A Matter of Steve Penhollow Perspectives

摘要

Lexington, Ky., paint store owner Jason Taylor understands why people might be curious about his profession. "Everybody asks me, 'What's it like?'" he said. "And I tell them, Well, it's hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Most independent paint store owners who have survived the recession would understand all too well the "sheer terror" part, but the profession to which Taylor is referring is the one he pursued prior to buying a paint store called Perspectives. Taylor was an air traffic controller in Moline, 111. On Aug. 5, 1981, then-President Ronald Reagan fired nearly 12,000 air traffic controllers—Taylor among them—after a two-day strike. "The biggest thing was they wouldn't negotiate with us at all," said Taylor, sounding as peeved as ever...or close to it. "They just said, This is the way it is and that's it.'"