Beechcraft bailout

[ShockTalk]

Rep. Todd Tiahrt announced Thursday that he has asked for an audit of federal money given to Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to determine if any of the money is being used to try and lure jobs away from Kansas.

Tiarht points to federal statutes that make the money ineligible for “job pirating” practices.

Read more: Tiahrt calls for audit of Louisiana money - Wichita Business Journal

This is probably something very hard to track and/or prove. LA can show that they are using all the fed funds properly, but by not having to use as much of their own funds for those proper items as other states without federal aid funds, that leaves them some dollars of their own to play around with.

Good point. But doesn't that mean they were over paid for recovery efforts after Katrina? If they didn't have that kind of surplus cash lying around before the Hurricane, they shouldn't have had it after.

I liken it to someone's million dollar house burning down. The insurance company doesn't rebuild the house, and then give them an extra million to play around with. After all damages are settled, they should be no worse or better off than they were before.

You do realize were talking about the federal government. :roll:

Nevertheless, look at it this way. LA probably had funds ear marked or to be raised for replacing/repairing certain roads, bridges, levies, etc., anyway. Now that they have received $s from the feds to replace what Katrina destroyed, but they were going to repair prior to the storm, they can use those funds for other things. Just a thought.

[AMaizNShocks]

Rep. Todd Tiahrt announced Thursday that he has asked for an audit of federal money given to Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to determine if any of the money is being used to try and lure jobs away from Kansas.

Tiarht points to federal statutes that make the money ineligible for “job pirating” practices.

Read more: Tiahrt calls for audit of Louisiana money - Wichita Business Journal

This is probably something very hard to track and/or prove. LA can show that they are using all the fed funds properly, but by not having to use as much of their own funds for those proper items as other states without federal aid funds, that leaves them some dollars of their own to play around with.

Good point. But doesn't that mean they were over paid for recovery efforts after Katrina? If they didn't have that kind of surplus cash lying around before the Hurricane, they shouldn't have had it after.

I liken it to someone's million dollar house burning down. The insurance company doesn't rebuild the house, and then give them an extra million to play around with. After all damages are settled, they should be no worse or better off than they were before.

You do realize were talking about the federal government. :roll:

Nevertheless, look at it this way. LA probably had funds ear marked or to be raised for replacing/repairing certain roads, bridges, levies, etc., anyway. Now that they have received $s from the feds to replace what Katrina destroyed, but they were going to repair prior to the storm, they can use those funds for other things. Just a thought.

I realize we're talking about the feds. :roll:

I was just trying to use the insurance industry as a comparison. The point I was trying to make is that it seems the gov't may have overpaid them with tax dollars during their rebuilding process. Maybe LA had an extra 400 million bucks just lying around before the disaster and it’s their money they are trying to use now. It just seems a little fishy to me.

I agree with you. It will be hard to track or prove any misuse of funds occurred.

[1979Shocker]

WICHITA — Machinists from Hawker Beechcraft rejected the company's contract offer today, casting doubt on the company's future in Wichita. Fifty-five percent of members voted no.

Read more: Hawker Machinists reject contract offer

[wufan]

I don't know what the Union Machinists start at or cap out at, but one would think that a job at 10% less would be desirable when compared to being unemployed. Maybe not, but when I look at the auto industry and the huge wages they maintain, it makes me wonder. Jobs will continue to go over seas (or to Louisianna) if Union workers are greedy. It's that simple.

[SB Shock]

Average wage is like 27 to 30 an hour

[WuDrWu]

It is all about the entitlement mentality. I am really not interested in insulting anyone, but this only goes to show you how stupid some people are.


The majority of these people are not skilled to do anything else. They have pay and benefits far beyond what most laborers obtain. It is a high risk high reward industry, yet the line workers think, because they are so uneducated, they are entitled to all of this, without the risk.

Well they just played the ultimate risk card. I think this is a good example of why someone making $27/hour lives in a trailer.

[ShockerFever]

Totally agree.

You can't fix stupid. This just proves it. Unbelievable.

[wufan]

Average wage is like 27 to 30 an hour

If accurate (and I have no reason to think it isn't) $24-27 an hour seems reasonable to me. I have a BS in Biochemistry and work for an international corporation in an industry that is highly profitable. I work 55 hours a week and do 24/7 on call. I have 6 years experience and 22 folks that work their butts off for me for half that amount. These guys make roughly what I make if not more. We have no pension. That's okay. I believe in free market and you get paid what you are worth, but when you start getting paid more than what you are worth people start losing their jobs...I feel bad for the 45% that voted to keep their jobs.

[SB Shock]

I feel bad for the 45% that voted to keep their jobs.

Only about 45% of the workers who represented by the Union actually belong to the union.

Roughly the numbers are I believe 3000 workers

Union Members 3000 x 45% = 1,350 members

Rejecting Contract = 55% x 1,350 = 742

742 of 3,000 workers actually rejected the contract or 25%. This is about the number of jobs that were going to be lost if the contract was accepted. Now all 3,000 jobs are at risk.

If the workers were smart they would immediately petition to de-certify the union and then accept the HBC proposal.

[pogo]

[quote="SB Shock"]

If the workers were smart they would immediately petition to de-certify the union and then accept the HBC proposal.

:good: