>>>>
>>>>Given the extortionist tactics of the air traffic controller union at the time, one can hardly blame Reagan for his "anti-union" response!
>>>
>>>13K people were extorting the US Government, the most powerful entity in human history, by threatening to stay home?
>>>Right.
>>
>>In Kevin's defense - a few more people than the 13,000 would of been staying home if no planes could take off or land.
>Yes.
>So the US Government, with hundreds of thousands of troops armed with heat seaking weapons, enough aircraft to carry out a few thousands sorties per hour, enough tanks to level Chicago in a couple of hours, enough aircraft carriers to turn any continent on earth into toast in few hours, enough nuclear weapons to blow up a few solar systems, a CIA which can track the burp of a goldfish and enough money to buy whatever else it MUST have was being extorted by some guys who wanted to stay home?
>Got it.
>Can't let that happen here.

...but you do understand all the issues that would arise as a result of all air traffic in the USA being grounded right? That would not a small problem for our country and lives would indeed be lost as a result of that.