FWIW, ALPA National *does* lean pretty strongly towards the Dems, dunno what the APA line is. Regarding why pilots lean republican compared to most organized labor, consider:
--A large portion of the pilots are ex-military, and officers at that...a group which several studies show to lean rightward.
--Studies show that people with more education tend to lean more republican; most pilots have 4-year degrees or better. Don''t ask me why this is, since most universities are centers of leftist thought.
--As already pointed out, *some* pilots (read: those who''ve been with a major carrier for a while) fall into the upper tax bracketts. Again, this is a group that leans republican. I don''t think it''s that republicans cater strictly to fat cats at the expense of the downtrodden, as certain posters would suggest...rather, they engage in divisive class warfare much, much less than the dems. To hear a lot of dems speak, being well-off is practically a crime to be penalized. For pilots who''ve spent years and years paying their dues before being paid well, this pretty strongly offends their sense of fairness. It''s moreso this philosophy that bothers me than the actual paying of the extra money. Also, keep in mind that before Reagan reformed the system, the upper-income folks paid a *lot* more, up to 70%...under previous presidents it had become a truely socialistic redistributive system. So while pilots might not have a problem paying in a 25-35% brackett, they remember where it''d be if not for the republicans, or at least Reagan.
Finally, for those engaged in bashing the pilots over the $$$ they make, consider:
-I went to college for 4 years, & being from a lower income family it was all off student loans. I have yet to start paying off my $80k in debt.
-Upon graduation, the only flying job one can expect is flight instruction. I did it for a year, grossing something like $7000 last year. I lived on that.
-After building up some significant experience (1600 hrs flight time now), I started flying cargo. This involves flying relatively small single-&-twin engine piston/propeller aircraft with dubious maintenance in the middle of the night. The payoff? About 15k a year. Again, paying the dues.
-The next step is going to a regional airline, I''ll be making this step in 9-12 months. Depending on where you go, expect $20k-30k the first year. Upgrade to captain after a few years, still making $45k at best. To be sure, that''s decent money...but I''ll still be paying $600/month on those student loans.
-Finally, after 10 years or whatever, you make it to a major. Most places you have a probationary year to survive, with lower pay than you were making as a captain at a regional. After 3 or 4 years here, you might start making it into those upper tax bracketts.
The alternative route, and what used to be the main route, is devoting 10 yrs of service to the military. Fly fun/fast equipment, try not to get shot down, get paid so-so, move frequently.
Anyways I doubt this will stop the pilot-bashing, but understand that none of these guys were born making $200k/year, & there''s a lot of us out there still paying our dues in hopes of making some decent money someday.
--Sam
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