>>>>>>
>>>>>>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.
>
>What, exactly would happen?
>All commercial flights would have to be grounded.
>That happens several times a year in the northeast because of weather.
>I haven't heard of any deaths because of it.

First of all that is different - there are PARTS of the USA where they can't take off for a few hours due to snow, and more recently due to excessive heat - that's a far cry from the whole country being without airplanes for an extended period of time. Other than 9/11 I don't think it's ever happened where all the flights were grounded.

..and if there are no air-traffic controllers it's not just the commercial passenger flights that are grounded though is it? Think about the doctors that can't fly and the organs for transplants that can't get where they need to be, along with other essential supplies.

And look there are other things too - think tourism - how much money do you think flows into Hawaii every month via tourism? You're talking about $1.6 BILLION every month! What you think would happen if suddenly this cash flow stopped because there were no flights? Plus at any given time there is only enough supplies of things like food and water on the islands to last for about 1 or 2 weeks max. Obviously part of that is via ships vs planes - but still it would be a problem. And your mail isn't going to get there in 3 days its going to be more like 2 weeks...etc etc etc etc.

>As I said before, I lived through the NYC subway strike of 1968.
>It was hell, but we made it.
>Those strikers were violating state laws.
>The unions were fined, but no one was fired.

Subway system in one city is not the same as all air traffic in whole country. It would be hell (a much much bigger hell), but we would make it (with a few exceptions who would not make it)