From: Seth Sandronsky <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Didnt Jerry Brown, in a bid for the White House, channel author Gore Vidals ideas about converting the production of weapons to the production of mass transit?
Here on Long Island, longtime local defense contractor Grumman (maker of the F-14 Tomcat jet fighter) tried to beat its swords into plowshares by acquiring a bus manufacturer, Flxible, in 1978. Grumman subsequently contributed its own experience as a weapons producer by turning out buses that posed a potential source of grave hazard. As one web source notes: "Soon after an order for 1,013 [Grumman Flxible buses] for New York City began delivery, hints of trouble began to surface. NYCTA eventually withdrew their 637 870s from service, claiming the buses were dangerous and inadequate to withstand the potholes of New York streets. Grumman acknowledged a potential structural weakness in some chassis components and, in December 1980, announced the details of a massive strengthening program in which 2,656 buses were rebuilt at several temporary centers around the country at a cost of over $7 million." <http://www.coachinfo.com/AllAboutBuses/Flx_Info.html> Carl
