Comments by "Colonel K" (@Paladin1873) on "Wendover Productions" channel.

  1. I'm a retired logistics planner. Your report appears spot-on to me.
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  2. That's not necessarily so. I'm an American and I strongly support free enterprise, as do many companies and politicians. However, there are corporations and politicians who prefer protectionism for themselves and their constituents. We call this protectionism and crony capitalism, and they are both immoral and self-defeating. However, sometimes striking back is justified when there is evidence that an opponent is using unfair tactics (price supports, subsidies, under-pricing). In these cases it is fair to ask for a level playing field. In the video it appears that is what Boeing was doing, asking that Bombardier sell their product at cost or above. Not addressed is why the US government imposed a 300% tariff, which strikes me as being excessive and punitive.
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  3. It's not supposed to be random. There is information on the ticket that explains how the selection process works. If, instead, he was randomly chosen, he has grounds for a lawsuit because the company would have violated its own policy and their contract with him. But reacting by kicking, screaming, and fighting the police officers mitigates his claim. My guess is he will have overwhelming public support, but his behavior, especially for a medical doctor, was unacceptable and childish. Basically, he had a complete emotional meltdown. I just hope he isn't a surgeon. He doesn't seem to handle pressure and change very well. In the end, United will get another black eye, which is probably what they are most worried about - bad PR.
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  4.  @stefanltz7361  Amazing what Germany and Japan have accomplished through economics that they could not accomplish through war.
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  5. It won't cost them a bundle. It will cost all passengers more money in the form of higher air fares. It's the same result when people win large damage suits against insurance companies; the consumer loses..
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  6. But if it keeps one snowflake from melting, it's worth it.
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  7. I agree. My concern is that we may start seeing a rash of similar complaints and lawsuits at other airlines which will drive their prices up. My brother is a Captain at JetBlue and he pointed out to me that his company does not overbook, but as the video noted, instead they sell low fixed-price tickets, so if you miss a flight, you likely won't get a refund. That way the airline doesn't need to worry about empty seats. I live in flyover country, so we have only one or two options, which means I pretty much must fly United. So if the doc's settlement is huge, or others pile onto the lawsuit gravy train, I can expect to pay more for tickets in the future. Thankfully, I very rarely fly anymore. There aren't too many places left I haven't already seen or care to visit.
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  8. I think he and his attorneys are trying to run a con on everyone, and I hope it backfires on them in spades.
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  9. Sounds like Utah is a RINO state.
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  10. Excellent overview of DoD's global logistics capabilities.
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  11. It sounds like the manufacturing world is coming full circle.
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  12. Pretty soon there's going to be market demand for a space hoover to suck up all the old junk in space. The question is where to put it, the moon, deep space, or send it into the atmosphere to burn up?
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  13. And in a truly free market nobody is being subsidized by their government. I wish the world was one big free market. It's basically that way in the USA between every state because our Constitution guarantees it. Sadly, this is not so for the world as a whole, and we the consumers suffer for it.
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  14. No, they would be forced by economic conditions to find another way to be competitive. The lack of natural resources is not an impediment to success any more than the presence of them is a guarantee of success. For example, Japan is lacking in many basic resources, yet remains an economic powerhouse. Afghanistan is awash in mineral wealth, but remains poverty stricken.
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  15. @Matthew Morycinski You are making an assumption, not stating a fact. In 1979 the airlines were deregulated. As a result, many routes were redrawn into a hub and spoke system which maximized efficiency for some, but not all, carriers. Because of increased competition, fares dropped dramatically, and regional carriers arose to provide feeder service for the major airlines. Fearful that areas where population densities were small would lose all service or pay exorbitant prices, the Essential Air Service program was established. This amounted to a subsidy for each passenger carried in these sparser regions. The subsidy was not fixed, but varied according to the cost of service. The program was supposed to have been eliminated after ten years, but continues to exist, and its expenditures continue to rise. Such programs, while well intentioned, are quite costly and inefficient. They serve a very small segment of the traveling public and should be phased out as originally planned. For those people who will be are affected by this there are alternatives, such as driving to a regional airport. You use the term feudalism, but I would point out that using my tax dollars to favor someone else is just the sort of abuse that existed under feudalism. By the way, I live in Montana a place where the subsides range from $20 to over $400. Eliminating the subsides will drive costs up for us, but it will not destroy or financially harm commercial aviation since they won't be required to service these areas.
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  16. An interesting study in economics, or rather how companies and politicians attempt to manipulate economics. Imagine how many players and options there might be if we just let free enterprise work unfettered.
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