DUers in the hospitality/travel industry please chime in re: bailout

[wndycty]

I have been struggle with this. I understand and support efforts to make sure those receiving bailout funds do not spend taxpayer funds on extravagant things like private jets, resorts/spas, et al, but then I started to think about the impact that these restrictions have on the WAGE EARNERS who depend on the business of these folks. There has to be a balance. . .please discuss.

[T Wolf]

1. Same rationale as worrying about the camp guards in the Third Reich. If an endeavor is

"wrong" (however you define that), you cannot justify its continued existence by worrying about the poor folks who might lose their job if the endeavor is ended.

Or, to use a less-inflammatory (but what's the fun in that?) example - if we reform the drug laws and prison populations fall, what about those prison guards who might lose their jobs?

[wndycty]

3. I don't agree with your analogy. . .

. . .the service industry is huge and while I understand what you are tying to say, I feel that if corporate/executive travel is severely curtailed it could put some folks on the unemployment line.

[T Wolf]

4. Depends on whose ox... Better not reduce crime to keep all the cops, lawyers,

bail bondsmen, etc, in work.

I guess it comes down to what each person considers a "legitimate" occupation worthy of support, or at least, non-interference.

By the same token, what about all those poor Wall Street traders who are losing their jobs?

The fact that all of this involves human beings just fucks up the deliberations. Back to whose ox...

[wndycty]

5. Is corporate hospitality illegal? Its not a crime. . .

. . .there are more than a few working Americans who have gotten an extra shift, a nice tip, etc. from corporate hospitality and these shifts, wages, tips, et al might help with the rent, car note, food.

I am not at all for outrageous spending but no spending has an unintended consequence.

[T Wolf]

6. Wall Street trading was not illegal, probably. If you are going to define "worthy" behavior by

our fucked-up legal code, you have more problems than this issue raises.

[NV Whino]

2. I live and work in the Napa Valley

We have been seeing tourist traffic drop off for several years. Wine sales are down, although many smaller wineries are holding relatively steady through internet sales. High-end touristy clothing shops are closing. Galleries have been closing right and left for several years. Traffic on the Wine Train is down. You can see most cars empty or sparsely occupied as it goes past.

With shops closing, the owner as well as employees are out of work. With fewer visitors, big wineries are cutting down on tasting room staff. Hotels never have more staff than they need, so I don't see much difference there. So far, the rich folks with the big houses are keeping staff--gardeners, housekeepers and managers (me). A friend of mine, however, who is the live-in caretaker of an estate, is now working solely for living space and taking on handyman type jobs to bring in cash.

The Wine Auction last year was down in income. It will be interesting to see what happens this year. The profits from the auction, by the way, go to support numerous health organizations here. I suspect the little guys will fall by the wayside.