🚀 go-pugleaf

Not Me wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 15 Sep 2000 12:10:41 -0500, "Aimless" <me@nospam.com> wrote:
> 
> >I hate to sound like a conspiracy nut, but the tanks that caused the
> >explosion were put on the plane by a company called Saber.  Saber was once a
> >part of American Airlines.
> >
> >American Airlines was having trouble competing with Value Jet, just like the
> >were having trouble back in the 80s competing with Braniff.
> >
> >According to several friends of the family that worked for Braniff at the
> >time, it was some inside work by AA people that caused the demise of
> >Braniff, so I am highly suspicious about the demise of Value Jet when there
> >are clues left that lead indirectly to American Airlines.
> That's a bunch of conspiracy nuttiness. The "Saber " that AA owned was
> actually "Sabre", their reservation system. Nothing to do with
> airfreight.
> 
> Braniff's demise was directly related to inept management and an
> inability to compete.

In the case of ValuJet, it was ridiculous risk taking on the part of
management, and an attitude that risking human life was better than
risking the bottom line.  The people who ran Valujet were smart, as
financiers.  But they were gamblers, and they were gambling with human
lives.  Can you say "evil"?

I see Firestone's situation as similar.  They figured that the Decatur
plant was making enough for their income to stay open, but couldn't
finance improvements or employee wages.  What they didn't realize is
that in neglecting the plant this way they were putting people (human
beings; not numbers) at risk.  Plants with second rate equipment and
second rate employees paid much lower than the market wage for their
jobs will always produce a second rate product.

It's only a hunch, but I feel like the execs of ValuJet made a conscious
decision to cut corners on maintenance and intentionally put people at
risk.  The execs of Firestone were too busy examining their bottom line
and income statements to realize what they were doing until people died
and it blew up in their face.  They were less evil than they were
stupid.

-- 

Adam Weiss
waj@whazo.com

--

People in stone houses shouldn't throw glass.

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