Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Interview with Neal Boortz
Aired September 05, 2002 - 06:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Airport screeners and Colin Powell's trip to Africa, just some of what's on the mind of our next guest, nationally-syndicated radio talk show host, Neal Boortz.
Good morning, Neal.
NEAL BOORTZ, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: How are you doing?
COSTELLO: You're from Arizona, you're on vacation, and we appreciate you getting up really early to talk with us.
BOORTZ: Hey, I always get up this early.
COSTELLO: You do?
BOORTZ: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: You're crazy. Even on vacation?
BOORTZ: Yes, I'm usually at work by about 4:00, 4:30.
COSTELLO: You're on vacation, Neal!
Anyway, we were looking at your Web site, and one of the topics on there: airport screeners.
BOORTZ: Oh, what a joke!
COSTELLO: Why do you say that?
BOORTZ: What a complete joke! I'm surprised somebody hasn't snuck a Howitzer on one of these airplanes. This is an exercise in building government employees and government union members. And two or three years down the road, we are going to regret the formation of this bureaucratic behemoth.
COSTELLO: Well, what are you saying? That we should have private companies in charge of airport security?
BOORTZ: Listen, most foreign nations that have tried privatizing -- or excuse me -- that have tried government employees as airport security finally figured it out, and they said, this doesn't work. We're going back. We will set the standards, and private industry will meet the standards.
COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about... BOORTZ: But the United States, we won't do that, because we're going to have unions involved now. So, they will be government employees. It's unions first, security second.
COSTELLO: Are you saying that all union members are poor workers? Because that's going to make a lot of people angry.
BOORTZ: No, I'm not, Carol, but take a look at this. There was a study that came out about three weeks ago. Out of every 100 federal government employees, out of every 100 that got very unsatisfactory job ratings from their supervisors, between 1 and 2 percent of them were let go; 80 percent of them got raises. You can't get rid of a bad government employee.
COSTELLO: Well, how has the government managed to run all of these years with so many union employees?
BOORTZ: You said "run." You didn't way "run well."
COSTELLO: Oh, come on! There are things that run well in the government.
BOORTZ: OK, tell me...
COSTELLO: Not everything is bad.
BOORTZ: Tell me something the government does better than private industry.
COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, the Food and Drug Administration, they keep an eye on things. You can't say everything is bad against everything.
BOORTZ: Compare the efficiency of the Food and Drug Administration to the efficiency of Underwriters Laboratories.
COSTELLO: Well, I'd have to see a study, and I don't have any study with me right now, Neal.
You know, we pulled a picture off of your Web site...
BOORTZ: Uh-oh!
COSTELLO: ... of an airport screener. Do you know which one I'm talking about?
BOORTZ: Yes, I do, yes.
COSTELLO: We don't have the picture, but tell us what it shows.
BOORTZ: Well, it just shows one of our fabulous airport screeners at Hartsfield either, A, taking a nap on the benches at Concourse A, or, B, really doing a very, very close eyes-on inspection of the seat back of those benches.
COSTELLO: And where was this bench located within the airport?
BOORTZ: Now, now, now...
COSTELLO: I'm just wondering, because she might have been on a break and just taking a little nap.
BOORTZ: Hey, if she's on a break, go to a break room. Don't hang your caboose out there in the aisle for everybody to trip over while they're trying to board an airplane.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes, we have it now. There it is. We can see it.
BOORTZ: Oh, that's defying the laws of gravity, too. I want to tell you, that's pretty incredible.
COSTELLO: Who took this picture?
BOORTZ: Oh, now, I just -- I have my friends that take pictures for me.
COSTELLO: This is actually in Atlanta's airport.
BOORTZ: Yes, Concourse A at Atlanta, yes.
COSTELLO: You fly out of there all of the time. Do you feel safe?
BOORTZ: Well, yes, I do sometimes. Usually, I'm flying out of Peachtree-Dekalb.
COSTELLO: Oh, gee! And that's a smaller airport, isn't it?
BOORTZ: It's a smaller airport and my plane, and I don't have to worry about people like that.
COSTELLO: OK. Should we talk about President Bush's homeland security bill? Because I know the union issue is going to come up for you in this argument, too.
BOORTZ: Well, it's the same thing again. In matters of national security, the presidents have always had the broadened hiring and firing power, getting rid of employees that weren't doing the job. But the Democrats here -- listen, government union members vote Democrat. It's a very simple rule. And they want to make sure that the 50,000 employees of the Transportation Security Administration are nice, good government union employees, who will become loyal Democratic voters and part of the Democratic machine.
COSTELLO: Well, wait a minute, Neal. What's wrong with somebody who already belongs to a union, already works for the federal government, and they're going to get transferred into this new Homeland Security Department? And why should they lose their union rights?
BOORTZ: Well, most of the people that will be working for homeland security, especially the large group in the Transportation Security Administration -- remember, they are -- I think they have authorized them for 45,000 screeners -- these people are not now government employees and not now government union members, but they will become so.
COSTELLO: OK, I have to wrap you. I wish we could argue more, because frankly, I find it really fun.
BOORTZ: I have a good time, too.
COSTELLO: OK, Neal Boortz, have fun on the rest of your vacation, and you'll be back on the air on the radio Monday. Neal? He's gone.
BOORTZ: OK, bye-bye.
COSTELLO: He's in the land of the coyotes and sleeping with them right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
