San Francisco, CA- Have you noticed there seems to be a lot of madness in the world? Have you noticed there seems to be an extraordinary number of big guys beating up on little guys lately? Some people say that because we have camera phones and social media, more people get to see or hear about things they didn’t see or hear in the past. That is obviously true, at least to some extent. Some people just blame it on Donald Trump. Both may have some culpability, but the real reason these things are happening is money! Insurance money! And you might very well be the next victim.
United Airlines is a very large, wealthy and important US company. We need them to transact business, take vacations, ship cargo and many other services. Running an airline is a risky and dangerous business. Let’s face facts, rocketing people through the skies in an aluminum tube at the speed of sound is risky. Not to mention hijackings and bombings that seem to be all the rage in airports these days. The Chicago Aviation police, glorified security guards that only need a GED to be armed and hired, are also involved in a dangerous business. Airport and airplane safety is their responsibility.
So, how does one go about running such a risky and possibly dangerous business? Well, the first thing one does is buy a big fat liability policy. A major airline will need a liability insurance policy of between $1.25 billion and $2.5 billion just to open their doors. Without that policy, the FAA won’t allow them to fly a single passenger. And the Chicago Aviation Police? Those guys have to carry a pretty significant liability policy too. Not in the billions, but for sure $100 million at minimum. So just what does any of this have to do with Dr. Dao’s unfortunate beating at the hands of United Airlines and the Chicago Aviation Police?
The passenger, Dr. Dao, was a paying, seated passenger. Dao was selected at random, with three other seated, paying passengers, to be “bumped” from the flight to make room for United Airlines crew members who needed to go to work in Louisville, KY. It seems pretty sinister that a person, any person, could cough up a couple hundred hard earned dollars for a ride in the aluminum tube, be allowed entrance to said tube and graciously given a seat in the crowded tube, only to beaten, bloodied and dragged off when the company bosses decided they had better things to do with the seat they had sold him.
I know, you are asking yourself, “How the fuck can they get away with something like that? That guy is going to sue the pants off of these people!”
Ah, and we’re back to the insurance policy. You see, every company in the country that is making money is carrying liability insurance. Mostly because “shit happens”, and partly because, as a group, Americans are very litigious. Always looking for a quick fortune. A company like United Airlines is constantly embroiled in law suits of one kind or another. It goes with the territory. They have a fleet of full time attorneys, not to mention the fleet of attorneys on staff with their insurance company. Big corporations know they are going to face several lawsuits every year for something or another. They don’t care. They have insurance for these situations. Insurance they pay hefty premiums for. Paying out a few million dollars to some old, quack doctor is just another day at the office for them. The important thing is that the airline got their way. The airline got their crew to their destination.
Think about this. United Airlines could have chartered a jet to take the crew to Louisville for a few thousand dollars. That few thousand dollars would have to come out of the airline’s pocket. However, if the airline calls in the storm trooper thugs to beat the snot out of some old man, the airline gets the seat they need and someone else pays the bill.
Lawsuits will be filed, deals will be made. Attorneys for the liability insurance companies for United Airlines and the Chicago Aviation Police will come to a settlement, out of court, with Dr. Dao and his attorneys. This is how business is run in America today.
So what does this mean to you and I? It means that your life and personal safety are of no value to corporate entities. They have already paid the premiums that allow for any atrocity they may commit against you. They have carte blanche to treat you like a rabid animal. It is actually less expensive for them to kill you than to treat you with respect. Good luck out there!
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