Lawmaker urges Northrop workers to protest military budget cuts

[Zorro]

Source: LA Times

With proposed federal budget cuts threatening military contracts and employment in Southern California's aerospace industry, about 2,000 Northrop Grumman Corp. workers were urged by a powerful congressional supporter to fight to save industry jobs.

"I implore you, no, I beg you, to stop this from happening," Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) exhorted workers Monday morning during a rousing speech at Northrop's sprawling manufacturing plant in Palmdale, where it built the B-2 stealth bomber.

As chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and representing an aerospace industry-rich district, McKeon has been an ardent supporter of the defense industry in Congress. He urged workers, their families and their supporters to call members of Congress to urge restraint in the proposed cuts, estimated at $487 billion over the next decade.

"Stage an insurrection in this country," he told the cheering crowd. "When you leave here today call … your loved ones" to help support the industry.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-defense-cuts-20120403,0,165492.story

[MindMover]

1. I think this politician and every other one better start......

focusing on getting these Killing Machine Makers to go Green Energy Builders......

You either want to destroy this spaceship or you want to start to heal its wounds.......not dig out the scabs and pour bleach into them.......

[cstanleytech]

2. Wait isnt

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2383 in effect still?
Perhaps someone (preferably in law enforcement) should have a nice little chat with McKeon over it.

[Crowman1979]

3. Translation: Let's spend more on useless weapons so I can get that high-paying consultant job at..

...Northrop Grumman. You know its gonna happen!

[4lbs]

4. repuke lawmakers care only about missiles.

Interesting. Repuke lawmakers want workers at military-related jobs to protest but are silent when nearly all other jobs are shipped overseas.

[JDPriestly]

5. We simply cannot afford to spend so much on defense

when we don't have money for schools or health care -- and we no longer have industrial jobs much other than defense. Defense jobs are paid for by tax revenue. And tax revenue is only obtained from good jobs -- which no longer exist outside the defense industry. The defense industry is killing the golden goose that lays the eggs that feed it.

It's really sad for the defense workers and their families, but all other American workers had had to downgrade their expectations. Many have had to go without work for long periods and then take lower paying jobs. The defense industry has been sheltered from a lot of the pain of the economic crisis.

That will not last.

[DocMac]

6. I hope the cops have their batons and pepper spray ready. nt

[Doctor_J]

7. These people need to get off the backs of the taxpayers

Northrop has sucked more off of the Big Government teat than all of the Social Security recipients put together. Time for these people to stop getting rich off of the hard work of real Americans.