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On The Funny Side
By Gary Solomon
Sy mpathy For Machinists
" I HAVE A lot of sympathy for the
employees at Eastern,” an acquaintance
said after machinists and pilots went on
strike against the airlines. “They're in
about as tough a spot as you can be.
"“They know they're jeopardizing jobs,
but people can only take so much before
they get sick and tired of being shoved
around, especially by a fellow like Loren
-20.
* :ll *
IT SOUNDED as if he was speaking
from experience, so I asked if he'd ever
been in a similar situation.
_ "Yeah. That's why 1 feel for the
Fastern workers. I-was with a company
years ago that never could get on level
ground. They were always in the red,
always struggling to make a go of it.
About every 18 months, they'd reorganize,
lay off a binch of people, then call the rest
of us together and give a speech about how
we were going to have to suck it up and
work harder.
* * *
“IT WAS ALWAYS the same speech,
too. The president would say, ‘lt'll be tight
around here for a while, and we'll all have
to pick up the slack for the folks that
aren’t with us any more. But if everybody
gives 110 percent, hopefully we'll get back
on track.’
“It got to be a joke after a while. We
knew the spiel so well, we'd sit in back and
mouth the words as he said them.
* * *
“BUT AT THE same time it was mad
dening as hell to be asked to give 110 per
cent when you'd already been giving that
much or more because of the last layoffs.
And any questions about compensation
for the extra work we’d be taking on were
always answered with, ‘We'll take a look
at that when things turn around,’ or, ‘We
can’'t promise anything right now.’
“One time after another reorganiza
tion, some of us got together and talked
about doing something — striking or call
ing in sick a few days — just to get the at-
Jasper Dorsey
Bush ‘Presidential’
WITH A NEW executive team in the
command post for almost two months,
how stands the Republic? What now is the
reputation of President George Bush?
If you ask a representative sample of
the American people, like the New York
Times — CBS News Poll did, you will find
that George Bush and his helpers are do
ing very well, thank you.
* * *
THEY HAVE come a long way from
Atlanta’s National Democratic Conven
tion haven't they? Old Texas pol Ann
Richards was a marvelously funny, stand
up comic with her lines of ‘“‘Poor old
George, he can’t help it; he was born with
a silver foot in his mouth!” Where's ole’
Ann today when George is in the White
House?
When you travel outside the District of
Columbia, the world not only seems to be
a different place, it is different. A substan
tial majority in the nation like the way
George Bush is doing his job. Sixty-one
percent approve and only a small minori
ty disapprove.
* * *
THAT 61 PERCENT is greater than
President Ronald Reagan garnered in his
first month up there. Reagan’s approval
score was bb percent. Further, Bush’s
disapproval score was only half as high as
Reagan's at the same point on the course,
nine percent to 18 percent.
When Mr. Reagan departed the scene,
he had a disapproval score of 26 percent
and an approval rate of 68 percent. That’s
exceptionally good after two terms in the
White House. All the Reagan scorners —
blacks, Democrats, the elderly, women and
the poor — see Mr. Bush more favorably.
* * *
THAT IS VERY significant. Among
blacks, 47 percent approved of President
Bush and only 16 percent were opposed.
A very large switch from the November
election, a huge reversal.
When viewed in perspective, the two
terms of Reagan-Bush appeared to be a
gradual forming-up of a political lynch
e P
News Clip- =
'SFACT!
Don't find fault... Find a remedy.
Anybody can complain. — Fort Wayne
Pathfinder
B
;\ |
tention of management. I mean, it's
frustrating to be told, ‘Here's the deal.
More work, same pay. Take it or leave it.’
You start feeling like the company thinks
you're their toy, like they can treat you
any way they please and you'll go along
with it.
i 8 *
“SOME EMPLOYEES were against
the idea. ‘At least we have jobs,’ they'd
say. ‘That’s more than a lot of people have.
If we strike or lay out sick, it'll just make
things tighter, and that only hurts us.’
“In a lot of ways they were right, too.
Sometimes I'd tell myself I ought to just
be grateful I had a job and a paycheck. But
at the same time, there's more to a job
than a paycheck, and when you start feel
ing like management doesn’t respect you
or care about you, then you get mad
enough to do something they can’t ignore
or put off with vague answers. :
* * *
“YOU ALSO start wondering if the
company is even worth saving if it causes
you that much grief.
“Of course, in the back of your mind is
the knowledge that if the company does go
under, three or four months down the road
when you're walking the streets looking
for a job, you'll probably wish you'd been
cooler-headed. But at the time, all you can
think of is letting management know how
fed up you are.
* * *
“BEFORE WE could do anything,
though, word got to the front office about
our little meeting, and some of us got call
ed in to talk over the problems and try to
work out a solution. Things didn't change
a lot, but they were different enough to
make us feel somebody was listening.
“I guess that's where 1 sympathize
most with the Eastern workers. When you
don't feel like management gives a flip
about what you think or want, money
doesn't matter. Respect is what matters
then.”
mob to destroy the obvious Bush can
didacy. It rose to a crescendo during the
Atlanta Democratic Convention, well or
chestrated by the press and network news.
The whole Democratic team was awash
with self-approval after Atlanta. Teddy
Kennedy, moralist, had his fun with the
great lines his speech writers gave him, en
ding with, “Where was George?”
* * *
THE PRESS ATTACKS on Dari
Quayle after his nomination were more like
a frenzy of feeding sharks, an obvious
overkill. Don’t expect to hear much from
Vice President Quayle because good vice
presidents are supposed to be seen more
than heard. Theodore Roosevelt wasn’t
vice president long enough to be heard, but
he'd effectively started the war with Spain
when Acting Secretary of the Navy. If
Veep for long, he would've been heard.
As vice president, Mr. Bush was
castigated because he never spoke out if
he differed with President Reagan. Think
about this: Had he done so, he would have
been scorned for being disloyal, the worst
crime of all in politics. A subordinate may
differ in private with his boss, but never
in public, unless he resigns first. The
critics seemed to want it both ways.
* * *
THE “WIMP” charge was much over
done, so much so, that when Mr. Bush pro
ved he was not, he won many friends and
astonished his enemies.
George Bush has proved to be a
thoughtful, smooth and effective advocate
of his policies. He doesn’t seek confronta
tion, even when sorely tempted. His com
munication is persuasive, without
dramatics, to win the attention and even
support of many who opposed him. This
will substantially assist him in the long
pull ahead.
* * *
IN HIS FIRST month, President Bush
held two press conferences in which he
handled his fierce adversaries, not only
with a low key skill, but with humor as
well.
This President can be disarmingly
charming, thoughtful and direct. He has
pleasantly surprised his enemies, even the
Southern Democrats who voted for him
because they disliked the alternative of a
left-liberal taxer and spender.
N
AMERICANS LIKE their chief ex
ecutive to act ‘‘Presidential.” This one
does it well.
rl‘ |
The Summerville News,
March 23, 1989
‘4‘%‘:‘«:
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MR. HOSMER
Hosmer Has
UA-H Role
Lane Hosmer, a 1988
%raduate of Chattooga High
School, will have a co-starring
role in the filay’ “The Rain
maker’’ which is being
presented by the University of
Alabama at Huntsville
Playhouse.
Written by N. Richard
Nash, the play was originally
produced on the Broadway
stage in 1954.
Opening day will be 7:30
p.m. today with additional per
formances Friday and
Saturday.
Lane is the 18-year-old son
of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy
Hosmer, Menlo. He is current
ly a freshman at UAH.
Poli
Probing
Summerville police this
week are investigating several
thefts and burglaries.
Burglars took a S2OO video
cassette recorder from the
home of Roger Dowdy, 2 Tyler
St., Summerville, between F'ri
day and Sunday, said officer
Edziie Colbert. They gained en
try through a rear window, he
said, and then ransacked the
living room, knocking a televi
sion set and stereo system in
to the floor and breaking
ceramic figures.
PRIED LOCK
A thief also pried open a
side door lock at the home of
Roy Patterson, 300 E. Third
Ave., last Thursday or Friday
and took $l5O cash and a small
tape player, reported officer
J. R. Johnson.
Someone stole a purse own
ed by Judy Lindsey, Ramey
Street, Summerville, on Mon
day, said officer Duane
Jackson. It was taken from her
car, reports said, and contain
ed S2O, personal papers and
three checkbooks. Tfie Chat
tooga Sheriff's Office recovered
the purse Tuesday but the
money was missing, reports
adde(i
The home of Darlene Ware,
7 Stevens St., Summerville,
was entered between March 15
and Sunday, said Sgt. Larry
Bennett. A small amount of
food was taken and the house
ransacked, he added.
Three persons stole a pair of
sandals from Phil's Discount
Shoes, South Commerce
Street, last Thursda;, reported
Sergeant Bennett.
Several items were stolen
from the car of Debbie Phibbs,
606 Summerville Gardens
Apts., last Thursday night or
Friday morning, said Sgt.
George Dean. Listed as miss
ing were clothing, wallet and
S6O worth of medicine.
A Summerville man was
charged with carrying a con
cealed weapon ang disorderly
conduct after being arrested at
Dowdy Park Sunday, said of
ficer Colbert. He was identified
as Gary Knox, 25, 11 Frank St.
Colbert said he went to the
park after receiving calls about
disorderly conduct at the city
facility and found Knox. }{
search turned up the weapon,
Colbert said. A companion was
also charged with disorderly
conduct.
Demo Meeting
Chattooga County Rep.
John Crawford will address a
meeting of the county's
Democratic Committee at 7
fi.m. today. The session will be
eld at The Lookout
restaurant, Cloudland.
Let Us Supply Your
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Battery Needs
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