Meanwhile a man asks for orange juice and he's looking an investigation and possible jail time in the eye.

You're welcome, Amy. Yes, I'm sure he regrets very much that he was caught. I'm also sure he knows this will be a very small storm because he's in a couple of protected classes: Senator and Democrat (imagine if John McCain had called the stewardess a bitch).

They don't have to participate in the Social Security pyramid scheme, either.

(imagine if John McCain had called the stewardess a bitch).

It would have been evidence of his "legendary short temper" and proof that he was unfit to be considered for President so aren't we so lucky to have Barack Obama?

Was the senator a jerk? Absolutely! Public figures should be held to a higher standard because they SHOULD be. They're examples for the rest of us, whether they know it or not.

Was the flight attendant a bitch? Could be. Still doesn't excuse his reaction, but it's possible. I'm on planes a few times a week and have run into my fair share of cranky flight attendants.

It's a thankless job, but it's still a chosen profession...one that requires you to deal with rude people in a small space you can't escape. This story is a good reminder that you get to choose your attitude at any given point in time. You act like a jerk, you deal with the consequences.

Thanks for sharing and exposing, Amy...and for leveling the playing field so there are no "protected" classes.

don't you people realize that the rules are for everyone else, not for the Senior Senator from New York? really, they aren't. just ask him, he'll tell you.

Our political elite class have made it quite clear that rules are for the unwashed masses.

Reference point: Government healthcare for us, but not for them.

What an ass Shumer is. Period. He can't even apologize for himself but has his spokesperson do so. Does Shumer do ANYTHING for himself?(except act like an AH?)

What a great class act.

Probably was pissed that the flight attendant didn't recognize him, in all of his grand Senatorial-ness.

Give me a break...

I know every person's experiences with airlines differ. That said, I've flown both coach and first class. In coach the FA's generally do treat the passengers as non-entities. Get in, do the job, get back out. However, in first class I have always been treated with courtesy and respect. In a few cases the services was so extraordinary I would like to have tipped them but custom and regulation prevented it.

I suspect that Schumer was flying first class so, based on my admittedly limited experience, I suspect the FA was trying to to make the best of poor situation. Once again Schumer demonstrates how he earned the common, vulgar use of his name.

As in a "Pile of Schumer."

This is my problem with politicians, judges and most lawyers in our country-They reek of elitism!

This is my problem with politicians, judges and most lawyers in our country-They reek of elitism!

Agreed. And rarely do they pass up an opportunity to make it a show of it.

I'm running into this more and more lately with my job (librarian).

You politely explain to someone the rules. They ask for an exception because of blahblahblah. You say, "No, I'm sorry.". They get more demanding, and you have to do the whole rigamarole of "No, it's the rules, I'm sorry." And then suddenly, it's YOU that's being rude! How can I say "No" more nicely. And I'm really sorry that you're late/have a call/have four children/etc, but I'm not going to allow you to break the rules.

These people act like its the first time they've ever heard the word NO in their lives! I think it has to do with the slow degeneration of manners in society. We preach touchy-feely speak, so that our children and the powerful never have to hear a bad word, and then when someone does finally say "I'm sorry, no", it becomes a scene.

Ugh.

BTW, I went back and reread the blog on the firefighter and the lady who defaulted on their mortgages. Thanks to Pirate Jo for suggesting a condo. There are some places here who do duplexes or renting a townhome; I've thought about doing that.

“Ironically, Schumer has been a friend of US Airways flight attendants of late, lobbying company chairman and CEO Doug Parker on their behalf after several of them asked the senator to help keep them based at LaGuardia.”

One wonders what this “lobbying” consists of. Is the Senator a stockholder in US Airways? Was he expressing his concern as a frequent flyer and customer? I can’t find any constitutional role for the Senator in helping a company to decide in which of the 50 states they should locate employees. If I called up US Airways CEO Doug Parker to discuss some issues I had with the airline, I doubt he would come to the phone, or return the call. No, Mr. Parker takes Senator Schumer’s call for one of two nefarious reasons. Either he is afraid that the Senator will use his power to pass laws unfavorable to the company or do so through his influence over the considerable regulatory structures governing the airline industry, or Parker is rent-seeking and wants special government favors he hopes the Senator may dole out. Either reason is unacceptable in a free capitalist society where business must be free to make any legal decision regarding their operations without threats from those with their hands on the wheels of power, and without promise of special favors to burden their competition.

Amy,

Off topic, re Ann Coulter's ribbon to the right: are you "endorsing" her in some way? I think she's vacuous and evil.

Perhaps I committed premature postulation. The ribbon rolled to a Ford ad; you don't control those ribbons, do you?

I second that thanks to librarians everywhere (and you, cornerdemon). I spent a LOT of my childhood by myself in libraries in Dearborn, MI...reading everything from Plato and other classics to Ayn Rand, Adam Smith, etc. The librarians took an interest in me, fed me books, and kept me engaged as well as challenged. Since one branch of our family tree was in the black market, these wonderful women kept me on the straight and narrow.

Now...to tie that into the current thread...it also kept me from becoming someone who neglects others and forgets common courtesy...unlike said Senators and others who think a small amount of celebrity makes them something more than human.

"I think she's vacuous and evil."

Do be sure to note that actual elected officials have the opinions she does.

And I suggest doing what I do - play a little game: whenever you see an interesting quote, check it and any other public figure for sense by attributing the quote to someone else, or by removing the attribution. It's a great way to see if you're suffering from confirmation bias - the need to have your existing opinion confirmed.

Guess who said this: "Those who are able must go to work."

Guess who said this: "Those who are able must go to work."

My first guess is Obama, but he probably lifted it from someone else?

My next guess would be Reagan. Dunno why.

Just googled it. Amazing, I wouldn't have thought Clinton said it!

"I think she's vacuous and evil."
-------------------------------------
I suggest you read one of her books.
She likes to hold people accountable.
Nothing wrong with that.
She is very well researched and quite funny at the same time.

Boy, if he thinks Ann Coulter is vacuous and evil, I'd love to hear his opinion of Nancy Pelosi!

Rad, I'll take a guess: Lenin.

My general experience with FAs is that the level of service and general pleasantness is inversely proportional to the number of passengers on the flight, which is no surprise. For that same reason, FAs on smaller aircraft are often more willing to chit-chat for a moment than FAs on larger aircraft. On a large aircraft, it's such a ballet for the FAs to coordinate their movements so they can get everything done that they just don't have the energy left for pleasantries (the exceptions being the very senior FAs usually found on busy international routes).

Eastern Airlines used to have the most unhelpful and unpleasant staff, all the way around. There's a reason that they are out of business.

Thanks, Amy & TallDarkNGruesome! I like my job, and in this time of budget cuts (and cuts and cuts) its nice to hear someone saying "Yay for libraries!". This past October, logging onto the comments section of our newspaper was really disheartening; so many "Who uses a library anymore?" comments. But now I've got a case of the warm and fuzzies....
And Amy, I'm hoping we'll order your book (I have no real sway, but I can place a recommendation after a few months of release). In my hunt to see if we had it on order, I did see that we used to have a book called "Free Advice" from the Advice Ladies (Amy, Caroline Johnson, and Marlowe Minnick). I think I'll have to ILL that one!