I don’t care if the parents are gay or not, those kids are going to come out as a benefit to society.
M: Illegal immigration. Some people say they’re creating a crime wave, using up taxpayer resources, destroying our culture, injecting their language into our government and even trying to re-conquer the United States.
J: Obviously there is a real concern about using government resources in order to provide schools and medical treatment and such services. But there are certain cases where illegal immigrants pay their own way through their taxes. Some of that is failing to get back here to the states where the money is being spent, however. This issue needs close study of the facts. There might need to be a ‘fencing off’ of certain funds from those revenue sources, so that it can be sent back into the local economy where the impacts are. For instance, the state prisons here that are owed money for holding criminals who are Mexican nationals.
The immigrants generally are helping our society out and benefiting us greatly. I think much of the negative rhetoric is used to conceal that simple fact. A lot of it might be hate-based and prejudice… I’m not willing to say that someone like Randy Graf is a bigot, but there are definitely people who are bigots who are attracted to this issue.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
Great interview Michael! Is there a website where people can learn more about / contact / support Latas' campaign?
2 - Dave Nalle
1977-1980 we reduced our oil requirements from the Middle East by 87% at the same time the GDP went up 27%, so it's obviously healthy for this economy to get off of oil.
He must have forgotten the average 12% yearly inflation rate during that period which went along with that GDP growth, which effectively reduced it to a -21% rate of growth.
Dave
3 - Michael D. Bryan
I neglected to include his homepage. Thanks for pointing out the oversight.
4 - Dave Nalle
Michael, you could go back and edit that into the article at an appropriate place.
Dave
5 - Dwight D. Leister: Chair: Committee To Elect:T. Mae leister:First Vice Treasurer
I too share similar opinions about the F-22 V Joint Strike Fighter and alot of other systems to numerous to mention.
I recall while in High School,1959 to 1963, I wore a Hughes Missile Pin of The Falcon on my shirt every day, and being called to the cafeteria with other Hughes Families because Hughes paid a direct subsidy to the school for my being in attendance.
The same is true of the many good aircraft and systems that did not get off the ground because of "Favorite Defense Contractors inside the Pentagon," as was Boeing, favored by Dwight Eisenhower, and it got the contracts over Lockeed and Martin and Convair and many others that had a superior aircraft but lost to Politics.
General Spots the first Air Force General and whom broke off from The Army ,then called Army-Air Force, was a good friend of my Family and was born in Boyertown,P.A. where I was Born. Since the Town is so small everyone knew everyone else,and in the First and Second World War with Spots in Command we had alot of options open to us.
Hughes alone has Government Contracts now over a TRILLION Dollars, Iam a member of Davis Monthan Air Force Lodge #105 and have spent alot of time in the Bone Yard now and back in the 1960's as I hauled out 250 B-26's to be refitted and sent to Madam Nue and her Air Force in Viet Nam under The Kennedy Administration.
For anyone who wants to see their Tax Dollars , visit the Bone Yard to see everything from B-1 Bombers back in time to your favorite aircraft,all coated with white sun guard.
The point that my Father always made as he was stationed at Langley to Hughes was that when a contract was complete the JIG was Destroyed so that no more production of PARTS or THE AIRCRAFT could continue, this forced special jobs to make more parts from new JIGS that most engineers had a hard time matching the tolerances down to the original and the parts did not fit or work in many systems SCRAPPING many thousands of parts that had to be made over and over again,then if a repair order was ahead of schedule the parts were scrapped on purpose to continue the contract.
With this in mind beware of Politicians whom are connected to the Pentagon or its Contractors because you will experience Haliburton all over again.
6 - Dave Nalle
Most of the complaints you raise about incompetent and inefficient management of the aircraft parts by the military would be true regardless of who built the planes. You make the mistaken assumption that any one of those aircraft contractors was less corrupt than the others, and even more that Boeing was corrupt just because they were the one that got the contract. If Hughes or Douglas or Convair or whoever had gotten the contract you'd be complaining about them today.
Dave