This week marks the culmination of months of hard work by area school districts, mulling over department needs and formulating district budgets that are now in the hands of residents. Today, we look at our respective districts. A yes vote for the budget is yet another vote of confidence and trust in our area teachers and administrators that they are doing the right job. Keep in mind, the majority of the public schools here in the Capital District rank among the best in the entire state and that only benefits our children as they prepare themselves for a future we never could have imagined at their age.
But, as technology advances and professional opportunities evolve, there are fundamental life lessons that have not changed throughout each generation.
“All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten,” is a credo penned by New York Times Best Selling Author Robert Fulghum. It’s the title of his 1986 book of short essays. More than 20 years later, it still lends merit to how adults should look back to the basic lessons we all learned on how to behave. Because, as we look at recent headlines, some of us need to stick our noses in the corner.
At the end of every sandlot deal, both sides should walk away happy with a trade. Tommy wanted Billy’s Captain America Trans Am. Billy liked Tommy’s Hot Wheels van that, when you peaked into the rear window, you could see The Incredible Hulk smashing at the insides. Before Tommy and Billy exchanged cars, “no backsies” was declared — meaning, no returns were allowed on the trade. Kids understand this. Airline corporations, not so much.
United and Delta airlines, both of which fly out of Albany International Airport, recently made headlines for how poorly each respectively handled customers. Each incident took place after a customer boarded a flight and sat down in the seat he purchased. But, airlines have always reserved the right to bump passengers, even though their tickets — often purchased weeks in advance — specifically state a specific time and flight. Tommy needed a flight back home. Delta wants Tommy’s money. The trade took place weeks ago. Seriously? Strong-arming a doctor from a United flight because he wouldn’t volunteer his seat? And Delta? Lying to a family to say that a two-year-old in a car seat is against FAA regulations, when your website suggests families do so for safe travel. In kindergarten, we learned both not to lie and to keep our hands to ourselves.
We’re not sure where Oscar Munoz (CEO of United Airlines) or Edward Bastian (CEO of Delta Airlines) went to school, but we’re fairly certain neither one went to any of the fine public schools we have here in the Capital District. Because, had they, their respective company policies would have reflected the most elementary lesson of trade. With no regard to good customer service or human dignity, these airlines traded that all away for profits. With public shares in their stock falling down in value, they’re now learning the hard way about what happens when you’re on the wrong end of a bad deal.
No backsies.